PhpTabs

PhpTabs is a PHP library for reading and writing scores and MIDI files. It provides direct methods to read a song name, get a list of instruments or whatever be your needs.

PhpTabs currently supports the following file formats:

• Guitar Pro 3 (.gp3)
• Guitar Pro 4 (.gp4)
• Guitar Pro 5 (.gp5)
• MIDI (.mid, .midi)

Any questions?

• Read the PhpTabs Manual
• Open an issue on github
• Contribute code
• Contribute documentation in the /docs

Table of contents

The documentation below contains only basic examples. If you want to see more examples and the complete API behind the library, read the PhpTabs Manual.

Before version 1.0.0, the old manual PhpTabs Manual

• Requirements
• Installation
  • Composer
  • Alternative
• Testing
• Basic Usage
• Methods
  • Accessing metadata
    • getName()
    • getArtist()
    • getAlbum()
    • getAuthor()
    • getCopyright()
    • getWriter()
    • getComments()
    • getTranscriber()
    • getDate()
  • Accessing tracks
    • countTracks()
    • getTracks()
    • getTrack()
  • Accessing channels
    • countChannels()
    • getChannels()
    • getChannel()
  • Accessing instruments
    • countInstruments()
    • getInstruments()
    • getInstrument()
  • Accessing measure headers
    • countMeasureHeaders()
    • getMeasureHeaders()
    • getMeasureHeader()
  • Saving data
    • save()
    • export()
    • convert()

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Requirements

PhpTabs requires PHP 7.4+ and 8.0+.

Until PhpTabs 1.0.5, it was maintained for PHP versions 7.2 and 7.3.

Until PhpTabs 0.6.1, it was maintained for PHP versions 7.0 and 7.1.

Until PhpTabs 0.6.0, it was maintained for PHP versions 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 and HHVM.

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Installation

Composer

composer require stdtabs/phptabs

Alternative

Download and extract an archive from https://github.com/stdtabs/phptabs/releases

Then add this PHP line before usage:

// Use standalone bootstraprequire_once'src/PhpTabs/bootstrap.php';

---

Testing

To run tests, you should install PHPUnit first.

composer require phpunit/phpunit

Then run the test suite with:

vendor/bin/phpunit

---

Basic Usage

require_once'src/PhpTabs/bootstrap.php';
usePhpTabs\PhpTabs;
// Instanciates a tablature$tablature = newPhpTabs("mytabs.gp3");
// Reads informationecho$tablature->getName();

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Methods

Accessing metadata

---

getName()

Typestring

The name of the song.

Example

$tablature->getName();

---

getArtist()

Typestring

The interpreter of the song.

Example

$tablature->getArtist();

---

getAlbum()

Typestring

The name of the album.

Example

$tablature->getAlbum();

---

getAuthor()

Typestring

The author of the song.

Example

$tablature->getAuthor();

---

getCopyright()

Typestring

The copyright of the song.

Example

$tablature->getCopyright();

---

getWriter()

Typestring

The songwriter.

Example

$tablature->getWriter();

---

getComments()

Typestring

The tablature comments. They are compounded of several lines separated by a line break (PHP_EOL).

Example

$tablature->getComments();

---

getTranscriber()

Typestring

Person who has transcribed tablature

Support

Guitar Pro >= 4

Example

$tablature->getTranscriber();

---

getDate()

Typestring

Date when tablature has been transcribed

Support

Guitar Pro >= 4

Example

$tablature->getDate();

---

Accessing tracks

---

countTracks()

Typeinteger

The number of tracks

Example

$tablature->countTracks();

---

getTracks()

Typearray

An array of Track objects

There is one track object for each instrument of the song.

Example

$tablature->getTracks();

---

getTrack($index)

Typeobject

Parameterinteger $index

The music sheet for one instrument.

Example

// Get the first track$tablature->getTrack(0);

---

Accessing channels

---

countChannels()

Typeinteger

The number of channels

Example

$tablature->countChannels();

---

getChannels()

Typearray

An array of Channel objects

There is one channel object for each track of the song.

Example

$tablature->getChannels();

---

getChannel($index)

Typeobject

Parameterinteger $index

The instrument and sound parameters for one track.

Example

// Get the first channel$tablature->getChannel(0);

---

Accessing instruments

---

countInstruments()

Typeinteger

The number of instruments

Example

$tablature->countInstruments();

---

getInstruments()

Typearray

A list of instrument arrays

array(
'id' => <integer InstrumentId>,
'name' => <string InstrumentName>
)

Example

$tablature->getInstruments();

---

getInstrument($index)

Typearray

Parameterinteger $index

An instrument array

array(
'id' => <integer InstrumentId>,
'name' => <string InstrumentName>
)

Example

// Get the first instrument$tablature->getInstrument(0);

---

Accessing measure headers

---

countMeasureHeaders()

Typeinteger

The number of measure headers

Example

$tablature->countMeasureHeaders();

---

getMeasureHeaders()

Typearray

An array of MeasureHeader objects

Example

$tablature->getMeasureHeaders();

---

getMeasureHeader($index)

Typeobject

Parameterinteger $index

Measure header contains global informations about the measure.

Example

// Get the first measure header$tablature->getMeasureHeader(0);

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Saving data

---

save($filename)

Typebool

Parameterstring $filename

This method records data as binary to the disk or buffer. It implicitly converts filetype if the specified file extension is different from the original (see examples below).

Following parameters are allowed:

Parameter	Type	Description
filename.ext	bool	A file_put_contents() return

Example

// Instanciate a GP3 tab$tab = newPhpTabs('mytab.gp3');
// Save as GP3$tab->save('newfile.gp3');
// Convert and save as GP5$tab->save('newfile.gp5');

---

convert($type)

---

Typestring

Parameterstring $type

This method returns data as a binary string into a specified format.

Following formats are allowed:

Parameter	Type	Description
null	string	A binary string, original format
gp3	string	A binary string, GP3 formatted
gp4	string	A binary string, GP4 formatted
gp5	string	A binary string, GP5 formatted
mid	string	A binary string, MIDI formatted
midi	string	A binary string, MIDI formatted

Example

// Instanciate a GP3 tab$tab = newPhpTabs('mytab.gp3');
// Convert as GP3echo$tab->convert('gp3');
// Convert as GP5echo$tab->convert('gp5');
// Convert as MIDIecho$tab->convert('mid');
// Render as original format// Should be equal as file_get_contents('mytab.gp3')echo$tab->convert();

A lot more examples on PhpTabs Manual.