Very Computer

I have written a database tool on Windows as a COM components (module)
for ASP. This component simply help me display DB data in an ASP page
using templates (like ColdFusion, I guess), so DB access is written in
C++ and not in Javascript (or VBScript).

I switched to Linux recently and I would like to port my tool.

I think it is best for me to develop my web sites using Apache, PHP,
MySQL, but I still want to port my tool and access DB with C++, and
not let PHP do it, so I can still use my scripts and templates. (If
you have another suggestion, please tell me).

But I am bit confused now about what kind of module I should write.
First I thought that I should write a PHP module in C++ and call it in
PHP (like I am doing now, calling my C++ COM Components in my ASP
pages). Then I read about Apache modules.

Could someone explain me what is the difference between a apache
module and a PHP module, and what solution should be the best for my
problem ?

Mickael.

An Apache module is simply a library of routines that is designed to be
loaded and called by the Apache server engine.  As such it can apply to any
and all web-sites hosted through that server.  

Apache has a definite internal structure, and a flow-chart through which all
of its workload moves.  Apache modules are designed to be called at
specific points throughout that flow, as documented in the Apache docs.

The PHP interpreter also has its own notion of modules, in the sense that
you can add function-calls to the language which are written in something
like C++.  These modules extend the PHP language and can only be used
within PHP.  Some of these modules exist to allow PHP programs to refer to
features that are implemented by Apache within other Apache modules.  (As
such, they require that PHP also must be operating as an Apache module, and
therefore in the context of an Apache worker-process.)

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[chop]

Quote:> The PHP interpreter also has its own notion of modules, in the sense that
> you can add function-calls to the language which are written in something
> like C++.  These modules extend the PHP language and can only be used
> within PHP.  Some of these modules exist to allow PHP programs to refer to
> features that are implemented by Apache within other Apache modules.  (As
> such, they require that PHP also must be operating as an Apache module, and
> therefore in the context of an Apache worker-process.)

Most of php's standard functions are in fact php extensions which
comes included with the distribution. A php extension can either be
compiled staticly into mod_php or as a "php library" which can be
loaded into php using the dl() function or similar. Download the
latest php sources and check out the ext/ directory. Each subdir
contains an extension such as ldap, gd, bc, curl, xml, image and loads
of others. Here is a list: http://www.php.net/manual/en/funcref.php