This tutorial does not run React in PHP. It shows how to add HTML-like, component-based syntax to PHP, then translate that custom syntax into executable PHP with a small source-to-source compiler.
What the title means—and what it does not
Christopher Pitt’s SitePoint tutorial, first published August 25, 2017 and updated February 13, 2024, explores a PHP-side syntax experiment inspired by JSX and XHP. The compiler recognizes markup embedded in PHP and emits PHP code; it is not a React implementation or a React server-rendering solution. Read the SitePoint tutorial.
Pitt begins with XHP, an extension he described as enabling HTML-in-PHP syntax for generating front-end markup. In the 2017 article, he said he had found it no longer officially supported for modern PHP versions, and chose to build a user-land alternative: “So, I decided to implement a user-land version of it, using a basic state-machine compiler.” That statement reflects his account at the time, not a current compatibility assessment of XHP.
How the compiler works
The example is a deliberately limited source-to-source compiler: it takes input written in PHP plus an added markup syntax and produces PHP. Its work is easier to understand as a sequence of stages.
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- Tokenize the custom syntax. Scan source into meaningful text and markup pieces, with special handling for opening tags, closing tags, and attributes.
- Associate attributes and nested markup. Keep attributes with their elements and recursively tokenize nested attribute values where needed.
- Build a nested structure. Organize tokens into a tree-like representation—the author describes it as almost an AST—so parent elements and children can be processed together.
- Generate PHP. Traverse the nodes and emit PHP code, including calls to component primitives or component classes.
- Integrate with the environment. Combine tokenization, node construction, and parsing as a custom compiler in Pre.
This is not the same job as compiling all of PHP. A complete PHP execution pipeline lexes and parses PHP, creates an AST, compiles it to opcodes, and interprets those opcodes. The tutorial’s compiler instead handles a small added syntax and translates it into PHP. For background on the broader execution process, see SitePoint’s explanation of how PHP executes.
What the worked example demonstrates
The tutorial finishes with a small task-list web application. Its nested Page, TaskList, and AddTask components illustrate how markup-like syntax can represent component composition, while routes add and remove tasks.
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The demonstration uses Silex, session storage, and Pre-specific macros. Treat that stack and its code as a historical tutorial example, not as evidence that those dependencies or snippets remain maintained or compatible with current PHP releases. Check project documentation and compatibility before adapting it to a new application.
Could PHP’s built-in tokenizer help?
PHP’s official Tokenizer extension documentation describes an interface to the PHP tokenizer embedded in the Zend Engine. Its functions can help analyze or modify PHP source without requiring a tool author to implement PHP’s lexical rules from scratch.
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That tokenizer does not automatically understand the extra markup grammar in the tutorial. You would still need to define how markup interacts with PHP, build nested structure, report syntax errors, and generate valid PHP. For source that mixes ordinary PHP with a custom notation, the built-in tokenizer may reduce the work of recognizing PHP tokens, while a separate parser handles the added syntax.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choosing an approach for a PHP syntax transformation
The right approach depends on how much syntax you need to support and how much parser behavior you want to maintain. The available examples establish different scopes, not a performance ranking.
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| Approach | What it handles | What you still need to assess |
|---|---|---|
| Hand-written state machine, as in the tutorial | A deliberately small custom markup grammar, followed by tree construction and PHP code generation. | Coverage for strings, nesting, escaping, malformed input, error messages, and how the compiler fits into builds and runtime. |
| PHP’s built-in tokenizer | PHP lexical tokens, using the tokenizer embedded in the Zend Engine. | The tokenizer does not define or parse an added JSX-like grammar; custom syntax parsing, tree-building, and code generation remain your responsibility. |
| A broader parser/compiler project | Potentially broader syntax coverage through a separate implementation. PHPX is one repository example of JSX-like syntax compiled into PHP. | Verify grammar coverage, diagnostics, generated-code readability, compatibility, installation, and maintenance. The PHPX repository warns that it is not published on Packagist; check the repository for its current status before depending on it. |
There are no benchmark results in these cited examples, so they do not establish which strategy is faster. For a small, controlled grammar, a state machine can keep the implementation focused. As syntax grows, edge cases such as nested expressions and escaping become more demanding; assess whether a maintained parser project offers sufficient coverage and integration for your needs.
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When this tutorial is useful
- Use it to learn the conceptual path from tokenization to a tree-like representation to generated PHP.
- Use its task-list example to see how component-shaped markup can map to PHP-side calls.
- Do not treat it as a current setup guide for React, XHP, Silex, Pre, or a production-ready PHP frontend stack; verify present-day support and compatibility for any dependency you plan to use.
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