WampServer

I see that the latest version of WAMP uses PHP 5.5.12 and the latest version of PHP is 5.6.2. So my question is when will there be a release of WAMP with PHP 5.6? I've noticed that WAMP always releases new versions a long time after the latest PHP version is released. Is there any particular reason for this?

Thanks

Hi,
It would be better to ask this question to those responsible for compiling WampServer.
RiggsFolly and I are only users of WampServer and we do not have much influence on the leaders of version changes.
Contact officials: [www.alterway.fr]

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Documentation Apache - Documentation PHP - Documentation MySQL - Wampserver install files & addons



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2014 05:45PM by Otomatic.

OK, I was not aware of that. I thought that this is the official website. Nevertheless, do you have any idea about how much time passes between the latest release of PHP and WAMP implementing it? Based on previous experience

Quite some time usually.

You can however do a manual install of a new version of PHP if you think you are up to it.



HOW TO MANUALLY INSTALL A NEW RELEASE OF PHP INTO THE WAMP ENVIRONMENT

Before you start

On Apache and PHP you will see the acronyms VC6, VC9, VC10 or VC11. This denotes the compiler version used to compile that program or dll.
Unfortunately you cannot mix the two when it comes to Apache and PHP as it is configured in WAMPServer, although some docuentation suggestst that VC10 and VC11 are compatible with each other, I make no guarantee of this.
So first you must find out which compiler was used to compile the Apache you are currently using, so you can get the PHP that was compiled with the same version of the compiler.
As time goes on this becomes more complicated as newer versions of PHP are not being compiled and linked with older versions of the compilers. VC6 seems to have been dropped a little while ago. So if you want to use a new PHP you will probably have to upgrade your version of Apache as well so you have a version that is compiled with at least VC9



The way PHP and Apache interact in the default WAMPServer install is that Apache launches the PHP Interpereter as a dll (php5apachex_y.dll) as this is a very close relationship i.e. not communication via a TCP port like PHP and MySQL, so they both have to have been compiled using the same version of Microsoft Visual C Compiler.


1. From WampManager "Stop All Services".

2. Download the PHP Release you want to install from HERE or if its not a current release from The Acrhives
You should use the Thread Safe build. Usually the Not Thread Safe version has the acronim NTS and the thread safe version does not.
You should download the ZIP and not an .msi
Make sure its built with the same compiler versions as you Apache ( VC6 / VC9 / VC10 / VC11 ),
yes its a mine field. But if you are using WAMPServer 2.4 or > then you want the VC11 Thread Safe version.

3. Create a new folder under c:\wamp\bin\php\ with the name = the version you are installing
So, for example, make a folder called php5.5.11.



4. Now from the folder containing your most recent ( and working ) verions of PHP copy the file called wampserver.conf and paste it into your new PHP folder created in the previous setp.
This file is required by wamp server to properly identify that this is a valid PHP version folder.
The file contains references to the names of the dll files that contain the PHP interpreter, so that the correct file can be copied to the Apache folder when you activate this new version of the PHP interpreter.

The file should look like this, if you are moving from a very old version of PHP you may need to add some new sections from here to your file.

<?php

$phpConf['phpIniDir'] = '.';
$phpConf['phpExeDir'] = '.';
$phpConf['phpConfFile'] = 'php.ini';


$phpConf['apache']['2.2']['LoadModuleName'] = 'php5_module';
$phpConf['apache']['2.2']['LoadModuleFile'] = 'php5apache2_2.dll';
$phpConf['apache']['2.2']['AddModule'] =  '';

$phpConf['apache']['2.4']['LoadModuleName'] = 'php5_module';
$phpConf['apache']['2.4']['LoadModuleFile'] = 'php5apache2_4.dll';
$phpConf['apache']['2.4']['AddModule'] =  '';

?>

5. Now unzip the downloaded PHP into your new folder, make sure the folder hierarchy looks like this.





6. Now in your new folder copy the file php.ini_development into a new file called php.ini




Do the same again but paste into a file called phpForApache.ini
You should now have the original file called php.ini_development PLUS 2 more, one called php.ini and one called phpForApache.ini

The php.ini file is used if you are using the PHP CLI i.e. running php from the command line > php script.php
The phpForApache.ini is the php config used by Apache. This file is copied into the currently active Apache's folder and renamed to php.ini by WAMPmaneger when you activate this version of PHP.

It should look something like this:




7. We must now make some change to the php.ini files to WAMPise them. Take your time here it will save you time later.

Edit the newly created phpForApache.ini file

Search for extension_dir and change to
extension_dir = "d:/wamp/bin/php/phpx.y.z/ext/" <- where x,y,z match the folder you are putting the new PHP into.

