Hi,
I am developing a php application which my customers will download and install on their own servers. I know the base requirements for my application (like min. php version) but is there a way to generate a list of requirements that needed to run my application on windows or unix systems?
Thanks.
Just be aware of what you are using. For example, you should clearly communicate if you need something like .. a special database binding ( other then mysql ), xml libraries etc.., or even better, create an installer that is bundled with your software that checks that kind of stuff.
Other than that, there should be no problems concerning different servers ( apache / iis / fastcgi.. ). So to answer your question: you have to generate that list all by yourself.
You mean, generate a list of requirements based on an analysis of your source code?
While in theory, that might be possible, I don't think such a solution exists. I think there is no way than analyzing your code by hand, with the PHP manual very close by.
Do you use GD? Then you need PHP with the GD module. Do you need to create GIF images with GD? Then you need GD, but not between versions 1.6 and (I think) 1.8. Do you use PDO? Then you need PHP > 5.1.0. And so on and so on.
In short, I'm afraid think this is going to be a manual process. Manual also as in "PHP manual" - the User Contributed Notes to each function and method are a gem, and any common cross-platform problems are usually noted there somewhere.
While you can trust that PHP x.y.z has a defined set of functions and behaviour, be sure to test well before you declare something suitable to run on a different server. IIS's support of PHP is way better now, I'm told, but the last time a ported a big PHP application over to IIS, it took me three days to work around all the mysterious bugs.
As others have said, you'll need to manually keep track of special libraries and functions you're using. If you need PHP4 compatibility then you won't be able to use the built-in XML libraries for example. You can also check the list of functions added to PHP 5.
One thing I would recommend is installing WampServer if you have access to a Windows machine. Aside from being good for local development, you can download modules for most Apache/PHP/MySQL versions and test combinations.