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Usage

This page contains some common examples of how to use the PHP PhantomJS library.

For more advanced customization or to load your own PhantomJS scripts, see the advanced documentation.

Basic Request

A basic GET request:

    
    <?php
    
    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest();
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();
    
    $request->setMethod('GET');
    $request->setUrl('http://google.com');
    
    $client->send($request, $response);
    
    if($response->getStatus() === 200) {
        echo $response->getContent();
    }

You can also set the URL, request method and timeout period when creating a new request instance through the message factory:

    <?php
     
    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest('http://google.com', 'GET', 5000);
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();
        
    $client->send($request, $response);
    
    if($response->getStatus() === 200) {
        echo $response->getContent();
    }

POST Request

A basic POST request:

    <?php
    
    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest();
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();
    
    $data = array(
        'param1' => 'Param 1',
        'param2' => 'Param 2'
    );
    
    $request->setMethod('POST');
    $request->setUrl('http://google.com');
    $request->setRequestData($data); // Set post data
    
    $client->send($request, $response);

Other Request Methods

The PHP PhantomJS library supports the following request methods:

  • OPTIONS
  • GET
  • HEAD
  • POST
  • PUT
  • DELETE
  • PATCH

The request method can be set when creating a new request instance through the message factory:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest('http://google.com', 'PUT');

Or on the request instance itself:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest();
    $request->setMethod('PATCH');

Response Data

A standard response gives you access to the following interface:

Accessor Description Return Type
getHeaders() Returns an array of all response headers. Array
getHeader(header) Returns the value for a specific response header e.g. Content-Type. Mixed
getStatus() The response status code e.g. 200. Int
getContent() The raw page content of the requested page. String
getContentType() The content type of the requested page. String
getUrl() The URL of the requested page. String
getRedirectUrl() If the response was a redirect, this will return the redirect URL. String
isRedirect() Will return true if the response was a redirect or false otherwise. Boolean
getConsole() Returns an array of any javascript errors on the requested page along with a stack trace. Array

If the response contains a status code of 0, chances are the request failed. Check the request debug log for more detailed information about what may have gone wrong.

Screen Captures

You can save screen captures of a page to your local disk by creating a screen capture request and setting the path you wish to save the file to:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createCaptureRequest('http://google.com');
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();
    
    $file = '/path/to/save/your/screen/capture/file.jpg';
    
    $request->setCaptureFile($file);
    
    $client->send($request, $response);

You will need to make sure the directory that you are saving the file to exists and is writable by your application.

You can also set the width, height, x and y axis for your screen capture:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createCaptureRequest('http://google.com');
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();
    
    $file = '/path/to/save/your/screen/capture/file.jpg';
    
    $top    = 10;
    $left   = 10;
    $width  = 200;
    $height = 400;
    
    $request->setCaptureFile($file);
    $request->setCaptureDimensions($width, $height, $top, $left);
    
    $client->send($request, $response);

Set Viewport Size

You can easily set the viewport size for a request:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest('http://google.com');
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();
        
    $width  = 200;
    $height = 400;
    
    $request->setViewportSize($width, $height);
    
    $client->send($request, $response);

Custom Timeout

By default, each request will timeout after 5 seconds. You can set a custom timeout period (in milliseconds) for each request:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest('http://google.com');
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();
    
    $timeout = 10000; // 10 seconds
    
    $request->setTimeout($timeout);
    
    $client->send($request, $response);

Delay Page Render

Sometimes when taking screen captures you may want to wait until the page is completely loaded before saving the capture. In this instance you can set a page render delay (in seconds) for the request:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createCaptureRequest('http://google.com');
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();
    
    $delay = 5; // 5 seconds
    
    $request->setDelay($delay);
    
    $client->send($request, $response);

You can set a page render delay for standard requests also.

Custom Run Options

The PhantomJS API contains a range of command line options that can be passed when executing the PhantomJS executable. These can also be passed in via the client before a request:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    $client->addOption('--load-images=true');
    $client->addOption('--ignore-ssl-errors=true');
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest('http://google.com');
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();

    $client->send($request, $response);

You can also set a path to a JSON configuration file that contains multiple PhantomJS options:

    <?php

    use JonnyW\PhantomJs\Client;
    
    $client = Client::getInstance();
    $client->addOption('--config=/path/to/config.json');
    
    $request  = $client->getMessageFactory()->createRequest('http://google.com');
    $response = $client->getMessageFactory()->createResponse();

    $client->send($request, $response);

See the PhantomJS Documentation for a full list of command line options.