Search for ;error_log = php_errors.log and change to
error_log = c:\wamp\logs\php_errors.log
Search for anything 'php/' and make sure you change it to you c:\wamp\bin\php\php.x.y.z folder name.

In fact search for anything with a C:\ in it and make sure its chnaged to the WAMPServer equivalent.

As of PHP5.4 the timezone need to be set
Search for [Date] and put an entry into the date.timezone field as a minimum

date.timezone = "Europe/London"
date.default_latitude = 0.0
date.default_longitude = 51.502973

look here for a list of supported timezone values [www.php.net]

PHP5.5 specific changes
a. All the PHP extensions are commented out, so you need to manually uncomment at least some of them
Check your last used php.ini to see what you need, remember some extensions may have been included in the core of php so you may need to check the php change log for details.


Now there may well be other configuration changes you had made to your existing PHP, these you will have to find and transfer yourself.
I suggest you compare your last \wamp\bin\apache\apachex.y.z\bin\php.ini with this new one and move over anything you believe is relevant.

DONT FORGET, if you are using the PHP CLI you will also need to do this to the php.ini file as well.

8. Make sure all services are stopped in wampmanager, and then right click over the wamp manager icon in the system tray and select the 'refresh' menu item.
When you left click on wamp manager -> PHP -> Version you should see your new version in the list.

If the new version does not appear, then you have probably spelt the phpForApache.ini file name wrong. Correct it and redo the 'refresh'.

9. You can now 'restart all services' from the wamp manager menus.

NOTE: You have not actually changed anything yet, so if wamp,Apache,PHP etc were working before they still should be.

10. Activate your new PHP version.
Using the wamp manager menus again you just need to click on the new version number to activate it.
wamp manager -> PHP -> Version -> 5.5.11 ( <- or whatever the version number is you have just added )

This will cause wamp manager to :-
1. Stop Apache ( the icon will go Orange )
2. Copy the correct files from the PHP folder to the Apache folder or if you are on WAMPServer 2.5 or greater
create the correct SYMLINK in the apachex.y.z/bin folder.
3. Restart Apache. So the wamp manager icon should go GREEN again.

If the wamp manager icon stays ORANGE, then you have missed something, probably a file name spelt wrong. The phpForApache.ini file must exists.

11. Now run localhost from the wamp manager menu, and check the wamp server home page. It should tell you which version of PHP is loaded.





TROUBLE SHOOTING
If it all goes wrong when you activate the new PHP, you can easily back out of trouble by just activating whatever version of PHP you were using before, and then going back to see what you did wrong.


ADDING IONCUBE

You must ensure that you download the correct version to match your PHP :-
compiler( VC6/VC9/VC11 etc ) compiled ionCube dll
correct 32 or 64 bit code
and the Thread Safe version which is the one that is not NON-TS


1. Download the correct ionCube loader from [www.ioncube.com]
2. Place it somewhere on your disk, but not in the WAMP folder.
for example c:\webstuff\ioncube\vc9\
2. Edit the new php.ini Using the wamp manager menus
Add these 2 lines at the bottom of the file.
Remember the version you load will depend upon which MAJOR version of PHP you are using i.e. 5.2,5.3 or 5.4

NOTE on IONCUBE and PHP5.5
Ioncube for PHP5.5 is not yet released as of 13/09/2013, they say they are waiting for PHP 5.5 to become stable and secure and hosting providers to adopt PHP 5.5 before they release their upgrade. They comment that it can take a year or more for hosting companies to adopt new versions of PHP and this I guess is their schedule.

;ioncube Extension
zend_extension = "c:/webstuff/ioncube/vc9/ioncube_loader_win_5.5.dll"

ADDING XDEBUG
XDEBUG comes with WAMP Server and is incredibly useful for debugging CLI or WEB scripts.
But it does not come with the PHP you have downloaded from the PHP website.
When upgrading PHP to a major version release you may need to get an up to date version of xdebug from

http://xdebug.org/download.php

For a minor version upgrade you can probably use the existing xdebug version you already have on disk.

So for a minor PHP version upgrade, copy the folder c:\wamp\bin\php\php5.y.z\zend_ext from your old PHP to your new php folder.
For a major PHP version upgrade get a new dll from the xdebug website and put it in a newly created folder called c:\wamp\bin\php\php5.y.z\zend_ext

Now add a line like this ( version specific of course ) to your php.ini ( using the wamp manager menus, to ensure you are editing the correct file )

;XDEBUG Extension
zend_extension = "d:/wamp/bin/php/phpx.y.z/zend_ext/php_xdebug-2.2.2-5.3-vc9.dll"

[xdebug]
xdebug.remote_enable = off
xdebug.profiler_enable = off
xdebug.profiler_enable_trigger = off
xdebug.profiler_output_name = cachegrind.out.%t.%p
xdebug.profiler_output_dir = "d:/wamp/tmp"

