Working With PHP
Working with PHP
Last Updated: September 20, 2025ExeOutput for PHP™ integrates the entire PHP runtime into your application, allowing for complete customization. About PHP Implementation in ExeOutput for PHP Since version 2, ExeOutput for PHP has utilized PHP CGI as an external process. This approach offers several benefits: Enhanced Stability and Responsiveness: Isolating PHP from the UI process makes your application more...
Choose a PHP Version
Last Updated: October 1, 2025ExeOutput for PHP supports various PHP versions, from PHP 5.6 to the latest 8.x releases. You can choose which PHP version your application will use directly in the ExeOutput for PHP interface. Choosing a PHP Version In ExeOutput for PHP, go to PHP Settings => Main Settings and use the combo box to select your...
Accessing Files in Compiled PHP Applications
Last Updated: September 20, 2025Applications created with ExeOutput for PHP are not designed to function like a web server. You may need to adjust your PHP code to create or access files on the user’s computer, or files compiled into your application’s EXE file, which are listed in the File Manager. Tip Please refer to the Accessing Files topic...
Saving Files with PHP in Desktop Applications
Last Updated: September 20, 2025When run as a desktop application, PHP code can access local files on the user’s computer, making it possible to save and modify files locally. To learn how to load compiled files, please see this page. Tip Please refer to the Saving Files topic of the General Demonstration for live demonstrations and further explanations about...
Solving PHP Errors
Last Updated: September 20, 2025If your PHP scripts contain errors, your application compiled with ExeOutput for PHP can display them. ExeOutput for PHP provides several options to help you debug your app and resolve potential errors. These are accessible on the PHP Debugging page. First, we strongly recommend activating these two options when you start a project: Enable PHP...
Using the Save As Dialog Box in PHP Applications
Last Updated: September 20, 2025Since your ExeOutput for PHP application runs on Windows, you may want to save files locally. In some cases, this involves asking the user for a path and filename. The “Save As” dialog box lets the user specify the drive, directory, and name for the file to be saved. It can be invoked with the...
Selecting Local Files with PHP (File Upload Replacement)
Last Updated: September 20, 2025Your ExeOutput for PHP application may need to work with local files. Since you can access local files directly with PHP, traditional file upload functions are often unnecessary. Your application is not designed to work like a web server; users do not have to upload local files to a remote server for your application’s PHP...
Built-In ExeOutput for PHP Functions
Last Updated: September 20, 2025ExeOutput for PHP provides several built-in PHP functions that can be called from your PHP scripts. All strings used and returned by these PHP functions are in UTF-8 format. Available PHP Functions exo_unpackvirtualfile string exo_unpackvirtualfile ( string $sourcepath , string $optionaldestpath ) Unpacks a compiled file from internal storage to a specified virtual folder. Note...
About PHP Sessions and Cookies
Last Updated: September 20, 2025PHP sessions and cookies are supported in applications built with ExeOutput for PHP. By default, PHP stores session files in the local user’s temporary folder. If you prefer, you can set the session file path to be virtual (i.e., in memory only, not written to the hard disk). To do this, go to the PHP.INI...
Global Variables
Last Updated: September 20, 2025Global variables can be used by HEScript, PHP, and JavaScript to share data and store values within the application. Each HEScript script runs in a separate engine, so they cannot share variables directly. To share data between two scripts, for instance, you must use global variables. You can manage global variables with the following functions:...
Using the cURL Extension
Last Updated: September 20, 2025Activating cURL Support in Your Apps ExeOutput for PHP allows you to access the cURL library that ships with PHP, enabling you to make requests to URLs using various protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and more. To use cURL in your app, you must first enable the cURL PHP extension in ExeOutput for PHP....
Using exec(), system() in Applications
Last Updated: September 20, 2025PHP’s exec(), shell_exec(), and system() commands are supported in applications built with ExeOutput for PHP. The following PHP code illustrates how to use these commands to run external EXE files, BAT (batch) files, and more. By default, a console window is displayed. To run a batch file located in the same folder as the application’s...