External Functions

NJordan72

Hello-

I'm looking for some information about using external functions from within PHP.

I currently use ASP to do all of my scripting, but would like to move everything over to linux. In ASP alot of our functions are "hidden" in dlls that are called from the code.

After looking around the site I didn't see any mention of how this was possible with PHP. Can someone please point me in the right direction?

Thanks-
Nick

barand

Many functions are built into PHP however there are still DLL's to add functionality. The most common, probably, are php_gd.dll for images and database extensions such as php_mssql.dll etc.

The PHP.INI file allows you to specify the extension DLL's to be loaded automatically or you can load them from a php page with the dl() function
eg dl("php_gd.ini");

hth

NJordan72

I'm talking more specifically about funtions that contain business rules. Something that I could code in C or C++, compile, and then somehow link to using PHP.

barand

Code them in PHP. There is very little difference twixt PHP and C.

NJordan72

Can I compile them so they are wrapped? I don't want them to be visable or easily edited.

ecg

please correct me if I'm wrong but the <?php ?> flags 'hide' the work done within them.. so if you view source you only see the HTML... right?

:-)
Beth

NJordan72

True, but I'm talking about distributing the pages so they can be customized. I need to provide an API to do the legwork, yet allow the end user to fully customize the page.

ecg

seperate the business logic to another file (I use .inc extensions) and requiring it at the start of the file that will be modified?
Or too simple?

NJordan72

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the user could still open up the inc file and take a look at all of the business logic? Am I wrong?

This is why I prefer to have the business rules compiled. It is true that it could be reverse engineered, but it is atleast an order of magnitude more difficult.

There has to be a way to call external functions/classes in PHP.

greg252

Look into the Zend encoder. I think it'll do what you want.

NJordan72

Does no one find it strange that this feature doesn't come standard with PHP and that you have to buy a utility at upwords of two grand to do it?

su1d

NJordan72, you may always write a compilable extension to PHP, call it php_njordan72.[so|dll], and use it from your scripts after calling dl('php_njordan72.so').
RTFM =)

Duey

NJordan you must relise that not everyone is capabal of installing a php module, make it simple no one cares about your precious little function fact is someones already made it. Ive seen this many times with new php coders, they all want to protect there code but if they look hard enough all you need to do is ask on these forums and someone will do what ever you want to hide for you.

su1d

I agree with Duey. Developing an extension to PHP is a good solution for large private systems that need more perfomance/security and are installed on private boxes.
For small projects intended for general public I'd recommend to use some encrypting and/or obfuscating tools like:
- ZendEncoder : prolly you can't afford this one
- POBS : this obfuscator is good to hide business logic in relatively large systems with many .php files. however, it's actually useless in cases of very small projects or when someone just needs to find a password to a database or something like that
- PHPGuardian : relatively new project with a reasonable price (I didn't try it though). requires installing of its own PHP-extension. supports obfuscation.
- many other engines, based on their own php-extensions, but practically useless due to very low level of protection: PHP is like an OpenSource software, anyone can make a couple of changes to the engine and retrieve whole source code "enctypted" by a protection software.

NJordan72

It isn't that we can't afford Zend Encoder, but I'll give you the exchange between me and my boss.

Me: I think we have a solution.
Boss: Good, whats it going to cost.
Me: Well If we switch over from W2k to Linux, the OS will be free.
Boss: Great!
Me: And if we migrate from SQL Server 2k to PostgreSQL we won't have any overhead on the RDMS.
Boss: Wow!
Me: But if we use PHP as a development language, we are going to have some overhead in order to hide our functions. There doesn't seem to be any naitive support for creating our own API in another language and calling it from PHP.
Boss: Well ASP could do this w/out any sort of overhead cost.
Me: I know.

It isn't that he would reject the idea, it is just that so much is said about how great open source projects are, but I often find they lack some of the features of their closed source counterparts.

Then I come here to ask the question -- and am pretty much told that only a very small percenatage of people would need this feature, and I probalby don't fall into that category. I'm going to disagree with this. This is something that commercial apps that are not willing to open their source most definately need. I see it as something that should be naitive to the language in order for PHP to become one of the GREAT web languages.

greg252

Question:
You are planning on writting the code in ASP and distributing it?

Doesn't that mean that the client MUST run windows or pay the $1000 for a ChiliSoft license to run on Linux?

And what about MAC?:rolleyes:

PHP is Free!

NJordan72

We are also distributing the hardware it is running on. I hesitate to say it but similar to Google's "Internet Appliance", only having nothing to do with searching.

That is why we wanted to go with a Linux based solution. Less licensing. We could distribute it all using Windows based software, but this would increase our end users cost ten fold.

su1d

Do you really think that guys from Zend are going to lose all ZendEncoder sales and make it free and PHP-native? =)

BTW, anyone can get the source code of a Java applet, but tons of ppl develop commercial software in Java.
If I were you, I'd looked more attentively towards obfuscators. I was told that POBS is good enough.

Duey

or you could get a life and stop freaking out about your noob code. cause no one cares!!! you should be happy if someone wants to copy your code then you know people look up to you. when you start encrypting functions for doing smilies i think you should be destroyed!! go play with your half ***ed ASP, if everyother scripting company that uses PHP can cope with there functions being able to be read by everyone why cant you!!! and PostgreSQL???? are you stoned???? have you heard of a free thing called MySQL? which is faster, better, easyer to use, more reliable then PostgreSQL? big big big big hint dont get PostgreSQL.