Are you interested in Android Development but want to develop in PHP instead of Java? Then this project will interest you.
Developers at an open source company in Spain are leading an effort to boost PHP application development for Android-based phones.
The PHP for Android project was recently established to promote PHP development on the Android platform. The founder, Ivan Mosquera Paulo, a software engineer at Irontec, hopes to also make it possible to distribute that PHP code as an Android application allowing PHP developers to eventually author their own apps.
“We thought that this project would be really interesting for any PHP developer. And we have had far more than 10,000 unique visits, so this proves that we were right. We want this project to be a chance for a lot of people for whom there was a huge development wall: Java,” Mosquera Paulo said. Java language is currently the primary means for developing Android applications.
“Our current APK (Android app) provides support to SL4A,” Mosquera Paulo said. “Thanks to this, PHP developers can run scripts and test their PHP code on their Android phone or emulator. Our APK installs a PHP version compiled for Android phones and a few extra needed files.”
Google’s SL4A, formerly known as Android Scripting Environment or ASE, brings scripting languages to Android by allowing you to edit and execute scripts and interactive interpreters directly on the Android device. These scripts have access to many of the APIs available to full-fledged Android applications, but with a greatly simplified interface that makes it easy to get things done.
The project hopes to make it possible to distribute that PHP code as an Android application allowing PHP developers to sell their apps.
Watch Project Demo:
PHPforAndroid.apk HOWTO install and test from irontec on Vimeo.
You can also download both the Android Scripting Environment(ASE) and PhpForAndroid apk via the QR links below:
You can find out more about the project check the PFA’s website or follow them on twitter.
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