Using XML-RPC with PHP

XML-RPC HOWTO
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# 10. Using XML-RPC with PHP

Edd Dumbill has implemented XML-RPC for PHP. You can download it from the UsefulInc XML-RPC website.

To install the distribution, decompress it and copy `xmlrpc.inc` and `xmlrpcs.inc` into the same directory as your PHP scripts.

## 10.1. A PHP Client

The following script shows how to embed XML-RPC calls into a web page.

    <html>
    <head>
    <title>XML-RPC PHP Demo</title>
    </head>
    <body>
    <h1>XML-RPC PHP Demo</h1>

    <?php
    include 'xmlrpc.inc';

    // Make an object to represent our server.
    $server = new xmlrpc_client('/api/sample.php',
                                'xmlrpc-c.sourceforge.net', 80);

    // Send a message to the server.
    $message = new xmlrpcmsg('sample.sumAndDifference',
                             array(new xmlrpcval(5, 'int'),
                                   new xmlrpcval(3, 'int')));
    $result = $server->send($message);

    // Process the response.
    if (!$result) {
        print "<p>Could not connect to HTTP server.</p>";
    } elseif ($result->faultCode()) {
        print "<p>XML-RPC Fault #" . $result->faultCode() . ": " .
            $result->faultString();
    } else {
        $struct = $result->value();
        $sumval = $struct->structmem('sum');
        $sum = $sumval->scalarval();
        $differenceval = $struct->structmem('difference');
        $difference = $differenceval->scalarval();
        print "<p>Sum: " . htmlentities($sum) .
            ", Difference: " . htmlentities($difference) . "</p>";
    }
    ?>

    </body></html>

If your webserver doesn't run PHP scripts, see the PHP website for more information.

## 10.2. A PHP Server

The following script shows how to implement an XML-RPC server using PHP.

    <?php
    include 'xmlrpc.inc';
    include 'xmlrpcs.inc';

    function sumAndDifference ($params) {

        // Parse our parameters.
        $xval = $params->getParam(0);
        $x = $xval->scalarval();
        $yval = $params->getParam(1);
        $y = $yval->scalarval();

        // Build our response.
        $struct = array('sum' => new xmlrpcval($x + $y, 'int'),
                        'difference' => new xmlrpcval($x - $y, 'int'));
        return new xmlrpcresp(new xmlrpcval($struct, 'struct'));
    }

    // Declare our signature and provide some documentation.
    // (The PHP server supports remote introspection. Nifty!)
    $sumAndDifference_sig = array(array('struct', 'int', 'int'));
    $sumAndDifference_doc = 'Add and subtract two numbers';

    new xmlrpc_server(array('sample.sumAndDifference' =>
                            array('function' => 'sumAndDifference',
                                  'signature' => $sumAndDifference_sig,
                                  'docstring' => $sumAndDifference_doc)));
    ?>

You would normally invoke this as something like `http://localhost/path/sumAndDifference.php`.

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