WxPHP (wxWidgets for PHP) is a cross-platform library which gives you the ability to develop desktop applications using the PHP programming language. This applications can be executed on Windows, Linux and MacOSX using the same code base with a native look and feel.
If we talk about desktop application development using PHP, you will most probably think of PHPGTK or PECL-Cairo. While the idea when created was just as proof that PHP can also be used to create desktop application, We do not expect to see huge desktop projects build in PHP.
Some WxPHP apps include a Phar GUI to manage, extract and view the content of PHP phar files, Grease a lightweight PHP editor with a strong focus on ease of debugging, a simple Password generator … etc.
One of the main ideas is that you can use your php web applications code base and logic to create native desktop applications that communicate to them transparently. This way you can give your users a seamless and native experience from the desktop while staying in sync with your web apps.
To make development of GUI apps easier, a RAD tool is available wxFormBuilder which provides :
- Visual design of wxWidgets dialogs, frames, panels, toolbars and menubars
- Source code generation for C++, Python, PHP, Lua and XRC
- Support for AUI-managed frames
- Support for wxWidgets 3.0 widgets (wxRibbonBar, wxPropertyGrid, wxDataViewCtrl, …)
More information and download at http://wxphp.org/download
What do you think about using PHP for desktop ?
