The relatively straight forward (but not easy) step in creating a bridge between Apache/PHP and Tomcat/Laszlo is by setting up mod_jk2 connector .. which is well documented elsewhere (including discussions in this forum).
But dynamically scripting lzx content (using php) proves to be trickier.
I have got it to work after a fashion in some early testing.
The carto.net link (posted earlier) explains why an extended php extension is required (for generating svg images) .. but in fact you are right .. there is no need for an additional php extension as I suggested. (I have corrected my post).
The extension .psvg is used (in carto.net example) to differentiate between static and dynamic svg .. but in our Apache<->Tomcat scenario the lzx extension will only be used in the Tomcat lps-2.2 web app.
Basically, in my experiments so far, Tomcat acts as a client to the Apache/PHP server, and an LzURL link in laszlo webapp to Apache/PHP generates lzx script .. dynamically.
And conversely, Apache acts as client to Tomcat server.
Not exactly tight integration.
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But the problem is that this mod_jk2 solution requires users to have complete control
over their server(s) platform(s) and this may not be practical for most users deploying Laszlo applications on hosted Apache and Tomcat servers.
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I have trawled the web to find examples of PHP running in native mode on Tomcat.
There was very little reference (just one Apache site reference to compiling and installing PHP on Tomcat - not in mod_jk2 mode).
But in the last few days I unearthed this great little jewel:-
PHPServlet from http://tools.herberlin.de/phpservlet/index.shtml
this is a native java servlet (phpservlet.war) which can be installed as a Tomcat webapp.
...
[Note: Instructions below assume that you have installed PHP on Tomcat server (say into c:\php) and have tested phpinfo.php. If you have no Apache http server (normally used with PHP), test PHP installation first on your Tomcat server in command line mode.]
now ..
shutdown Tomcat
remove any PHP version of phpservlet.jar (same name which conflicts) - but only if you have been trying out PHP_Java.dll extension in PHP.
install PHPServlet (from herberlin.de) into webapps\phpservlet\
go to webapps\phpservlet\web.xml
and set the path to php executable .. installed on Tomcat server.
<init-param>
<param-name>php.executable</param-name>
<param-value>c:/php/php-cgi.exe</param-value>
</init-param>
[Note: the path must be to the CGI executable php-cgi.exe and not php.exe.]
Also (optionally) if you still wish to connect to Tomcat, from Apache server, via mod_jk2,
add this mapping to phpservlet app into workers2.properties:
# Map the herberlin.de phpservlet webapp to the Web server uri space
[uri:/phpservlet/*]
worker=ajp13:localhost:8009
info=Map the herberlin.de phpservlet webapp
Also ensure that phpservlet.jar is in your Java classpath.
To be sure, I copied phpservlet.jar from webapps\phpservlet\
into %TOMCAT_HOME%\common\libs\
and %TOMCAT_HOME%\common\libs\phpservlet.jar
was inserted in CLASSPATH in Environment.
...
Now reboot and startup Tomcat
To test Tomcat + PHP configuration
launch .. http://localhost:8080/phpservlet/phpinfo.php
You should see the PHPInfo report.
This is PHP running in Tomcat server!
To test Apache2 <mod_jk2> Tomcat + PHP - if you want to use this mode as well
restart Apache http server (in the example below Apache server runs on port 88,
but it could be your default port 80 or whatever port you have configured).
launch .. http://localhost:88/phpservlet/phpinfo.php
and again you should see the PHPinfo report.
[Note: use Ctrl + F5 in your browser to ensure that it is a fresh load and not a cached earlier load].
...
I think that PHPServlet (although still in early release) will be a very useful webapp to allow PHP scripting on Tomcat. Certainly it simplifies the whole PHP-LZX bridging process.
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CURL
regarding the use of cURL in PHP ..
here is a cURLsnippet which I have been using.
<?php
// launch php script to generate lzx script
// setup your own paths, and ports
//
//
$ch = curl_init ("http://localhost:88/test.lzx/");
// open target *.lzx file to be generated on the fly
$fp = fopen ("c:\\\\Tomcat5\\\\webapps\\\\lps-2.2\\\\my-apps\\\\phptest\\\\box.lzx", "w");
curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_FILE, $fp);
curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, 0);
curl_exec ($ch);
curl_close ($ch);
fclose ($fp);
// cURL allows :-
// monitor web site attributes
// scrape content to place in *.lzx or other file
// used for extracting web content and scripting
?>
[Note: in the $fp = fopen line above when I placed escape character "\"in front of backward slashes in the file path it was lost in the posting (I guess because this is a php site). So as a workaround I had to escape both backward slashes to ensure php displays correctly.]
The idea is that the lzx script is generated by php .. then the content "scraped" as an lzx script .. then file copied into defined lzx location.
This php generated lzx file can then be "included" in a normal lzx webapp .. which is called after the generation.
I'm not sure if this will work in a multi-thread applications .. seems unlikely since it is just copying a generated file and might crack under load.
But it might be used to rescript Laszlo content from time to time (e.g. dynamic sizing of components unable to be changed by lzx scripting).
..
I'm continuing to further test these approaches with PHP.
(a) mod_jk2
(b) native phpservlet.jar
(c) possibly a hybrid
(d) using PHP with Ming to dynamically generate embedded SWF files
(e) SVG generation