Before I start coding the Web server, I’d like you to recall how the previous TCP server was developed. Since the Web server I plan to build will use most of the PHP functions that you learned in the previous installments, you shouldn’t have any problems understanding how it will work.

That said, here is the full source code that corresponds to the previous TCP server, including both procedural and object-oriented approaches:

/*
/****************************************************************
/ procedural script for building a multi-request TCP server
/****************************************************************
*/

// define  TCP port & local host
$port=12345;
$host='127.0.0.1';
set_time_limit(0);
// create low level socket
if(!$socket=socket_create(AF_INET,SOCK_STREAM,0)){
    trigger_error('Error creating new socket',E_USER_ERROR);
}
// tie up socket to TCP port
if(!socket_bind($socket,$host,$port)){
    trigger_error('Error binding socket to TCP port',E_USER_ERROR);
}
// begin listening connections
if(!socket_listen($socket)){
    trigger_error('Error listening socket connections',E_USER_ERROR);
}
// create comunication socket
if(!$comSocket=socket_accept($socket)){
    trigger_error('Error creating communication
socket',E_USER_ERROR);
}
$message='This is a simple TCP/IP server created with PHP
sockets!'."\r\n";
socket_write($comSocket,$message,strlen($message));
// start a loop and continue reading user input
do{
    // delay loop execution
    sleep(10);
    // read socket input
    $socketInput=socket_read($comSocket,1024);
    if(trim($socketInput)!=''){         
        // if user did not entered the 'STOP" command continue
reading data
        if(trim($socketInput)!='STOP'){
            // build socket output 
            $socketOutput='The string you entered was
'.$socketInput."\r\n";
            // write data back to socket server
            socket_write($comSocket,$socketOutput,strlen
($socketOutput));
            echo 'The string you entered is '.$socketOutput;
        }
        else{
            // if 'STOP' command was entered close communication
socket & terminate all the connections
            socket_close($comSocket);
            break;
        }
    }
}
while(true);
// close global socket
socket_close($socket);

/*
/****************************************************************
/ 'createSocketServer()' function for building a multi-request
TCP server
/****************************************************************
*/
function createSocketServer($host='127.0.0.1',$port=12345){
    set_time_limit(0);
    // create low level socket
    if(!$socket=socket_create(AF_INET,SOCK_STREAM,0)){
        trigger_error('Error creating new socket',E_USER_ERROR);
    }
    // tie up socket to TCP port
    if(!socket_bind($socket,$host,$port)){
        trigger_error('Error binding socket to TCP
port',E_USER_ERROR);
    }
    // begin listening connections
    if(!socket_listen($socket)){
        trigger_error('Error listening socket
connections',E_USER_ERROR);
    }
    // create communication socket
    if(!$comSocket=socket_accept($socket)){
        trigger_error('Error creating communication
socket',E_USER_ERROR);
    }
    $message='This is a simple TCP/IP server created with PHP
sockets!'."\r\n";
    socket_write($comSocket,$message,strlen($message));
    // start a loop and continue reading user input
    do{
        // delay loop execution
        sleep(10);
        // read socket input
        $socketInput=socket_read($comSocket,1024);
            if(trim($socketInput)!=''){ 
            // if user did not entered the 'STOP" command
continue reading data
            if(trim($socketInput)!='STOP'){
                // convert to uppercase socket input 
                $socketOutput='The string you entered was
'.$socketInput."\r\n";
                // write data back to socket server
                socket_write($comSocket,$socketOutput,strlen
($socketOutput));
                echo 'The string you entered is '.$socketOutput;
            }
            else{
                // if 'STOP' command was entered close
communication socket & terminate all the connections
                socket_close($comSocket);
                break;
            }
        }
    }
    while(true);
    // close global socket
    socket_close($socket);
}

/*
/**************************************************************
/  'SocketServer()' class for creating a multi-request TCP server
/**************************************************************
*/
class SocketServer{
    var $host;
    var $port;
    var $delay=10;
    var $message="This is a simple TCP/IP server created with PHP
sockets!\r\n";
    function SocketServer($host='127.0.0.1',$port=12345){
        if(!is_int($port)||$port<1||$port>65535){
            trigger_error('Invalid port number',E_USER_ERROR);
        }
        $this->host=$host;
        $this->port=$port;
        $this->connect();
    }
    function connect(){
        set_time_limit(0);
        // create low level socket
        if(!$socket=socket_create(AF_INET,SOCK_STREAM,0)){
            trigger_error('Error creating new
socket',E_USER_ERROR);
        }
        // tie up socket to TCP port
        if(!socket_bind($socket,$this->host,$this->port)){
            trigger_error('Error binding socket to TCP
port',E_USER_ERROR);
        }
        // begin listening connections
        if(!socket_listen($socket)){
            trigger_error('Error listening socket
connections',E_USER_ERROR);
        }
        // create communication socket
        if(!$comSocket=socket_accept($socket)){
            trigger_error('Error creating communication
socket',E_USER_ERROR);
        }
        socket_write($comSocket,$this->message,strlen($this-
>message));
        // start a loop and continue reading user input
        do{
            // delay loop execution
            sleep($this->delay);
            // read socket input
            $socketInput=socket_read($comSocket,1024);
            if(trim($socketInput)!=''){ 
                // if user did not entered the 'STOP" command
continue reading data
                if(trim($socketInput)!='STOP'){
                    $socketOutput='The string you entered was
'.$socketInput."\r\n";
                    // write data back to socket server
                    socket_write($comSocket,$socketOutput,strlen
($socketOutput));
                    echo 'The string you entered is
'.$socketOutput;
                }
                else{
                    // if 'STOP' command was entered close
communication socket & terminate all the connections
                    socket_close($comSocket);
                    break;
                }
             }
        }
        while(true);
        // close global socket
        socket_close($socket);
    }
}

Right, as you can see, I listed above the complete source code for implementing a multi-request TCP server, including a raw procedural script, and of course adding the corresponding “createSocketServer()” function and the “CreateSocket” PHP class. Whether you’re using a procedural approach or an object-based method for coding your applications, I’m sure that one of the above listed implementations of the pertinent TCP server will meet your particular needs.

Now that I reminded you of how a multi-request TCP server can be created, join me in the next section, in order to learn how to emulate a basic Web server on your own testing machine. Go ahead and read the next section.