book.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- $Revision$ -->

<book xml:id="book.phar" xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
 <?phpdoc extension-membership="core" ?>
 <title>Phar</title>
 
 <!-- {{{ preface -->
 <preface xml:id="intro.phar">
  &reftitle.intro;
  <para>
   The phar extension provides a way to put entire PHP applications into a single file
   called a "phar" (PHP Archive) for easy distribution and installation.
   In addition to providing this service, the phar extension also provides a file-format
   abstraction method for creating and manipulating tar and zip files through the
   <classname>PharData</classname> class, much as
   PDO provides a unified interface for accessing different databases.  Unlike PDO,
   which cannot convert between different databases, Phar also can convert between tar,
   zip and phar file formats with a single line of code.  see
   <function>Phar::convertToExecutable</function> for one example.
  </para>
  <para>
   What is phar?  Phar archives are best characterized as a convenient way to group
   several files into a single file.  As such, a phar archive provides a way to
   distribute a complete PHP application in a single file and run it from that file
   without the need to extract it to disk.  Additionally, phar archives can be
   executed by PHP as easily as any other file, both on the commandline and from
   a web server.  Phar is kind of like a thumb drive for PHP applications.
  </para>
  <para>
   Phar implements this functionality through a <link linkend="book.stream">Stream
   Wrapper</link>.  Normally, to use an external file within a PHP script, you
   would use <function>include</function>
  </para>
  <para>
   <example>
    <title>Using an external file</title>
    <programlisting role="php">
     <![CDATA[
 <?php
 include '/path/to/external/file.php';
 ?>
     ]]>
    </programlisting>
   </example>
  </para>
  <para>
   PHP can be thought of as actually translating
   <literal>/path/to/external/file.php</literal> into a
   stream wrapper as <literal>file:///path/to/external/file.php</literal>, and under
   the hood it does in fact use the plain file stream wrapper stream functions to
   access all local files.
  </para>
  <para>
   To use a file named <literal>file.php</literal> contained with a phar archive
   <literal>/path/to/myphar.phar</literal>,
   the syntax is very similar to the <literal>file://</literal> syntax above.
  </para>
  <para>
   <example>
    <title>Using a file within a phar archive</title>
    <programlisting role="php">
     <![CDATA[
 <?php
 include 'phar:///path/to/myphar.phar/file.php';
 ?>
     ]]>
    </programlisting>
   </example>
  </para>
  <para>
   In fact, one can treat a phar archive exactly as if it were an external disk, using
   any of <function>fopen</function>-related functions, <function>opendir</function> and
   <function>mkdir</function>-related functions to read, change, or create new files
   and directories within the phar archive.  This allows complete PHP applications
   to be distributed in a single file and run directly from that file.
  </para>
  <para>
   The most common usage for a phar archive is to distribute a complete application
   in a single file.  For instance, the PEAR Installer that is bundled with PHP
   versions is distributed as a phar archive.  To use a phar archive distributed
   in this way, the archive can be executed on the command-line or via a web server.
  </para>
  <para>
   Phar archives can be distributed as <literal>tar</literal> archives,
   <literal>zip</literal> archives, or as the custom <literal>phar</literal> file format
   designed specifically for the phar extension.  Each file format has advantages
   and disadvantages.  The tar and zip file formats can be read or extracted by any
   third-party tool that can read the format, but require the phar extension in order to
   run with PHP.  The phar file format is customized and unique to the phar extension,
   and can only be created by the phar extension or the PEAR package
   <link xlink:href="&url.pear.package;PHP_Archive">PHP_Archive</link>, but has the
   advantage that applications created in this format will run even if the phar
   extension is not enabled.
  </para>
  <para>
   In other words, even with the phar extension disabled, one can execute or include
   a phar-based archive.  Accessing individual files within a phar archive is only
   possible with the phar extension unless the phar archive was created by PHP_Archive.
  </para>
  <para>
   The phar extension is also capable of converting a phar archive from tar to zip or
   to phar file format in a single command:
  </para>
  <para>
   <example>
    <title>Converting a phar archive from phar to tar file format</title>
    <programlisting role="php">
     <![CDATA[
 <?php
 $phar = new Phar('myphar.phar');
 $pgz = $phar->convertToExecutable(Phar::TAR, Phar::GZ); // makes myphar.phar.tar.gz
 ?>
     ]]>
    </programlisting>
   </example>
  </para>
  <para>
   Phar can compress individual files or an entire archive
   using <link linkend="book.zlib">gzip</link> compression or
   <link linkend="book.bzip2">bzip2</link> compression, and can verify archive
   integrity automatically through the use of MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 or SHA-512
   signatures.
  </para>
  <para>
   Lastly, the Phar extension is security-conscious, and disables write access
   to executable phar archives by default, and requires system-level disabling of the
   <literal>phar.readonly</literal> php.ini setting in order to create or
   modify phar archives.  Normal tar and zip archives without an executable stub
   can always be created or modified using the <classname>PharData</classname> class.
  </para>
  <para>
   If you are creating applications for distribution, you will want to read
   <link linkend="phar.creating">How to create Phar Archives</link>.  If you want
   more information on the differences between the three file formats that phar supports,
   you should read <link linkend="phar.fileformat">Phar, Tar and Zip</link>.
  </para>
  <para>
   If you are using phar applications, there are helpful tips in
   <link linkend="phar.using">How to use Phar Archives</link>
  </para>
  <para>
   The word <literal>phar</literal> is a portmanteau of <literal>PHP</literal> and
   <literal>Archive</literal> and is based loosely
   on the <literal>jar</literal> (Java Archive) familiar to Java developers.
  </para>
  <para>
   The implementation for Phar archives is based on the PEAR package
   <link xlink:href="&url.pear.package;PHP_Archive">PHP_Archive</link>, and
   the implementation details are similar, although the Phar extension
   is much more powerful.  In addition, the Phar extension allows most PHP
   applications to be run unmodified while PHP_Archive-based phar archives
   often require extensive modification in order to work.
  </para>
 </preface>
 <!-- }}} -->
 
 &reference.phar.setup;
 &reference.phar.constants;
 &reference.phar.using;
 &reference.phar.creating;
 &reference.phar.fileformat;
 &reference.phar.Phar;
 &reference.phar.PharData;
 &reference.phar.PharFileInfo;
 &reference.phar.PharException;

</book>

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