FAQ
How did this project start?
http://code.irontec.com/2010/haciendo-posible-php-sobre-android/ (Spanish)
http://code.irontec.com/2010/haciendo-posible-php-sobre-android/ (Google translation)
Is it something that still requires a Web server to run?
Our APK distributes a PHP-CLI binary, cross-compiled, linked to bionic (Android's libc) and just two extensions built-in, those required to talk to ASE: sockets and JSON . We may improve the binary with the help of the community of course.
So, no webserver required in Android. It is PHP-CLI and you have GUI access thanks to ASE's RPC server.
A frequently asked question is whether PHP-GTK is possible to run on Android. Well, AFAIK no because of the fact that Android lacks an X server.
Do I need to have a real Android phones?
No, you do not need a real Android phone. You can play with the Android emulator.
What you see in the screencast is the emulator with a skin.
If you have an Android phone you need to know that Android OS 1.5 is required.
Are the Android application installers device independent or do you need to have a specific PHP on Android runtime for each type of device?
Most of the current devices are ARM based and the PHP binary we provide is cross-compiled for ARM devices, so it should work out of the box on them. It is like an almost static PHP binary that you copy from a PC to another. It works and does not matter if it is AMD or Intel based.
We have heard about issues in ASE with a few devices but it is usually something related to a missing library, not really a common problem by now.
Do you think your project can represent a good opportunity for the developers PHP developers?
We hope so. A lot of Web developers might try Android development thanks to PFA. They can reuse their current know-how.
What's included in PhpForAndroid.apk?
“Nothing”, it's just an installer. An installer which downloads and installs these files:
php_rX.zip → PHP binary.
php_extras_rX.zip → Android.php and php.ini.
php_scripts_rX.zip → Demo scripts for your fun.
How is that php-cli binary built?
Check the release sources. There you'll find.
I don't like the php binary you provide.
Please help us, this is an opensource project.
Do you follow any PHP coding standard?
Yep, the Zend one.
phpcs --standard=Zend script.php
I've written a useful PFA script. Can you include it? Can you add my name on top of the snippet?
Yes, of course.
Are you looking for help in your project? If so, what other developers can do to join you and help evolving the project faster?
Yes. Any PHP developer can help sharing scripts. We will give them credit, of course. Besides, testing is needed, and documentation, we want to have some kind of PFA official manual.
Speaking about the internals, a bit Java and PHP compiling knowledge may be necessary, maybe a bit of C too. However, I think that this is not so important now. We can already work with the current release.
