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Sending SMS using PHP5 through MySQL Server
Download source code
download full project (2.2 kB)
Introduction
This article is about sending SMS using PHP5 through MySQL Server.
It is intended for web developers with a basic knowledge of the
PHP5 and SQL technologies. The page contains a downloadable source code
(see above), a list of aims you can achieve using the code, a list of prerequisites,
a description and depiction of the architecture and operation of the system,
step-by-step instructions about how to use the code and a detailed interpretation.
It also includes a brief summary, answers to frequently asked questions, as well
as links to related information.
When to use this code
This code is particularly useful for those who wish to
- add SMS functionality to a website.
- add SMS functionality to a corporate Intranet.
- create automated SMS notifications.
- increase website security by adding SMS login.
Prerequisites
The following table lists the software requirements of the system.
Note that you can download Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway and .NET Framework 2.0
on the download page.
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Operating system:
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Windows XP, Windows 2003 or Windows Vista
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Other software requirements:
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.NET Framework 2.0 (for Ozeki NG)
Ozeki NG-SMS gateway
Configured HTTP Server (e.g. Apache)
PHP5
MySQL Server
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Development platform:
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A simple word processor will do.
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How it works
To send SMS messages from PHP5 applications,
you need to install Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway and Microsoft SQL Server on your computer. Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway will use a
GSM phone/modem attached to your PC
(with a phone-to-PC data cable) or an
IP SMS connection
to send messages. Your PHP5 application will insert a row into the database
to send messages using the Ozeki NG program. For a better understanding of how it works,
please look at the following diagram (Figure 1).
Figure 1 - Sending SMS from an PHP5 application
In the diagram you can see an Internet user, a web server
with the PHP5 application, an SQL Server, Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway, a mobile phone attached
to ther server computer and a mobile user receiving the message.
Wherever the Internet user is, if they know the IP address or URL
of the computer running the PHP5 script, and if they are authorized to log in,
they can compose and send messages to any recipients.
After the Internet user's action, the PHP5 application inserts
a row with the data of the SMS to be sent, which will be selected by
Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway from the database. Ozeki NG will forward the message to the GSM network
through a mobile phone attached to the PC with a data cable, and
the mobile user will receive the SMS message.
Create a user and a database in MySQL
To find out how, check out the MySQL create table script page.
Create a Database user in Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway
Step 1: Open Ozeki NG's graphical user inerface (Start menu -> All Programs ->
OzekiNG -> Manage OzekiNG). Picture help
Step 2: Create the database user in Ozeki NG with the necessary data following
the instructions.
Using the code
To use the downloaded PHP5 code, follow these steps:
| Step 1: |
Unpack the downloaded zip file. |
| Step 2: |
Copy the sqlsmshandling.php, sqlsmshandling_inoutmessages.php and sqlsmshandling_functions.php
files into the main directory of the Web Server. |
| Step 3: |
Set/Change the fixed data in the sqlsmshandling_functions.php file (e.g., server name, user name, password).
Picture help |
| Step 4: |
Start the Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway Server (if not running).
Picture help |
| Step 5: |
Start a web browser application (IE, Firefox, etc.) and enter this: http://127.0.0.1/sqlsmshandling.php
(127.0.0.1 means that the copied example files reside on the same computer
on which the browser has been opened).
Picture help |
| Step 6: |
Fill in the necessary fields, and then click the "Send" button.
Picture help |
| Step 7: |
Verify the message has been sent by Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway.
Picture help |
Understanding the code
The downloadable sample script inserts the message to be sent into the ozekimessageout database table.
Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway periodically checks the table, and if it finds a row where the status is send,
then it will try to send it. Inside the script you have to
set the server name to where the MySQL Server is running, the username (specifying
who can log in to the MySQL Server) with the password and the type of the SMS message.
The source code of the example application is structured in the following way:
sqlsmshandling.php:
This file contains page builder asp elements (text boxes, labels, etc.) and calls an insert function.
sqlsmshandling_functions.php:
connectToDatabase(): connects to the MySQL Server and opens the database.
closeConnection (): closes the connection.
insertMessage (...): inserts the message to the outgoing database table.
showOutgoingMessagesInTable(): selects the messages from ozekimessageout database table and
shows it.
showIncomingMessagesInTable(): selects the messages from ozekimessagein database table and
shows it.
sqlsmshandling_inoutmessages.php:
builds the page that shows the message tables.
Description of the process depicted in Figure 1 above:
Step 1: Create the HTML form
In the sqlsmshandling.php file, you create the form that requests the sms data and
shows a frame for tables incoming
and outgoing messages. The Internet user fills in the necessaries.
Label and textbox pairs will be displayed. Labels identify the requested data for the Internet user,
and they will type it in textboxes. The user will be asked to fill in the Recipient and Message text fields.
sqlsmshandling.php
...
<form action="" method="post">
<table border="0" align="center">
<tr>
<td colspan="2" align="center">
<font style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 16px;">Compose message</font>
<br /><br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top">Recipient: </td>
<td>
<textarea name="textAreaRecipient" cols="40" rows="2">...</textarea>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top">Message text: </td>
<td>
<textarea name="textAreaMessage" cols="40" rows="10">...</textarea>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" align="center">
<input type="submit" value="Send">
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td colspan='2' align='center'>
...
