The Recode PHP extension is a tool for converting files between different character sets and surface encodings. It recognizes and produces nearly 150 character sets and can handle conversions between almost any pair.

However, the Recode extension has been deprecated and removed as of PHP 7.4. Despite this, it is still possible to install the extension manually in PHP 7.4 using the following steps.

Step 1: Building and Installing the Recode PHP Extension

1. Download the Source Files

First, download the latest Recode extension source code from GitHub by running the following command:

wget https://github.com/php/pecl-text-recode/archive/master.zip -O recode.zip

2. Extract the Files

After the download is complete, unzip the file:

unzip recode.zip

3. Navigate to the Extension Folder

Change the directory to the extracted folder:

cd pecl-text-recode-master

4. Prepare the Extension for Installation

Run phpize, which prepares the PHP extension for compiling:

phpize

5. Configure the Extension

Configure the extension using the following command. If PHP is installed in a custom directory, make sure to specify the correct path for php-config:

./configure

If PHP is installed in a non-default location, use the appropriate php-config path. For example, if PHP is installed in /opt/alt/php/, run:

./configure --with-php-config=/opt/alt/php/usr/bin/php-config

6. Compile and Install the Extension

Compile and install the extension with the following commands:

make
make install

Step 2: Enabling the Recode PHP Extension

1. Edit the php.ini File

To enable the Recode extension, you need to add the following line to your php.ini file:

extension=recode.so

The php.ini file is typically located in the PHP configuration directory. The exact path may vary depending on your PHP installation.

2. Restart the PHP Service

After editing the php.ini file, restart the appropriate service to apply the changes. Depending on your system configuration, you may need to restart Apache, PHP-FPM, or the PHP handler. Use one of the following commands based on your setup:

service apache2 restart
service php-fpm restart

Step 3: Verifying the Installation

To check if the Recode extension was installed and is working correctly, use the following command to list the active PHP modules:

php -m | grep recode

If the installation was successful, the output should display recode:

recode

Alternatively, you can check the installation by creating a PHP info page. Create a file named info.php with the following content:

<?php phpinfo(); ?>

Access this file via your web browser, and look for “Recode” in the loaded modules list.

That’s It!

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully install and enable the Recode extension in PHP 7.4, despite its removal in the official PHP distribution.