HOME / Docs & Support

SaaS in PHP: Google Map Service Tutorial

NetBeans IDE supports Software as a Service (SaaS) applications in PHP. SaaS refers to a software application delivery model where a software vendor develops a web-native software application and hosts and operates the application for use by its customers over the Internet. SaaS is an increasingly popular model for providing software functionality as it is economical in terms of both cost and customer hardware resources. By using SaaS PHP support in Netbeans IDE, PHP developers can consume popular web services such as Google Maps just by dragging-and-dropping these services from the IDE's Services window into PHP files.

This tutorial uses the Google Map service to demonstrate SaaS PHP support.

Contents

Content on this page applies to NetBeans IDE 6.5-7.1

Installing and Setting Up PEAR Packages
Creating the PHP Project
Adding and Running the Google Map Service

To follow this tutorial, you need the following software and resources.

Software or Resource	Version Required
NetBeans IDE	PHP download bundle. Must include the SaaS Services Code Generation plugin (PHP category)
A PHP engine including PEAR (PHP web service packages)	Version 5. Can be standalone components or an AMP package. See Getting Started with PHP Development in NetBeans.
A web server	Apache HTTP Server is suggested. The web server is included in AMP packages.

Installing and Setting Up PEAR Packages

In order to use SaaS services in PHP you must have the PHP Extension and Application Repository (PEAR) installed. After PEAR is installed, include the path to PEAR in the include_path variable in your php.ini file. Then install the following PEAR packages:

Http_Request
Net_URL
Net_Socket

The procedure for installing and setting up PEAR varies according to the operating system you are using and the AMP package you have installed, if any. For example, to install PEAR in the Xampp package:

Run the Xampp go-pear script (location varies by OS) to install PEAR. This creates a PEAR directory (again, location varies by OS).
Open php.ini and add the path to the newly-created PEAR directory to the include_path variable for your operating system. Uncomment include_path if it is commented out. For example, using Xampp on MacOS, the include_path variable is:
```
include_path=".:/Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/lib/php:/Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/lib/php/pear"
```
Using Xamp on Windows, with Xampp installed to the root of G:/, the include_path variable is:
```
; Windows: "\path1;\path2"
  include_path = ".;G:\xampp\php\pear\"
```
Optionally, add the path to PEAR to your Path environment variable (on Windows).
Open a command prompt in the PEAR directory and run the command pear install Http_Request. This installs the Http_Request package and any packages on which Http_Request has dependencies, which include Net_URL and Net_Socket. If these packages are already installed, PEAR returns "Nothing to install."

Creating the PHP Project

After you set up PHP and PEAR, create the PHP project that will use the Google Map Service.

To create the project:

Choose File > New Project. Under Categories, select PHP. Under Projects, select PHP Application and click Next. The Name and Location page opens.
Name the project GoogleMapApp. Save it in your default project folder, which is the web folder of your Apache server. Click Finish.

The IDE creates the project as a Local Web Project, run on your local Apache server at http://localhost/GoogleMapApp/. The project's index.php file opens in the editor.

Adding and Running the Google Map Service

You add SaaS operations to PHP files by dragging the operation from the Web Service Manager in the Services window and dropping it into the body of your PHP file.

To add the Google Map Service to your PHP project:

In the IDE, open the Services window.

In the Services window, expand the Web Services node and navigate to Google > Map Service > getGoogleMap.
Services tab with expanded Google web services, showing Map Service

Services tab with expanded Google web services, showing Map Service

In the editor, remove the existing <?php...?> tags from index.php. Drag the getGoogleMap operation from the Services window and drop it into the <body> element of index.php. A dialog opens for setting initial values of input parameters.

Leave all input parameters at default values and click OK. The IDE inserts the PHP for calling the Google Map service into the body of index.php, with the parameters you chose.

<body>

<?php

include_once "org_netbeans_saas_google/GoogleMapService.php";

try {

    $address = "16 Network Circle, Menlo Park";

    $zoom = 15;

    $iframe = "false";$result = GoogleMapService::getGoogleMap($address, $zoom, $iframe);

    echo $result->getResponseBody();

} catch (Exception $e) {

    echo "Exception occured: " . $e;

}

?>
</body>