PHP Script to simulate stock data in JSON format

1. Create a PHP script.
   In the Eclipse Package Explorer, select the StockWatcher/war folder.
   From the Eclipse menu bar, select File > New > File.
   In the New File window, enter the file name stockPrices.php

   <?php
   
     header('Content-Type: text/javascript');
     header('Cache-Control: no-cache');
     header('Pragma: no-cache');
   
     define("MAX_PRICE", 100.0); // $100.00
     define("MAX_PRICE_CHANGE", 0.02); // +/- 2%
   
     echo '[';
   
     $q = trim($_GET['q']);
     if ($q) {
       $symbols = explode(' ', $q);
   
       for ($i=0; $i<count($symbols); $i++) {
         $price = lcg_value() * MAX_PRICE;
         $change = $price * MAX_PRICE_CHANGE * (lcg_value() * 2.0 - 1.0);
   
         echo '{';
         echo "\"symbol\":\"$symbols[$i]\",";
         echo "\"price\":$price,";
         echo "\"change\":$change";
         echo '}';
   
         if ($i < (count($symbols) - 1)) {
           echo ',';
         }
       }
     }
   
     echo ']';
   ?>

2. Compile StockWatcher.
   Click the GWT Compile Project button in the toolbar or run the ant build script to create the web mode files for the application (which will now include stockPrices.php).
   
3. Move the compiled StockWatcher files in the StockWatcher/war directory to a /StockWatcher directory in whatever web server (Apache, IIS, etc.) you have installed locally which supports PHP. If you are not using Java servlets (e.g. GWT RPC), you will not have to move over the files in StockWatcher/war/WEB-INF
4. Test the stock quote server.
   In a web browser, navigate to http://localhost/StockWatcher/stockPrices.php?q=ABC+DEF
   StockPrice data is returned in JSON format.

   [{"symbol":"ABC","price":40.485578668179,"change":-0.53944918844604},
    {"symbol":"DEF","price":1.3606576154209,"change":0.0051755221198266}]

Now that you can retrieve JSON-encoded stock data from the server, continue with the next step in the JSON tutorial, Manipulating JSON data in the client-side code.