Is there anything like Python's ctype for PHP? Accessing libraries without the need to write an extension?

Question

Python has ctypes to access libraries. In PHP you write extensions for everything. Popular extensions like the one for libgd are available almost everywhere.

Is ther

Answer 1

I don't think there is such a thing : in PHP, the "standard" way of using a library is by writting a wrapper arround it, that exports the functions of the library to PHP.

(But maybe an extension could be written to do just what ctypes does ? -- Not sure, but maybe ^^ )