How do I pass parameters into a PHP script through a webpage? - php

Question

I am calling a PHP script whenever a webpage loads. However, there is a parameter that the PHP script needs to run (which I normally pass through the command line when I am testing the script).
How can I pass this argument every time the script is run when the page loads?

Answer 1

Presumably you're passing the arguments in on the command line as follows:
php /path/to/wwwpublic/path/to/script.php arg1 arg2
... and then accessing them in the script thusly:
<?php
// $argv[0] is '/path/to/wwwpublic/path/to/script.php'
$argument1 = $argv[1];
$argument2 = $argv[2];
?>
What you need to be doing when passing arguments through HTTP (accessing the script over the web) is using the query string and access them through the $_GET superglobal:
Go to http://yourdomain.example/path/to/script.php?argument1=arg1&argument2=arg2
... and access:
<?php
$argument1 = $_GET['argument1'];
$argument2 = $_GET['argument2'];
?>
If you want the script to run regardless of where you call it from (command line or from the browser) you'll want something like the following:
as pointed out by Cthulhu in the comments, the most direct way to test which environment you're executing in is to use the PHP_SAPI constant. I've updated the code accordingly:
<?php
if (PHP_SAPI === 'cli') {
$argument1 = $argv[1];
$argument2 = $argv[2];
}
else {
$argument1 = $_GET['argument1'];
$argument2 = $_GET['argument2'];
}
?>

Answer 2

$argv[0]; // the script name
$argv[1]; // the first parameter
$argv[2]; // the second parameter
If you want to all the script to run regardless of where you call it from (command line or from the browser) you'll want something like the following:
<?php
if ($_GET) {
$argument1 = $_GET['argument1'];
$argument2 = $_GET['argument2'];
} else {
$argument1 = $argv[1];
$argument2 = $argv[2];
}
?>
To call from command line chmod 755 /var/www/webroot/index.php and use
/usr/bin/php /var/www/webroot/index.php arg1 arg2
To call from the browser, use
http://www.mydomain.example/index.php?argument1=arg1&argument2=arg2