Traits is a mechanism for code reuse in single inheritance languages such as PHP. A Trait is intended to reduce some limitations of single inheritance by enabling a developer to reuse sets of methods freely in several independent classes living in different class hierarchies. The semantics of the combination of Traits and classes is defined in a way, which reduces complexity and avoids the typical problems associated with multiple inheritance and Mixins.

They are recognized for their potential in supporting better composition and reuse, hence their integration in newer versions of languages such as Perl 6, Squeak, Scala, Slate and Fortress. Traits have also been ported to Java and C#.

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Apache Zeta Components is an enterprise ready general purpose PHP components library. As a collection of high quality independent building blocks for PHP application development Apache Zeta Components will both speed up development and reduce risks. An application can use one or more components effortlessly as they all adhere to the same naming conventions and follow the same structure. All components are currently based on PHP 5.2.1.

The Apache Zeta Components in a nutshell:

• Designed for enterprise PHP application development

• Open source and licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0

• Clear intellectual property (IP) rights

• Thoroughly documented

• Fully maintained by the open source community, initially developed by eZ Systems