COMPARING A PHP5 OBJECT TO ITS PHP4 ancestor is just plain unfair; however many of the API functions used with PHP5 objects are built to conform to the PHP4 API. If you worked through Chapter 10, "PHP4 Objects," you should find yourself in somewhat familiar territory here. Before you begin this chapter, grab the skeleton files from Chapter 10, renaming sample2 to sample3 so that you're starting from a nice clean extension source.
The PHP Life Cycle
Variables from the Inside Out
Memory Management
Setting Up a Build Environment
Your First Extension
Returning Values
Accepting Parameters
Working with Arrays and HashTables
The Resource Data Type
PHP4 Objects
PHP5 Objects
Startup, Shutdown, and a Few Points in Between
INI Settings
Accessing Streams
Implementing Streams
Diverting the Stream
Configuration and Linking
Extension Generators
Setting Up a Host Environment
Advanced Embedding
Appendix A. A Zend API Reference
Appendix B. PHPAPI
Appendix C. Extending and Embedding Cookbook
Appendix D. Additional Resources