The Deadly Duo – PHP & JAVA using the PHP/Java Bridge

The era of open source technologies has been characterised by the unprecedented and almost exponential rise of the technology called PHP. It has spawned multiple open source frameworks that form the basis of some of the most powerful software web applications available today. On the other end of the spectrum you have Java, the old warhorse that just refuses to give up. When providing PHP development services, and designing and developing an app, what happens when you combine these two dependable and powerful technologies? Your app will definitely inherit the advantages of PHP and Java. But, how do you accomplish this? Here’s how.

When PHP 4 came out, it featured support for adding an extension that would enable the use of Java. But, as the technology evolved there was a need for change. In PHP 5 and PHP 6, you need to install and configure the PHP/Java Bridge. Only then, can you use Java classes within a PHP script. Let’s first define what a PHP/Java Bridge is. It is a version of a streaming, XML-based network protocol that connects a native script engine, such as PHP or Python to a Java VM. Installation and configuration of the PHP/Java Bridge requires hands-on Java SE and PHP5 core knowledge. You can easily download the bridge as a zip file from the project’s page. The installation is Java platform dependent. 

For J2SE,

• Get a J2SE 1.6 or higher version installed
• Get PHP 5.1.4 or higher installed
• Locate and extract the php-java-bridge_5.2.2_j2ee.zip file to a folder
• Access this folder directory via the command prompt and type: …>java –classpathJavaBridge.warTestInstallation
• In the bridge folder you downloaded, locate the ext folder containing 4 .jar files
• Copy the JavaBridge.jar and php-script.jar files to the J2SE/Java SE ext directory

For J2EE,

• Put the JavaBridge.war archive in the auto-deploy folder of your J2EE server
• Change the name of the archive to the name you desire to christen your app with
• Wait while the auto-deploy process creates a directory associated with this archive
• Now, test the new app using this URL: http://localhost:8080/appName
• Alter parameters if the J2EE server is running on a different host or is listening on a different port

The bridge comes with a collection of PHP classes that facilitate the addition of Java code into PHP scripts. Some of them are:

• java – access java type with the given name
• java_autoload – loads a set of Java libraries in the PHP script in use right now
• java_cast – converts a Java object into a PHP value
• java_is_null – checks for a null value
• java_session – returns a session handle
• java_values – evaluates the object and retrieves its content

For these functions to work, your app must contain the related PHP classes, the main among which is the Java.inc class. We are an offshore software development company and have implemented this technique for developing web apps using PHP and Java. We offer PHP development services including PHP MySQL development to clients across the globe. You can hire php mysql developer from our talented pool of developers who have honed their skills in PHP and Java development technologies. Get in touch with us for the best and the most cost-effective PHP development solutions.

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Ruby on Rails – A Befitting Crown Jewel

Rarely does it happen that two potent elements combine to form a powerful whole! Yet, in the field of software development technologies, you find this phenomenon to be quite common. If you have ever been involved in Ruby on Rails development you will know what we are talking about. The amalgamation of a powerful programming language; Ruby with a flexible web programming framework; Rails gave birth to Ruby on Rails. Being a full-featured open source development framework allows Ruby on Rails or RoR for short, to leverage the tremendous talent and innovation of developer communities across the globe.

Built on a foundation of object-oriented programming language, RoR helps develop highly efficient, effective and reliable web applications. No wonder there’s a rush today to hire Ruby on Rails programmers! With the plethora of technologies available today, what sets RoR apart? It’s convention over configuration. Though sounding verbose, it’s a simple technique to easily write code. Rails works to avoid configuration wherever possible thus reducing the amount of configuration required as compared to other development technologies, such as Java. This not just saves time that otherwise would have been invested in laboring over reams of code, but also tremendously increases productivity.

Wherever configuration is desired, Ruby provides accurate and efficient configuration techniques. This prevents the futile investment of time in programming conventions and provides programmers the freedom and much-needed breathing space to customize web applications to match client requirements to the T. Innovation and creativity only stems from freedom and space, and that is what RoR offers developers, the rare element of time to innovate and come up with path-breaking web solutions.

Another area where the Ruby-on-Rails framework really shines through is its inherent reliance on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. Effective segregation of code is possible using this structure which allows code complexities to be effectively camouflaged. The Model aspect is the database element, View - the aesthetic UI or the face of the application and Controller – the web interaction agent. This distinct classification makes coding and maintenance easy. Support for testing of each of these elements, the Model, View and Controller are integrated into the RoR framework. Due to all these advantages the popularity of RoR has risen manifold as it has constricted development timeframes to as little as 1/10^th of other technologies.

We are an offshore software development company with niche and credible expertise in Ruby-on-Rails development. You can hire Ruby on Rails developers from us who have honed their skills and primed their expertise with hours of dedicated effort on live projects. We have extended our Ruby on Rails development services to clients across the world and they have benefited from the cutting-edge skills and state-of-the-art technical know-how that our team possesses. With an efficient offshore software development model establish, we exercise stringent processes to ensure that our projects are completed well within time frames. Gives us a call if you desire the development of a web application that is innovative, efficient, reliable and ROI-specific – we give you nothing but the best!

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