Liip is a PHP company but we are not agnostic to what happens in other fields. And sometimes we need to integrate with other systems like a Java based CMS. Rather than using something radical like Quercus, a Java implementation of the PHP language or the rather fiddly PHP/Java Bridge, we wanted something less intrusive and more general purpose.

Taking inspriation from the proven Java Content Repository (JCR) standard, we created PHPCR by simplifying the Java interfaces. The content repository combines the best of document-oriented databases and XML databases, providing developers with a well-defined API to access and manage content. Ebi, Chregu and I started implementing the PHPCR interfaces in jackalope which can talk to Jackrabbit, the JCR standard implementation. The neat thing of this is that you can reuse Java content from a normal and simple PHP environment, through a clean and powerful API.

Last year we had a hackday where we integrated PHP Jackalope with the Java MagnoliaCMS. On 28 Feb 2013, I will present the topic as a MagnoliaCMS webinar entitled “Connect PHP Applications with Magnolia CMS through PHPCR”.

If you're a PHP developer interested in getting your feet wet in the Java world, or a Java developer interesting in seeing PHP code talking to your favorite Java CMS, this webinar is a must-attend for you. You'll find more information and a registration form for the webinar on the Magnolia website. Please subscribe and attend the presentation online!