Roadsend PHP allows developers to take full advantage of the PHP language to create a wide variety of software products.
Products built with Roadsend PHP interact with the end user through one of the following user interfaces:
This is the interface most commonly associated with the PHP language. All PHP code in the project (including mixed PHP/HTML but excluding images and other static content) is compiled to a binary file. The library is interfaced to a web server through the FastCGI module. Requests for PHP “pages” (usually with a .php extension) are forwarded to the compiled binary, which runs the compiled code for that page and returns the results to the user in the form of a web page.
Online Web Applications generally run on a dedicated web server.
This interface is very similar to the Online Web Application interface, in that all PHP files in the project are compiled to a binary which will be used to serve HTML web pages.
However a MicroServer project takes the additional step of compiling an embedded web server directly into the finished product. Thus, a separate web server is not required by the end user to run the application.
This option allows the developer to compile a web application as a stand alone product for offline use. When the binary is run, a web browser is automatically launched so that the user can interact with the local web application.
This interface uses the GTK library to provide a GUI interface (windows, dialogs, icons and the like) to the end user. All project files are compiled to a single executable. Only the main file of the application is run at program start up, which may call code from other parts of the project.
The Glade library is supported, which allows for visual development of dialog boxes and other graphical elements.
This interface is often used for command line or server applications. All files in the PHP project are compiled to a single executable. Only the main file of the application is run at program start up, which may call code from other parts of the project. Output from the program is in basic ASCII text which shows up in the Unix console or DOS window.
See Console Applications.
This project type has no user interface, but rather provides a developer interface (through an API). It allows the developer to compile a set of PHP functions and/or classes which are intended to be accessed from other project types. This is an efficient method of sharing common code between different projects.
See Libraries.