</td></tr>
</table>
</form>
...
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Inside the last table row (<tr>) you perform the sending of the message,
as well as the notification of the Internet user in case of an error.
...
<?php
if (isset($_POST["textAreaRecipient"]) && $_POST["textAreaRecipient"] == "")
{
echo "<font style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">Recipient field mustn't be empty!</font>";
}
else if (isset($_POST["textAreaRecipient"]) && $_POST["textAreaRecipient"] != "")
{
try
{
connectToDatabase();
if (insertMessage ($_POST["textAreaRecipient"], "SMS:TEXT", $_POST["textAreaMessage"]))
{
echo "<font style=\"color: red; font-weight: bold;\">Insert was successful!</font>";
}
closeConnection ();
}
catch (Exception $exc)
{
echo "Error: " . $exc->getMessage();
}
}
?>
...
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Step 2: Processing data coming from the HTML form
After filling in the fields and clicking the Send button, the Web server receives the information
about the form.
At the begining of the php script, check the data of the textbox fields. The Recipient box is mandatory.
If it is empty, the processing will be aborted, and the Internet user will be informed about
the error. If the checking is successful, you will insert a new row into the ozekimessageout database table (in
insertMessage (...)).
You need the following: the address of the computer running the MySQL Server
[the default address is localhost
(localhost means that the MyQL Server is installed on the same
computer on which the PHP5 script is running)], the username (who is authorized
to log in to the MySQL Server and to insert messages, the user's password,
the message type (the default is SMS:TEXT), the recipient and the message data.
sqlsmshandling_functions.php
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function insertMessage ($recipient, $messageType, $messageText)
{
$query = "insert into ozekimessageout (receiver,msgtype,msg,status) ";
$query .= "values ('" . $recipient . "', '" . $messageType . "', '" . $messageText . "', 'send');";
$result = mysql_query($query);
if (!$result)
{
echo (mysql_error() . "<br>");
return false;
}
return true;
}
...
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Step 3: Checking the incoming and the outgoing message tables
By refreshing the table of incoming and outgoing messages, you can check the incoming messages and the status of
outgoing messages. Look at the showOutgoingMessagesInTable() function. You will refill the outgoing
messages table.
sqlsmshandling_functions.php
...
function showOutgoingMessagesInTable()
{
$query = "select id,sender,receiver,senttime,receivedtime,operator,status,msgtype,msg from ozekimessageout;";
$result = mysql_query($query);
if (!$result)
{
echo (mysql_error() . "<br>");
return false;
}
try
{
echo "<table border='1'>";
echo "<tr><td>ID</td><td>Sender</td><td>Receiver</td><td>Sent time</td><td>Received time</td><td>Operator</td>";
echo "<td>Status</td><td>Message type</td><td>Message text</td></tr>";
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{
echo "<tr>";
echo "<td>" . $row["id"] . "</td>";
echo "<td>" . $row["sender"] . "</td>";
echo "<td>" . $row["receiver"] . "</td>";
echo "<td>" . $row["senttime"] . "</td>";
echo "<td>" . $row["receivedtime"] . "</td>";
echo "<td>" . $row["operator"] . "</td>";
echo "<td>" . $row["status"] . "</td>";
echo "<td>" . $row["msgtype"] . "</td>";
echo "<td>" . $row["msg"] . "</td>";
echo "</tr>";
}
echo "</table>";
mysql_free_result($result);
}
catch (Exception $exc)
{
echo (mysql_error() . "<br>");
return false;
}
return true;
}
...
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Summary
In the article it has been explained how you can add SMS functionality to your website
by using the downloadable PHP5 example code. You can freely use and modify that script.
Using PHP5 scripts (and the Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway Server) you can create a lot
of useful services(e.g.: you can add SMS functionality to a website or a
corporate Intranet, create automated SMS notifications, increase website security
by adding SMS login, etc.).
Frequently asked questions
Question: How can I send different message types?
Answer: For example, a Wap push message (in the insertMessage(...) function):
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$query .= "values ('" . $recipient . "', 'SMS:WAPPUSH', '" . $messageText . "', 'send');";
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$messageText format will be the following:
<si>
<indication href="http://target_address" action="signal-high">
text of description
</indication>
</si>
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The action can be one of the follwoing: signal-high, signal-medium, signal-low, signal-none, signal-delete.
Question: Can I run the PHP5 script on a computer different
from the one running the Ozeki NG - SMS Gateway Server and the MySQL Server?
Answer: Yes, you can. In the script you have to set the Server name
of the computer running the MySQL Server.
Question: Can I set the phone number so that
the recipient can see where the sms comes from?
Answer: Yes, you can. In the script you have to set the sender field too. It works
only if you have IP SMS connection.
...
$query = "insert into ozekimessageout (sender,receiver,msgtype,msg,status) ";
$query .= "values ('+449876543', '" . $recipient . "', '" . $messageType . "', '" . $messageText . "', 'send');";
...
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Related information
Ozeki NG Installation Guide
SMS Message Types
RS232 Serial Cable and Industrial Modems
IP SMS Gateway
Supported phones and GSM devices
Message statuses in database
Database table layout
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