Seeking play-by-email source and/or information on handling incoming emails

[simonc]

I've been programming in assembler and C/C++ for a number of years, but I'm
only just starting down the road of PHP & MYSQL.

I have a couple of questions:

(1) Before I start writing my own code, to learn from, and also avoid
re-inventing the wheel, does anyone know of any existing source that
implements a (basic or complex) play-by-email system using PHP and maybe
MYSQL?

(Or at least some information on how to handle incoming emails through PHP
code.)

The system will be purely email based (like majordomo or listserv) - there
will be no web interface.

I'm looking to implement something that will basically be able to receive
emails, process them (and add stuff from/to a MYSQL database) and then send
out emails.

(2) Also, what information should I be requesting from potential web-hosts?
i.e. what server software and set-up are they running. I ask this because
the only article I did find on handling incoming emails, mentions amongst
other things to get "PHP compiled as a CGI binary, not just as an Apache
module" (whatever that means.)

Thanks in advance,

Simon.

[Jeremy]

"simonc" <[e-mail]> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:1e**************@news2.news.adelphia.net...

I've been programming in assembler and C/C++ for a number of years, but I'm only just starting down the road of PHP & MYSQL.

I have a couple of questions:

(1) Before I start writing my own code, to learn from, and also avoid
re-inventing the wheel, does anyone know of any existing source that
implements a (basic or complex) play-by-email system using PHP and maybe
MYSQL?

(Or at least some information on how to handle incoming emails through PHP
code.)

The system will be purely email based (like majordomo or listserv) - there
will be no web interface.

I'm looking to implement something that will basically be able to receive
emails, process them (and add stuff from/to a MYSQL database) and then send out emails.

(2) Also, what information should I be requesting from potential web-hosts? i.e. what server software and set-up are they running. I ask this because
the only article I did find on handling incoming emails, mentions amongst
other things to get "PHP compiled as a CGI binary, not just as an Apache
module" (whatever that means.)

Thanks in advance,

Simon.

To be honest I would prefer the Apache module as it is faster and more
secure. Otherwise what server software you want/need depends realy on what
type of website your developing and what type of information the database
should store.

Jeremy

[simonc]

So on servers where the PHP parser/interpreter (or whatever the exact term
is) is an Apache module, my PHP code is unable to be activated by incoming
emails?

I'm confused here. Surely there are thousands of applications written in PHP
that can receive incoming emails AND the PHP code is handled by an Apache
module?

Any clarification would be most appreciated. (And of course, any locations
of example source code that shows this in practice.)

Thanks, Simon.

"Jeremy" <je****@schoenhaar.com> wrote in message
news:bm**********@news1.nefonline.de...

"simonc" <[e-mail]> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:1e**************@news2.news.adelphia.net...

I've been programming in assembler and C/C++ for a number of years, but

I'm

only just starting down the road of PHP & MYSQL.

I have a couple of questions:

(1) Before I start writing my own code, to learn from, and also avoid
re-inventing the wheel, does anyone know of any existing source that
implements a (basic or complex) play-by-email system using PHP and maybe
MYSQL?

(Or at least some information on how to handle incoming emails through PHP code.)

The system will be purely email based (like majordomo or listserv) - there will be no web interface.

I'm looking to implement something that will basically be able to receive emails, process them (and add stuff from/to a MYSQL database) and then

send

out emails.

(2) Also, what information should I be requesting from potential

web-hosts?

i.e. what server software and set-up are they running. I ask this because the only article I did find on handling incoming emails, mentions amongst other things to get "PHP compiled as a CGI binary, not just as an Apache
module" (whatever that means.)

Thanks in advance,

Simon.

To be honest I would prefer the Apache module as it is faster and more
secure. Otherwise what server software you want/need depends realy on what
type of website your developing and what type of information the database
should store.

Jeremy

[Eric Veltman]

simonc wrote:

(Or at least some information on how to handle incoming emails through PHP
code.)
First you need to know a way of starting your code when an e-mail arrives.
I didn't know myself either what the best way would be, so I took a look
at how majordomo does this. According to the majordomo INSTALL file,
it seems that you can setup aliases for sendmail that don't correspond
to actual accounts but instead pipe the received e-mail to the configured
program. That looks like a good way to do it. Don't know whether a hosting
provider would cooperate on modifying the sendmail aliases file though.

Another way could be to have a normal e-mail address that corresponds
to a real user account and put a .forward file in the home directory.
There's a special syntax for specifying that you want to "forward"
all incoming mails to a filter. Don't remember the exact details,
but if you google, you'll probably find more details.
mentions amongst other things to get "PHP compiled as a CGI binary, not
just as an Apache module" (whatever that means.)

