Can php is used to develop stand alone application other than web based application ?

Question

I just want to know, is it possible to develop a stanalone application using PHP. Or PHP is only capable to developing web based applications. Is php is using in any application to develop standalone softwares?

Answer 1

You can use PHP GTK to develop standalone GUI applications in PHP.
For furthur information, browse these sites,
http://gtk.php.net/
http://www.devx.com/opensource/Article/21235/0

Answer 2

If by "standalone" you mean "executable" then the answer is no.
PHP must be parsed, and that means you need at least one other program (the PHP parser) to make it do anything at all. You would also need at least one other program to view the HTML that the parser generates (the browser). To make a PHP program run without these, you would need to write your own executable program that parses and displays the PHP for you (which means effectively they would still be there, but combined as one program). This would require learning a truly standalone language such as C++, and would be quite a complex task. An easier option would be to forget the PHP entirely and write the whole thing in C++ from the outset.

Every tool has it's purpose. Sometimes you can use a tool for other things, but sometime it just won't work, like trying to hammer a nail into a piece of wood using a lathe... I think this is one of those circumstances - use the right tool for the job instead!

Answer 3

I know no software that are made for up with php for a stand alone executable.
It is mainly for web related programs.
The name match for hypertext preprocessing which empowers the site to be more interactive.

Answer 4

Yes you can use PHP GTK to make stand alone applications. also I think there is php compiler to compile your applications.

Answer 5

http://www.google.com/search?q=php+standalone

Sure. Although you're better off with a general purpose language like Python, Ruby, Perl, C#, etc..