Business Computer Design International (BCD) has announced the official release of WebSmart PHP, its web application development tool based on the popular PHP language. WebSmart PHP has been in beta testing by more than 100 System i developers since its announcement in May at COMMON Anaheim, and it lets programmers build web applications that run on System i, Linux, Unix, and Windows servers with a single development effort.

WebSmart PHP runs on top of Zend Core and supports Core’s functionality. It includes more than 50 intelligent templates for accessing databases, text-based and Visual HTML design tools, PHP coding tools, and a built-in FTP client that enables connection to multiple servers. WebSmart PHP lets developers separate content presentation from program behavior and provides a central repository for business, database, and presentation rules. PHP coding tools include prompts, source color-coding, prototypes and associated tips for using PHP functions, context-sensitive help with appropriate links to Zend’s website, and embedded documentation for more than 5,000 PHP functions. WebSmart PHP can access multiple databases, including DB2 and MySQL, and can call existing RPG programs.

The general release version is downloadable from BCD’s website and comes with a four-page data sheet and a 28-page white paper.