HTTP GET vs POST in the Zend Framework
As most web developers know there is a difference between HTTP GET and HTTP POST and sometimes you end up using a combination of these items and take precedence depending on what are you are trying to accomplish. In the Zend Framework, when working with controllers there is a Zend_Controller_Request_Http object used in conjunction with controllers. The object has useful methods like determining what kind of HTTP Request it is (isPost, isXmlHttpRequest, isGet, etc), getting various request variables (_getParam, getParams, getPost,etc).
While working on a search page for a client, I came across a need to get POST values which could sometimes also be in the query string already, but needed the HTTP POST variables to take precedence in being loaded. When using $this->_request->_getParam() inside of the controller, the HTTP GET values were taking precedence. The reason why: there is no $this->_request->getGet() method on the request object, HTTP GET data must be acquired through $this->_request->_getParam() or by calling for the property (which invokes the magic method __get on the request object). The _getParam() method always checks GET data first. However there is a $this->_request->getPost() method which can be used to retrieved the post values.
PHP
// in the controller action method....
// too long to use a ternary.
// TIP:
// technically $this->_request->search should be the same as
// $this->_request->getPost('search');
if($this->_request->isPost())
$params = $this->_request->getPost('search'); // HTTP POST
else
$params = $this->_getParam("search", array()); // HTTP GET
// there is no $this->getGet('search')