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<sect1 id="zend.tool.project.introduction">
    <title>Introduction</title>

    <para>
        <classname>Zend_Tool_Project</classname> builds on and extends the capabilities of
        <classname>Zend_Tool_Framework</classname> to that of managing a "project". In general, a
        "project" is a planned endeavor or an initiative. In the computer world, projects generally
        are a collection of resources. These resources can be files, directories, databases,
        schemas, images, styles, and more.
    </para>

    <para>
        This same concept applies to Zend Framework projects. In Zend Framework projects, you have
        controllers, actions, views, models, databases and so on and so forth. In terms of
        <classname>Zend_Tool</classname>, we need a way to track these types of resources - thus
        <classname>Zend_Tool_Project</classname>.
    </para>

    <para>
        <classname>Zend_Tool_Project</classname> is capable of tracking project resources throughout
        the development of a project. So, for example, if in one command you created a controller,
        and in the next command you wish to create an action within that controller,
        <classname>Zend_Tool_Project</classname> is gonna have to <emphasis>know</emphasis> about
        the controller file you created so that you can (in the next action), be able to append that
        action to it. This is what keeps our projects up to date and <emphasis>stateful</emphasis>.
    </para>

    <para>
        Another important point to understand about projects is that typically, resources are
        organized in a hierarchical fashion. With that in mind,
        <classname>Zend_Tool_Project</classname> is capable of serializing the current project into
        a internal representation that allows it to keep track of not only <emphasis>what</emphasis>
        resources are part of a project at any given time, but also <emphasis>where</emphasis> they
        are in relation to one another.
    </para>
</sect1>