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(Windows 10 Pro 64bit) (Wampserver 3.3.4 64bit) Aestan Tray Menu 3.2.5.4
<Apache versions MULTIPE> <PHP versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Versions MULTIPLE>
<MariaDB versions MULTIPLE> <phpMyAdmin versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Workbench 8.0.23>
Read The Manuals Apache -- MySQL -- PHP -- phpMyAdmin
Get your Apache/MySQL/mariaDB/PHP ADDONs here from the WAMPServer alternate Repo
-X-X-X- Backup your databases regularly Here is How dont regret it later! Yes even when developing -X-X-X-

So I have tried this, added php 5.4.33, and 5.3.29 just as in above directions, phpForApache.ini is spelled correctly, and yet when I refresh the Wamp Server manager, the new php versions do not appear. I have Wamp 2.5 with apache 2.4.9, and php 5.5.12. If I restart all the services, it appears to work properly, but what I need is php 5.3 since a web site I am going to make changes to is using php 5.3, and I don't want to have to deal with inconsistencies between php 5.3 and 5.5. First time I have installed wamp. Using 32 bit Windows 7, and 32 bit wamp and 32 bit php for all of these.

I initially tried with php 5.4.34, but it only had php5.dll. I thought that might be the problem so I deleted that just to see what would happen, but refresh still did not show the php 5.3.29.

Any ideas what could cause the php version to not show up besides phpForApache.ini not being spelled correctly?

Please check that you completed POINT 4. The creation of the wampserver.conf file in the new PHP folder. Without this file WampServer will not recognise the newly created PHP folder.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Windows 10 Pro 64bit) (Wampserver 3.3.4 64bit) Aestan Tray Menu 3.2.5.4
<Apache versions MULTIPE> <PHP versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Versions MULTIPLE>
<MariaDB versions MULTIPLE> <phpMyAdmin versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Workbench 8.0.23>
Read The Manuals Apache -- MySQL -- PHP -- phpMyAdmin
Get your Apache/MySQL/mariaDB/PHP ADDONs here from the WAMPServer alternate Repo
-X-X-X- Backup your databases regularly Here is How dont regret it later! Yes even when developing -X-X-X-

I have followed all the steps, all the expected objects exist, and all are spelled correctly. Are there any logs I could look at?

Well, the answer to this falls under the "I Hate Windows" category. Make sure your folders are not hiding the extension. If they do, when renaming things the extension will invariably get mucked up. Only one of the ini files ended up with a .ini extension. Well, all of them did, but most had .ini.ini rather than just .ini . Found this when I told windows to show the extensions. Fixed the file names, and everything works great. Normally I always show extensions, but this was a refresh of my OS, and it hadn't been changed yet.

Well thats a relief.

Any comments on the document? Anything really I shall not be offended.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Windows 10 Pro 64bit) (Wampserver 3.3.4 64bit) Aestan Tray Menu 3.2.5.4
<Apache versions MULTIPE> <PHP versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Versions MULTIPLE>
<MariaDB versions MULTIPLE> <phpMyAdmin versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Workbench 8.0.23>
Read The Manuals Apache -- MySQL -- PHP -- phpMyAdmin
Get your Apache/MySQL/mariaDB/PHP ADDONs here from the WAMPServer alternate Repo
-X-X-X- Backup your databases regularly Here is How dont regret it later! Yes even when developing -X-X-X-

So if it still doesn't work, and you are sure you have the .ini files named correctly, make sure that Windows is showing you the extension. You may be able to see the gear on top of a page .ini file, and see what looks like the .ini extension, but Windows may be hiding the real extension. Do the following (for Windows 7):

1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the phpx.y.z directory that you are having problems with.
2. In the menu bar, click Organize -> Folder and search options
3. In the Folder Options dialog select the View tab
4. Make sure that "Hide extensions for known file types" is unchecked, or make it so
5. Click Ok to return to Windows Explorer
6. Press F5 to refresh your php folder
7. Now look at those .ini files, and make sure it doesn't say php.ini.ini or phpForApache.ini.ini. If it does, remove the extra .ini

Now just leave hide extensions the way it is, because even if it didn't bite you this time, it will.

So where do you think I should add that?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Windows 10 Pro 64bit) (Wampserver 3.3.4 64bit) Aestan Tray Menu 3.2.5.4
<Apache versions MULTIPE> <PHP versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Versions MULTIPLE>
<MariaDB versions MULTIPLE> <phpMyAdmin versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Workbench 8.0.23>
Read The Manuals Apache -- MySQL -- PHP -- phpMyAdmin
Get your Apache/MySQL/mariaDB/PHP ADDONs here from the WAMPServer alternate Repo
-X-X-X- Backup your databases regularly Here is How dont regret it later! Yes even when developing -X-X-X-