php2pl

Anon

For various reasons, I need a utility to convert a PHP script to a Perl (or alternatively to C ).

Does such a utility exist?

Mike

Anon

Nope. It would be useful, though.

If you could write each of the function calls you use in Perl, then convert the syntax to EPerl, and change the way variables work/interact/are accessed, you could (probably) almost get there with a short program, or two.

I'm sure what you want, though, is something that converts things to Perl that is short, optimized, and makes sense. That's not as easy. For instance, you'd want something that takes a regular expression in PHP, which is a function call to one of the ereg()/preg() functions and convert it to a Perl expression.... I don't think this exists or would be easy to write.

Actually, I'd like to be able to go both ways. I'd like to have the power of Perl code in PHP and the ease of PHP in Perl. There are a HUGE number of PHP built-in's/compile-in's that Perl can't touch, too, so.... Of course, Perl also has CPAN.

Something you'd still might be interested in: http://phperl.sourceforge.net/

I'm also thinking that there might be something (now/near future) that is a code generator, that can generate either, for brand-new projects. Or, in the same vein, maybe there is an "intermediate language" out there that could be a code generator, of sorts.

What would be REALLY nice is a standard library/framework/code base/toolkit that was written in both languages, to make it easy to do the exact same things in both languages, making porting MUCH easier.

Anon

Surely, then, surely there must be a PHP -> C converter. PHP is implemented in C so there can't possibly be anything PHP can do that C can't!

Mike

Anon

Nope. A converter from one language to another is almost synonymous with a compiler. While there is an encoder for PHP, which translates PHP into a binary intermediate language in sorta the same vein as the Java "compiler", PHP is still an interpreted language.

There are converters ("pseudo-compilers") from VB/ASP to PHP, Cold Fusion CFML to PHP, and from Perl to C/C++/Java. However, most of those merely reimplement the language and API in the destination language and do a simple convert. Or, they wrap the language inside the other. Or, they just have a binary of the language and allow calls back-and-forth, like the PHPerl project.

Other than those work-arounds, above, I know of no general purpose PHP compiler.

There is, however, something for Windows that lets you make an executable for PHP. I can't find it right now and it's not the same thing you seem to want.

BTW, I want a PHP -> Perl, Perl -> PHP, and PHP -> C/C++/Java compiler, too, but I think we'll have to wait. It IS possible to build, of course, but somebody needs to start a project....

PHP 4.x/Zend, with the optimizer, cache, and encoder is very easy to program, is very powerful, and is very fast for serving up dynamic web documents. The encoder, of course, encrypts your code, to make it hard to read the code....

Anon

You are right that there is nothing that PHP, C++, Java, Javascript, Perl, Python, etc. can do that C cannot, since C is what all those are written in. (Even i386 Assembly Languages are written in C and Assembly; and C is written in Assembly and C, so there really isn't ANYTHING that cannot be done in C or Assembly, so it holds true for just about any language. The two of them can write drivers, libraries, operating systems, drivers, compilers, interpreters, etc.... Even modern scripting languages like Perl or Python can do much of that, with some coaxing.)

However, that doesn't mean that somebody has written a PHP -> C compiler/converter. I don't think it exists, today. If it does, I'd surely like to know about it, myself.

It certainly CAN be done. I understand that ANY interpreted language can be made into a compiled language. (The only chink in the armor is all the dynamic stuff done by PHP, Perl, Python, etc., such as "late binding" of variables and the ability to place an interpreter inside an interpreter using eval(), blah, blah, blah.)

I hope it exists.

Supposedly, XML and SOAP (and/or XML-RPC and/or .net) should eliminate alot of the need to do this, though.... We should, in the near future, be able to have one standard way of calling functions/methods and handling data among multiple operating systems, machines, and languages. So, in the near future, just write a set of functions, make them exportable via SOAP, and viola! No need to do the above -- MAYBE.... Tune in next year for more details....

Anon

What I'm ultimately after is a php2exe type compiler, that will allow me to make Win32 binaries from PHP scripts.

Mike

Anon

This does exist, as I alluded in my previous email, and I finally found it:
http://www.deskcode.com/phpcompiler/

Binaries:
http://www.deskcode.com/phpcompiler/compiler.zip

Source Code:
http://www.deskcode.com/phpcompiler/source.zip

It's version 0.0.2 beta, so.... From what I understand, it's really a wrapper not a true compiler, so you need valid PHP .DLL's with your app. Therefore, don't expect lightning speed. If may, in fact, be SLOWER than PHP normally is, for web apps, for instance.

Read the URL at the top of this page, then the included README, yada, yada....

Also note that this can be used with PHP-GTK to greate GUI apps! http://gtk.php.net and (coming soon) http://www.php-gtk.com/ So GUI .EXE's in the PHP language are actually possible! That ought to shorten the learning curve.

Anon

Did my last post solve your problem?

Anon

I m searching php2exe too but the website you linked doesn't seems to be hosted yet...

Do u know where i can get it now? My search on the web are all responsless...

thanx by advance

Seb

Anon

Well, you're right. I can't see the site either. It WAS there, since I checked the link. I hope they aren't down permanently....

[deleted]

just downloaded some compiler -
http://www.mithril.com/code/php/phpcompiler/binaries.zip
will try and see if it works