PHP Build

Last change: 2005/8/27

PHP version: 4.4.0

www.php.net

PHP has a lot of optional features. What I build here includes everything in the Apple-supplied PHP, and what MapServer needs, plus anything else that I don't use but is easy to add (quite a lot really). If you need a specific feature that I haven't enabled, you're on your own, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

NOTE: Tho the Apple PHP will work for Mapserver, it's missing many features and I really recommend building your own.

In a Terminal type (supply admin password when asked):

$ cd path_to_folder_containing_php_source.tar.gz
$ tar -zxf php-4.4.0.tar.gz

If you want pdflib support, there is a bit of work to do (it's a little more involved than it used to be, since pdflib lite doesn't include the updates we need any more. First, we need to grab in install the updates, then rebuild configure (ignore warnings about autoconf version):

$ pear download pdflib
$ tar -zxf pdflib-2.0.4.tgz (substitute whatever version is downloaded in this and the following commands)
$ cp -f pdflib-2.0.4/pdflib-2.0.4/* php-4.4.0/ext/pdf/
$ cd php-4.0.0
$ rm configure
$ ./buildconf --force
$ cd ..

And continue:

$ cd php-4.4.0
$ ./configure --mandir=/usr/local/share/man --with-gd=/usr/local --with-png-dir=/usr/local --with-zlib=/usr --with-bz2=/usr --with-jpeg-dir=/usr/local --with-freetype-dir=/usr/local --with-xpm-dir=/usr/X11R6 --enable-exif --with-xml --enable-wddx --enable-ftp --enable-mbstring --enable-mbregex --with-openssl --with-iconv=/usr --enable-force-cgi-redirect --enable-dbase --enable-gd-jis-conv --enable-gd-native-ttf --with-curl=/usr --with-tiff-dir=/usr/local --enable-zend-multibyte --with-ldap=/usr --with-kerberos=/usr --enable-dbx --enable-sockets --with-iodbc=/usr --with-xmlrpc --with-expat-dir=/usr/local --enable-calendar --enable-trans-sid

If you installed pdflib, add this to the configure line:

--with-pdflib=/usr/local

If you installed MySQL, add this to the configure line:

--with-mysql=/usr/local/mysql

If you installed PostgreSQL, add this to the configure line:

--with-pgsql=/usr/local/pgsql

If you want to try MapServer with PHP as an Apache module, add this to the configure line (requires at least MapServer 4.4):

--with-apxs

otherwise add:

--with-regex=system

and continue:

$ make
$ sudo make install

If you are building PHP as a CGI, finish up with:

$ sudo cp sapi/cgi/php /Library/Webserver/CGI-Executables

If you are building PHP as an Apache module, we want it out of the way so Apple doesn't stomp it in an update:

$ sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/libexec/httpd
$ sudo cp -f /usr/libexec/httpd/libphp4.so /usr/local/libexec/httpd/

If this is the first time you installed PHP at all, and you built it as an Apache module, the install should have enabled PHP for you. But, it's pointing to the default Apache module folder, and we want to make sure ours is used, even if Apple updates PHP. Edit /etc/httpd/httpd.conf and edit the php4 line in the LoadModule section to read:

LoadModule php4_module /usr/local/libexec/httpd/libphp4.so

If there are any extra LoadModule lines for php4, delete them (they can get added on Apple updates and your own build updates. Then, just start up the webserver and test it as specified below.

If you had previously installed PHP as a CGI, then you must manually disable the CGI (the Apache module is still automatically enabled). Edit /etc/httpd/httpd.conf. Comment out the Action & AddHandler lines for PHP that were added in the setup below. That's it.

PHP as a CGI needs a bit of setup to get it running with the Apache web server. Edit /etc/httpd/httpd.conf. First, make sure that the LoadModule and AddModule lines for php4 are commented (# at beginning of line).

Now look for the section <IfModule mod_mime.c>. Within that if block there are a bunch of AddHandlers commented out, it doesn't really matter where in the mod_mime block you put it, but I like to add these after the commented cgi line. If there are any AddType or AddHandler lines for php already there, comment them (unless they're exactly what we want). Add these two lines:

Action php-script /cgi-bin/php
AddHandler php-script .php .phtml

Then start up the web server: System Preferences → Sharing → Services and check Personal Web Sharing.

If you are updating PHP, turn Web Sharing off and back on.

Now a quick test. In your web root (/Library/WebServer/Documents) or your home Sites, create a text file named phptest.php with this line:

<?php phpinfo (); ?>

Then open up Safari and go to this URL: localhost/testphp.php (or localhost/~you/testphp.php). You should see a long page of the gorey details of your PHP installation. Make sure that the Server API line corresponds to how you installed it above. If not, there's something wrong in httpd.conf. One last thing to do now to tune PHP - look at the line on this info page for Configuration File Path. It should be /usr/local/lib/. You need to copy a file there (assuming you're still in the PHP source folder in the Terminal):

$ sudo cp php.ini-recommended /usr/local/lib/php.ini

Note that you are renaming the file in the process. Edit this file now. First, find the line that sets extension_dir, add a semicolon at the beginning to comment it.

With php-mapscript you may have complex maps that take a while to draw, or you may have a slow Mac, so it would be a good idea to increase the timeout: find the variable max_execution_time and increase it to 60 seconds or more. If you find maps that take longer (and you can't speed them up), just increase this again. (Try to speed them up, tho - you don't want to frustrate your viewers )

If you have installed PHP as an Apache module, you must restart Web Sharing after making any changes to php.ini.

Reload the php test page and see the changes. You're all set. Note that this 'recommended' php.ini turns off display errors and instead logs them. If you need to debug your php you must look at the web server logs or temporarily turn on display errors in your php (ini_set("display_errors","1");).

A note on the recent PHP 4.3.10 turned me on to this little goody that can speed up your php-driven web pages: the Zend Optimizer. Download it, and in a Terminal:

$ cd path_to_folder_containing_zendoptimizer.tar.gz
$ tar -zxf ZendOptimizer-2.5.7-darwin7.5-ppc.tar.gz
$ cd ZendOptimizer-2.5.7-darwin7.5-ppc
$ sudo ./install.sh

An old-style DOS-GUI thing will walk you thru installation. The defaults should be good. Note that this will move your php.ini to /usr/local/Zend/etc/, tho an alias will be left behind. Presumably because it's optimizing it. So make sure you have your php.ini installed as specified above (not sure what'll happen if there's no php.ini yet).