PHP DataMapper is an open-source project I’ve been building and working on for a little while now.  It’s a lightweight Object-Relational Mapper based on the Data Mapper design pattern, setup using one mapper per table.  The primary goal is to make database access one of the easiest parts of building your application instead of the most tedious, and for PHP DataMapper itself to have no dependencies outside the default PHP5 installation so it can be used anywhere, in any application (no frameworks required!).

The project itself hasn’t changed too much recently, but I decided to finally formally introduce this project because I finally got some time to write some decent documentation on how to use PHP DataMapper in in your own application.  Head on over to the PHP DataMapper page to check it out, or just get right into the good stuff with the Getting Started tutorial or the
Usage – Finders example.

More updates and documentation will be coming soon.  If you’re interested in learning more about the project or contributing, please join the Google Group.

UPDATE: Links have been updated to the new home for the project – phpdatamapper.com