Guide to recompiling PHP on Mac OSX? Or use MacPorts?

The version of PHP provided with OS 10.5.5 (not server edition) does not include libmcrypt, which is needed for phpMyAdmin. I've added the library using MacPorts, but it doesn't appear in phpinfo(). I'm not a skilled command line user, although I do start and stop MySQL and Apache this way, but I can follow directions. Can anyone tell me where to go for help? How difficult/risky is it to recompile PHP5 and how would I know what settings to give it?

Should I try the MacPort sudo port install php5 +libcrypt +pear command suggested here: http://seancoates.com/php-5-2-5-on-leopard ?