Zend Framework extension, which provides classes for using and implementing Gravatar’s services and features. It consists of HTTP client for performing Gravatar Profile Requests, client for Gravatar XML-RPC API and view helper for rendering Gravatar image URLs.

The Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) specification provides a way to programmatically generate images using vector paths expressed in XML. This makes it ideal for generating images that need to be scaled to different resolutions without losing fidelity.

A common requirement in Web applications is to dynamically generate charts and graphs from numerical data. If these graphs are expressed using SVG, they can be blown up to different sizes without any deterioration in quality, and they are also typically smaller in size as compared to their GIF or JPEG counterparts. With this in mind, this article examines various open source PHP libraries that allow you to add SVG charting capabilities to your PHP application.

Like most developers, I’ve known for a while that PHP comes with GD support for basic image generation and processing tasks, and I’ve even used it on occasion to dynamically create images. However, what I didn’t know was that, hidden in PECL, is an extension to the GraphicsMagick library, which allows for all kinds of sophisticated image operations and effects. In this article, I’ll introduce you to ext/gmagick, showing you some of the cool things it can do for you (and your images).

Andrei Daneasa needed to do some fairly complex image processing and thumbnail generation: scaling, centering, resampling and finally changing the image background. He managed it all using PHP’s GD extension and he’s written a tutorial explaining how he did it, together with illustrative source code. An interesting read, for those looking to add even more pizzazz to their thumbnail collection.

If you’ve been working with PHP for a while, you already know that the language makes dynamic image generation very simple: the GD extension and a few lines of PHP code are all you need to create a JPEG, GIF or PNG image from scratch. However, while this works remarkably well for simple tasks, it can become tedious and complicated if you need to generate more complex images, such as graphs and charts, at run-time.

p. In case you’ve slipped back in time and need some ASCII art to put in your autoexec.bat file, Jonathan Ford has a new toy for you. (Don’t forget to load ansi.sys) Click on inside, I’ll share the details on this great piece of code that turns jpgs into ASCII art.

Among the additions to the latest eZ Components 2006.2 release is the Graph component, which enables you to create bar, line and pie charts. Click on inside and I’ll share the details.

p. !

p. Those code maniacs over at phphacks.com are at it again. This time they’ve posted a very nice HOWTO on using JPGraph. Click on in and I’ll give you the low-down

p. I hate repeating myself…I hate repeating myself…I hate repeating myself… So it’s time I learned to write recursive functions. Here’s a link to a tutorial on recursion in PHP as well as one on dynamically created graphics. (Charts)