CGI is the Common Gateway Interface, which is a - somewhat old fashioned,
but still popular - standard which defines how a webserver can pass a
request on to a program / executable / binary.

Apache module is a more advanced way to achieving dynamic content, in this
case the code which processes the web request is in an Apache "plugin" and
not a standalone program / executable / binary.

If you want your script to be launched when e-mail arrives, then it has
to be a "standalone" / "commandline" / "console" script, see :

http://nl2.php.net/manual/en/features.commandline.php

Best regards,

Eric

[Eric Haskins]

You could look at OSticket a Web Hosting troubleticket system. It has a
email system that checks an account for new mail at a set interval via cron.
If there is new mail it opens a new ticket and replies to the customer and
to support personnel informing them a ticket has been posted.

I use it and I have a cronjob that starts Lynx and opens a page then closes
every 10 mins.
--
Eric Haskins
RackSPEED.Net
WebHosting from $4.99/month
Dedicated Servers
Multiple UpStream Providers


"Eric Veltman" <eric@[RemoveThis]veltman.nu> wrote in message
news:vo************@corp.supernews.com...

simonc wrote:

(Or at least some information on how to handle incoming emails through PHP code.)

First you need to know a way of starting your code when an e-mail arrives.
I didn't know myself either what the best way would be, so I took a look
at how majordomo does this. According to the majordomo INSTALL file,
it seems that you can setup aliases for sendmail that don't correspond
to actual accounts but instead pipe the received e-mail to the configured
program. That looks like a good way to do it. Don't know whether a hosting
provider would cooperate on modifying the sendmail aliases file though.

Another way could be to have a normal e-mail address that corresponds
to a real user account and put a .forward file in the home directory.
There's a special syntax for specifying that you want to "forward"
all incoming mails to a filter. Don't remember the exact details,
but if you google, you'll probably find more details.

mentions amongst other things to get "PHP compiled as a CGI binary, not
just as an Apache module" (whatever that means.)

CGI is the Common Gateway Interface, which is a - somewhat old fashioned,
but still popular - standard which defines how a webserver can pass a
request on to a program / executable / binary.

Apache module is a more advanced way to achieving dynamic content, in this
case the code which processes the web request is in an Apache "plugin" and
not a standalone program / executable / binary.

If you want your script to be launched when e-mail arrives, then it has
to be a "standalone" / "commandline" / "console" script, see :

http://nl2.php.net/manual/en/features.commandline.php

Best regards,

Eric

[simonc]

Thanks for the reply - but I'm looking for a solution that allows emails to
be acted upon, and sent between game participants, as quickly as possibly -
rather than at a leisurely pace where the server polls occasionally (every
10 mins. in your example) for newly-arrived email.

Simon.
"Eric Haskins" <ho********@rackspeed.net> wrote in message
news:gS*****************@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...

You could look at OSticket a Web Hosting troubleticket system. It has a
email system that checks an account for new mail at a set interval via cron. If there is new mail it opens a new ticket and replies to the customer and
to support personnel informing them a ticket has been posted.

I use it and I have a cronjob that starts Lynx and opens a page then closes every 10 mins.
--
Eric Haskins
RackSPEED.Net
WebHosting from $4.99/month
Dedicated Servers
Multiple UpStream Providers


"Eric Veltman" <eric@[RemoveThis]veltman.nu> wrote in message
news:vo************@corp.supernews.com...

simonc wrote:

(Or at least some information on how to handle incoming emails through PHP code.)

First you need to know a way of starting your code when an e-mail arrives. I didn't know myself either what the best way would be, so I took a look
at how majordomo does this. According to the majordomo INSTALL file,
it seems that you can setup aliases for sendmail that don't correspond
to actual accounts but instead pipe the received e-mail to the configured program. That looks like a good way to do it. Don't know whether a hosting provider would cooperate on modifying the sendmail aliases file though.

Another way could be to have a normal e-mail address that corresponds
to a real user account and put a .forward file in the home directory.
There's a special syntax for specifying that you want to "forward"
all incoming mails to a filter. Don't remember the exact details,
but if you google, you'll probably find more details.

mentions amongst other things to get "PHP compiled as a CGI binary, not just as an Apache module" (whatever that means.)

CGI is the Common Gateway Interface, which is a - somewhat old fashioned, but still popular - standard which defines how a webserver can pass a
request on to a program / executable / binary.

Apache module is a more advanced way to achieving dynamic content, in this case the code which processes the web request is in an Apache "plugin" and not a standalone program / executable / binary.

If you want your script to be launched when e-mail arrives, then it has
to be a "standalone" / "commandline" / "console" script, see :

http://nl2.php.net/manual/en/features.commandline.php

Best regards,

Eric