How to use C++ to develop extensions that are perfectly compatible with PHP7/8

How to use C to develop an extension that is perfectly compatible with PHP7/8

Introduction:
PHP is a very popular dynamic programming language with a huge community And a rich extension library provides developers with a lot of convenience. However, sometimes we need to write some high-performance extensions in C to enhance the functionality of PHP. This article will introduce how to use C to develop an extension that is perfectly compatible with PHP7 and PHP8.

1. Understand the basic structure of PHP extensions:
Before starting development, it is very important to understand the basic structure of PHP extensions. A PHP extension usually consists of the following parts:

1. Source file: The extended C source file, where we will write our C code.

2. Configuration file (config.m4/config.w32): File used to configure and compile extensions. Depending on the operating system, we use different configuration files.

3. Extension initialization function (extension entry): The initialization function called when loading the extension, used to register extension functions and constants, etc.

4. Function definition: Contains the definition of the function we want to add to PHP.

2. Choose the correct API version:
PHP introduced new APIs after version 7.0, called Zend API and Zend Engine API. We need to choose the correct API based on different PHP versions. For PHP7 we use Zend Engine3 and for PHP5 we use Zend Engine2.

3. Writing C code:
Writing PHP extensions in C involves some specific functions and macros. Here are some common C functions and macros:

1. PHP_FUNCTION: Used to define PHP functions.
2. ZEND_GET_MODULE: Module used to export extensions.
3. zval: used to handle PHP variables.
4. Garbage collection mechanism: You need to pay attention to memory management when developing PHP extensions in C. We need to manually manage the memory allocated in C and free it correctly.

4. Register extended functions and constants:
When writing C code, we need to register the functions and constants in the extension so that they can be called in PHP. We can use the following functions to complete the registration:

1. PHP_FE: used to register functions in extensions.
2. REGISTER_LONG_CONSTANT: used to register integer constants in extensions.
3. REGISTER_STRING_CONSTANT: used to register string constants in extensions.

5. Testing and debugging:
After developing the C code, we need to test and debug. We can use PHPUnit or other testing frameworks to write and execute test cases. Additionally, we can use gdb for debugging.

Summary:
This article introduces how to use C to develop extensions that are perfectly compatible with PHP7 and PHP8. We learned about the basic structure of a PHP extension, selected the correct API version, and learned how to write C code and register the extension's functions and constants. Finally, we cover how to test and debug. I hope this article helps you develop better PHP extensions.

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