PFA (PHP for Android) is a project that lets you write native Android apps in php. In this talk you'll learn how to install and use this project to develop on your phone with php.

1. PHP for Android
Prototyping Android apps in php
Cesare D'Amico
cesare@wyrd.it

2. Cesare D'Amico
freelance php dev
Hi, nice to meet you!
cesare@wyrd.it
Twitter: __ce (double underscore)
http://cesaredami.co/

3. What happens adding...
+

4. Genetically modified php :)

5. We're going to talk about...
+ PFAf
SL4A

6. Android

7. Android
• built on top of a linux
kernel
• native libc (Bionic):
0.5 * sizeof(GNU libC)
• runtime (Dalvik VM) +
system libs
• application framework
• Java!

8. How can we make php run
on Android?
1. static compilation with Glibc (over
7MB)... fat!
2. linked to Bionic: smaller (~2MB), but
tweaks needed

9. How can we make php run
on Android?
3. SL4A to the rescue!

10. SL4A – scripting layer for
Android
• Google project, led by
Damon Kohler
• Open Source
• exposes Android API
• quite active

11. SL4A: installation
As easy as:
1) enable “Unknown
sources” under Applications
settings
2)

12. PHP for Android project
• led by Iván Mosquera,
software engineer at Irontec
(the people behind IronPython
and other OS projects)
• Open Source
• Started in 2009
• php-for-android on Google
Groups

13. PFA: installation
The PFA apk just installs
other components:
• php_rX.zip:
– php binary
• php_scripts_rX.zip
– scripts and PFAf
• php_extras_rX.zip
• Android.php + php.ini

14. Everything's installed!

15. SL4A: how does it work?
Provides Android facades
Makes the Android API
available through JSON
RPC calls

16. PFA: let's try it

17. PFA: let's try it
<?php
require_once('Android.php');
$droid = new Android();
$droid­>vibrate();

18. PFA: let's try it
SOOOO easy! :-)

19. PFA: let's try it
Let's try
something
else:

20. PFA: let's try it
<?php
require_once('Android.php');
$droid = new Android();
$name = $droid­>getInput('Hi!',
'What is your name?');
$droid­>makeToast('Hello '.
$name['result']);

21. PFA: let's try it

22. PFA: access phone features

23. PFA: access phone features
<?php
require_once('Android.php');
$droid = new Android();
$droid­>viewContacts();

24. PFA: access phone features
Many more features
available; API full list:
http://j.mp/9btqUG
Examples: smsSend, sendEmail,
cameraCapturePicture, viewHTML,
bluetoothConnect, contactsGet,
viewMap... (perhaps not *everything*
available yet)

25. PFA: writing scripts
Directly on the phone!

26. PFA: writing scripts
SOOOOO
slow and
unusable!
:-(

27. PFA: writing scripts
Including local files:
<?php
include('/sdcard/proj/...');
?>

28. PFA: writing scripts
allow_url_fopen
+
allow_url_include
FTW!

29. PFA: including remote code
<?php
require_once('Android.php');
$droid = new Android();
include('http://www.wyrd.it/
droid.php.txt');
<?php
$droid­>makeToast("There's a
starman waiting in the sky!");
remote.php
droid.php.txt

30. PFA: including remote code

31. PFA: including remote code
include('http://www.wyrd.it/
droid.php.txt');
Secure
Handy
?
This is here for testing purposes ONLY!

32. PFA: including remote code
Don't forget that PFA,
although yet useable in
many respects, is still
alpha software.
In the future we'll be
able to distribute scripts
in apk format, without
using allow_url_fopen

33. PFA: internals
Android.php:
<?php
public function __call($name, $args){
return $this­>rpc($name, $args);
}
public function rpc($method, $args){
$data = array('id'=>$this­>_id, 'method'=>$method,
'params'=>$args);
$request = json_encode($data)."n";
$sent = socket_write($this­>_socket,$request,
strlen($request));

34. PFA: internals
<?php
public function rpc($method, $args){
$data = array('id'=>$this­>_id, 'method'=>$method,
'params'=>$args);
$request = json_encode($data)."n";
$sent = socket_write($this­>_socket, $request,
strlen($request));
$response = socket_read($this­>_socket, 1024,
PHP_NORMAL_READ)or die("Could not read inputn");
$this­>_id++;
$result = json_decode($response);
return array(
'id'=>$result['id'], 'result'=>$result['result'],
'error'=>$result['error']
);
}

35. PFAf: PFA framework
Base php class: ScriptAbstract; apps
extend this class and implement init()
States-based: put on a stack the next
action you want to execute
function currentAction(){
...
$this­>setNextAction('next');
}
function nextAction() { ... }

36. Thanks everyone!
?

37. PFA wants you!
You can help by writing
scripts and sharing
them:
http://www.phpforandroid.net/scripts
...and there are good examples there!
Take a look at the wi-fi scanner and the
web server ;)

38. 12-14 Maggio 2011
http://www.phpday.it/

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