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archived-web-php/FAQ.html
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<H1>PHP3 Frequently Asked Questions</H1>
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<P>This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about PHP3 and
their answers. If you have suggestions or additions, send them to
<CODE>php3@php.il.eu.org</CODE>.
<HR>
<H2>General Information</H2>
<H3>What is PHP3?</H3>
<P>From the <A href="http://www.php.net/manual/manual.html">manual</A>:
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>Professional Home Pages Version 3.0 is an HTML-embedded scripting
language. Much of its syntax is borrowed from C, Java and Perl with a
couple of unique PHP-specific features thrown in. The goal of the language
is to allow web developers to write dynamically generated pages quickly.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<H3>What is its relation to PHP/FI?</H3>
PHP3 is the successor to PHP/FI 2.0.
<H3>What are the differences between PHP3 and PHP/FI 2.0?</H3>
<P>For a complete list of the changes, read the CHANGES file
included in the PHP3 distribution. Some highlights:
<UL>
<LI>All-new parser.
<LI>Persistent database connections.
</UL>
<H3>Is there a PHP3 mailing list?</H3>
<P>Of course! To subscribe, send mail to
<CODE>php3-subscribe@php.il.eu.org</CODE>. You don't need to include
anything special in the subject or body of the message.
<P>To unsubscribe, send mail to
<CODE>php3-unsubscribe@php.il.eu.org</CODE>.
<H3>Help! I can't seem to subscribe to the mailing list!</H3>
<H3>Help! I can't seem to unsubscribe from the mailing list!</H3>
<P>If you have problems subscribing to or unsubscribing from the PHP3
mailng list, it may be because the mailing list software can't figure
out the correct mailing address to use. If your email address was
<CODE>joeblow@example.com</CODE>, you can send your subscription request
to <CODE>php3-subscribe-joeblow=example.com@php.il.eu.org</CODE>,
or your unsubscription request to
<CODE>php3-unsubscribe-joeblow=example.com@php.il.eu.org</CODE>.
<H3>Is there an archive of the mailing list anywhere?</H3>
<P>Yes, it's located at <A
href="http://www.tryc.on.ca/php3.html">http://www.tryc.on.ca/php3.html</A>.
<HR>
<H2>Obtaining PHP3</H2>
<H3>Where can I obtain PHP3?</H3>
<P>You can download PHP3 from any of the members of the
PHP3 network of sites. These can be found at <A
href="http://www.php.net/">http://www.php.net/</A>.
<H3>Why do I have to register to download PHP3?</H3>
<P>This is so the development team can find out what operating systems
and databases that people are using, and how many people are using PHP3
in general. Don't worry, you aren't being added to any mailing lists
by registering!
<H3>Are pre-compiled binary versions available?</H3>
<P>Yes, as long as you're looking for binaries for Windows 95 or NT.
They're available in the same place as the source.
<HR>
<H2>Installation</H2>
<P>To install PHP3, follow the instructions in the INSTALL file located
in the distribution. Windows 95 and NT users should also read the
README.WIN32 file.
<H3>Common Problems</H3>
<DL>
<DT>
When I run configure, it says that it can't find the include files or
library for gdbm (or some other package)!
</DT>
<DD>
You can make the configure script looks for header files and libraries
in non-standard locations by specifying additional flags to pass to
the C compiler, such as:
<PRE>
CFLAGS=-I/path/to/include LDFLAGS=-L/path/to/library ./configure
</PRE>
If you're using a csh-variant for your login shell (why?), it would be:
<PRE>
env CFLAGS=-I/path/to/include LDFLAGS=-L/path/to/library ./configure
</PRE>
<P>
</DD>
<DT>
When it is compiling the file language-parser.tab.c, it gives me errors
that say 'yytname undeclared'.
</DT>
<DD>
You need to update your version of Bison.
<P>
</DD>
<DT>
When I run 'make', it seems to run fine but then fails when it tries
to link the final application complaining that it can't find some files.
</DT>
<DD>
Some old versions of make that don't correctly put the compiled
versions of the files in the functions directory into that same
directory. Try running "<CODE>cp *.o functions</CODE>" and then
re-running 'make' to see if that helps. If it does, you should really
upgrade to a recent version of GNU make.
<P>
</DD>
<DT>
When linking PHP3, it complains about a number of undefined references.
</DT>
<DD>
Take a look at the link line and make sure that all of the appropriate
libraries are being included at the end. Common ones that you might have
missed are '-ldl' and any libraries required for any database support
you included.
<P>
If you're linking with Apache 1.2.x, did you remember to add the
appropriate information to the EXTRA_LIBS line of the Configuration
file and re-rerun Apache's Configure script? See the INSTALL file that
comes with the distribution for more information.
<P>
Some people have reported that they had to add '-ldl' immediately
following 'libphp3.a' when linking with Apache.
<P>
</DD>
</DL>
<HR>
<H2>Using PHP3</H2>
<H3>Common Problems</H3>
<DL>
<DT>
I installed PHP3, but every time I load a document, I get the
message 'Document Contains No Data'! What's going on here?
</DT>
<DD>
This probably means that PHP3 is having some sort of problem
and is core-dumping. Look in your server error log to see if
this is the case, and then try to reproduce the problem with
a small test case. If you know how to use 'gdb', it is very
helpful when you can provide a backtrace with your bug report
to help the developers pinpoint the problem.
<P>
</DD>
</DL>
<H3>I think I found a bug! Who should I tell?</H3>
<P>You should use the bug-reporting form located on any
of the PHP3 network members. For example, try going to <A
href="http://www.php.net/bug-form.php3">http://www.php.net/bug-form.php3</A>.
<HR>
<H2>Migrating from PHP/FI 2.0</H2>
<H3>Common Problems</H3>
<DL>
<DT>
I converted my script from PHP/FI 2.0 to PHP3 syntax, but now it just
hangs! When I looked at the processes running on my server, there was
one process that was chewing up all of the CPU cycles!
</DT>
<DD>
You probably missed the semi-colon on a <CODE>while
(condition);</CODE> statement. This will cause PHP3 to spin out of
control because it is simply executing an empty body for your while
loop! Change the semi-colon to a colon and it should work correctly.
<P>
</DD>
</DL>
<HR>
<H2>Credits</H2>
<P>This FAQ was originally written by Jim Winstead. It is currently
maintained by the PHP Development Team.
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