Building Extensions and Installing Extensions

Hi. I've a couple newbie questions for everyone. First, how do I build something (like GD) to make an .so file? And how do I get it to go in the proper directory...or, if I change the extensions directory in php.ini, can I change it to something like /bin/lib and not have it hiccup (or commit suicide)? How about multiple extension directories, like /bin/lib and /bin/local/lib? Second, how the hell do I install extensions on-the-fly? I know I can add an EXTENSION= line to php.ini, but is there a way to invoke, for example, a shell command to do this for me? (This is especially important|useful for .SO files that aren't in /usr/lib/apache/php.) Thanks in advance!! _____ Colin Snover VeHost Support Services