SMS messaging
 

I need to do some SMS Messaging to all cell phone networks worldwide (big issue, worldwide) and was wondering if anyone knew of any standard PHP libraries to accomplish this? I would be collecting SMS numbers and carriers from users and would need to be able to send out to them.

Please advise.

There aren't any free, cross-OS PHP ways of doing it. However, search and ye shall find.

I found some open source shell scripts and C++ libraries, so I guess I'm stuck with shell_exec from PHP.

Thanks anyhow.

Ethan

filburt1 - you're absolutely wrong.
It would be a TOP 10 hack to be.
Somebody needs to think about it.

http://www.simplewire.com/developers/sdk/php/

Please read what I've said. There is no free way of doing it. I've researched this extensively for my project at NASA and I think I know what I am talking about. :)

Yeah,I've abandoned SMS for a project because of legal problems with using an automated script to send SMS through a website. They don't like that.

you're wrong :P i did this once, it was free but illegal.

I had an ASP script sending the contents of a submitted form to an online SMS form provided by a service. My ASP form subitted my user name and password of my account and then inserted the contents of the message field in my ASP form into the input box on the service providers sms form. You're message fields need to be named the same.

This was a while ago, but i havent tried it with php. the only disadvantage to this was that all sms were sent through your account, and the reciever cant reply to the text.

basically what i was doing in my previous post? or were you doing it another way?

Okay...there is no free, moral, legal, efficient, sane way of doing it.

*nods in satisfaction* :)

hehe. you could always purchase a commercial piece of software and charge your users a subscription fee to use it. enough to cover the costs of the software?

obviously a home made solution would be better.

theres a free to use script for those if you who own an ornage phone in the uk on www.robouk.mchost.com

But it only send to one phone Number!!

so your saying if i wanted to collect cell numbers from my members and send them text messages from my vb site! its illegal to do this??

i was thinking have a feild in the registration process where the user enters their cell number and choose their provider. then you could send text messages to their phones via the email extension through the provided cell phone carrier.

Yes, but all the soft seems commercial.
It's not so easy as you think. Not just adding one field to the profile.

I've already done it. Sign up sometime and have a play. www.ukairsoft.net

Uses the Simplewire platform to actually send the messages, it integrates heavily with the vBulletin database (and uses 3 of it's own seperately). Each member has an SMS button (next to email, profile, email etc.) as well as being able to send an SMS from the "SMS Centre". It wouldn't take a lot of effort to integrate it completely into vBulletin (templates and all), but I didn't want that. 27,500 lines of code and still improving. ;)

Signup (link on the right), do the usual vBulletin signup, remembering to enter your mobile number in the foot of the 'optional infos' (not mandatory, but it speeds up the SMS signup later on). When you're done, go back to www.ukairsoft.net and click on 'text messaging' under the 'Services' list on the left hand side and sign up to the service. Remember to enter your mobile number WITH THE COUNTRY CODE, e.g. +44 for the UK. You get 50 free credits to play with (good for 25-50 messages, depending where in the world you send them)

The SMS Centre

View a sent message.

Send a message to a forum member.

You'll have to sign up to play with all the other screens. I think the admins here might get peed off if I post any more attachments.

I guess this will be a commercial release?
I'm ready to pay 20$ for it, if it's so, just make it quick, can you?
Or I can make, let's say, the template and desig work and become a co-releaser?!

Just bear in mind I may end up selling the code for $25, but it'll still cost you $500 to use it ;) (SimpleWire licence)

Any way to get the code for 25$?
I'm readdy to pay for it.
Tell me more about the SimpleWire licence?!

Why not do some research. ;)

http://www.simplewire.com/store/platform/

The 'licence' grants you permission to use the system, provides a username and password to access it, and other associated tools, including the development kit for programming your solution, and also the module required by PHP to actually use it (note: You'll need to have your own server to make use of SimpleWire unless dynamic loading is enabled by your host).

Have to ask my hoster about dynamic loading.
I looked at the site and doen't get - do I really have to pay for every SMS msg? If so, I'm out, I thought it's free. Is it, or is it not, or it depends?!

It's not free. You pay for every single message. (The more you buy, the cheaper they are - from 5.7 cents to 2 cents a message) However, they do supply a fully integrated solution via their API which provides 2 way communication between your application and theirs including world-wide coverage and a service level agreement.

We charge our users for sending messages over the 50 free credits they get when they sign up, adding about 2.5 cents to the cost of the message meaning we make a very slight profit per message sent.

You get what you pay for. Just depends how much you're willing to pay...

see the thing is why by the software. make your own that works and sell it :) >-- uhm right --<

CJi, the problem is - I'm willing to pay only once. Any solutions? I don't want to pay not even a penny for every SMS ... Solutions?!

None that I am aware of (that work everytime, and provide 2 way communication). I didn't look much further than SimpleWire because they offered everything we needed - except 27,500 lines of code .. but they just provide the API ;) It costs the provider money to send the message, so I don't know why people have such an aversion to paying. An unsustainable business model leads to an unsustainable service.

Can't help ya, sorry.

Oh, I see. It could work only once a week.
But can't pay for every msg. I'll be ruined.

You get what you pay for; in this case, nothing.

I'm now working on 2 way messaging for our users (give them a mobile number to send a text message to and it gets routed through our system then out to the desired member.) It's proving a very popular idea at the moment so it looks like another 7,000 lines of code will soon be going through my fingers. ;)

Filbert is right .. you don't mind paying for vB each year, so what's the problem? Do what I do.. charge my members for every text message they send or receive, billing is automatic and sustains the service.

CJi - a demo?

gmarik: you can sign up at www.ukairsoft.net for a forum account. Once you've signed up (wait for moderation), then you can play with the SMS system by going to www.ukairsoft.net/sms-centre.php - you automatically have 50 credits to play with.

Ceej.

This looks nice but i do not see any release. Do you sell this or why do you post links and screenshots here ? I would be interested in this hack.

Cheers,