I was wondering because I can code in PHP without minors hitches or errors but one thing I have never understood about PHP is the fact it is a server side scripting language, so it needs something to trigger it, if this is so how can I create a PHP file which runs routine checks? and example is:
Someone has not activated there account although they have had a email sent out to them and it has been the time period given, were and how would the script run, would it need to be required into a page or is there a function for this.
Thanks in advance, I just need this clearing up a little it if's not too much trouble.
For this you would usually set up a cron job.
cron is a daemon that periodically starts other programs, for tasks such as the one you outline. You can make cron start php scripts, as well.
If you're on shared hosting, there's probably an option somewhere in your control panel to set up a periodic cron job.
Otherwise, here are some guides on doing it manually:
Cron Tutorial – Managing cron tab or cron job is Easy!
Newbie: Intro to cron
Cron Tutorial
Running PHP Scripts with Cron
If you are on a Unix/Linux system, you can write a php script that can be executed from command-line and add it as a cron job.
Related
I'm having a problem where putty gets regularly disconnected. So, when I run a PHP script from the terminal, it always gets interrupted. The script is supposed to run several hours, so I'm not having any luck with it.
How can I completely run this from the server side? I'm reading about cron jobs, but I'm having a hard time understanding at this time. Is there any alternative to cron for what I need?
I have several script PHP files that need to be run, one by one, or perhaps two at a time. Any ideas?
You don't need to leave it run in a cron job - you can just run the php script inside a screen.
Simply type;
screen php /path/to/myphpscript.php
A screen will continue running even after you disconnect from PuTTY. If you need to check up on it, you can use;
screen -r
To re-attach yourself to this process, and view any output.
You need to prevent the process from terminating when the session disconnects.
Something like this would work:
nohup php myscript.php
You can create a cron job to start the php script periodically based on a list of time tasks. More info. You could also start the task in the background from the console. i.e. php-cgi script.php& this would make the script a background task
Take a look at GNU Screen; it allows you to detach and reattach a session later, which is perfect for long-running scripts. Cron is a good option if you want it to happen in a recurring fashion; one-off batch jobs can be scheduled with something like at. For more intense computing needs, you might want to look into a more full-fledged job scheduling system like TORQUE.
You can run your program in background
php ./yourscript.php &
I am writing a component for Joomla and there is a specific task that requires an update to some stats every so often. I would like to setup a cron job to do this. The only problem is that requires the user to go and setup the cron to run the php update stats script.
On installation of the component how can I automatically setup a cron job for the user? Is this possible?
I've seen this implemented in the Akeeba backup pro component for Joomla, so I was hoping that I would be able to do the same thing.
Thanks
In theory you can create a crontab file and call it from PHP
<?php
exec("crontab $path_to_cron_file");
in practice it depends on wether the server (if you're on a shared hosting) allows you to do that.
All you need to do is write a line to the crontab file, generally stored in /var/spool/cron/crontabs/username. The cron daemon will see that the file modification time has changed and reload it automatically when it wakes up to do its checks
Another option (less desirable from a server load perspective but easier for users) would be to create a plugin that is run each time a visitor visits the site. It could check whether the process has been run in a specified time and then run it if it needs to be run.
iJoobi.com has another solution where they have set up a server to run cron tasks, which would then ping the specific URL on the website to kick off the process. (http://www.ijoobi.com/Help/jNews/jNews-Cron-Task.html)
I have some files on my server, how to open them programatically once a day?
Let them be
http://site.com/scripts/video.php
http://site.com/scripts/music.php
Without my hands, just like sheduling (automatically).
Even if I sleep and server is working, they should open on given time.
And additionally, how to open them once a 10 seconds (for tests)?
Thanks.
The Solution is very clear when you are using a Linux server;CRON JOBS.
One can easily run a cron job by configuring it through the terminal.I saw everyone has provided the Solution,but my answer will be for the people who are novice to Linux servers and don't know much about Cron Jobs.Go to Terminal and type the below commands..
root>which php
The above line will give you the path to where PHP is in your linux systems
Now,
root>crontab e
The above line will open the Cron file in edit mode.
Enter the number of times you want to run a particular php file and what time of the day,month,week,etc.
I am providing the syntex for running a particular file every 15 mins.
So here you go,
(write this in the cron file in edit mode)
*/15 * * * * path/to/your/php path/to/the/file/you/want/to/run
Now,path/to/your/php has to be replaced by the path what you got when you typed
root>which php
And you are done just save the file and close it.You will see a messege on you terminal that a new CronJob is installed.
That's it.
If you're on a Linux/Unix host using a cron job is generally the best approach, as you can simply call the command line version of PHP as a part of the cron job. (You may need to tweak your script if it relies on $_SERVER variables, that said.)
Administration middleware (such as Plesk) often offer the ability to add cron tasks as well, although you many need to check the user/group rights that such tasks are executed with.
Finally, if you use a cron task you can simply enter the required command via the command line during the testing phase. (i.e.: Rather than force a 10 second update (which would be tricky unless you had cron execute a shell script) you could execute the script as required.)
It's not possible with pure PHP. You'll need a cron job for this - ask your provider or administrator whether they are available.
Cron has a resolution of 1 minute, though: Calling a script once every 10 seconds would have to be done e.g. using a PHP script that gets called every minute, and makes six requests every ten seconds.
Running them once a day requires a seperate program running them.
For linux servers the usual choice is a Cron Job, for Windows the Task Sheduler works fine, too.
I have written a PHP script which generates an SQL file containing all tables in my database.
What I want to do is execute this script daily or every n days. I have read about cron jobs but I am using Windows. How can I automate the script execution on the server?
You'll need to add a scheduled task to call the URL.
First of all, read up here:
MS KB - this is for Windows XP.
Second, you'll need some way to call the URL - i'd recommend using something like wget - this way you can call the URL and save the output to a file, so you can see what the debug output is. You can get hold of wget on this page.
Final step is, as Gabriel says, write a batch file to tie all this up, then away you go.
e: wget is pretty simple to use, but if you have any issues, leave a comment and I'll help out.
ee: thinking about it, you don't even really need a batch file, and could just call wget directly..
add a scheduled task to request the url. either using a batch file or a script file (WSH).
http://blog.netnerds.net/2007/01/vbscript-download-and-save-a-binary-file/
this script will allow you to download binary data from a web source. Modify it to work for you particular case. This vbs file can either be run directly or executed from within a script. Alternately you do not have to save the file using the script, you can just output the contents (WScript.Echo objXMLHTTP.ResponseBody) and utilize the CMD out to file argument:
cscript download.vbs > logfile.log
save that bad boy in a .bat file somewhere useful and call it in the scheduler: http://lifehacker.com/153089/hack-attack-using-windows-scheduled-tasks
Cron is not always available on many hosting accounts.
But try this:
http://www.phpjobscheduler.co.uk/
its free, has a useful interface so you can see all the scheduled tasks and will run on any host that provides php and mysql.
You can use ATrigger scheduling service. A PHP library is also available to create scheduled tasks without overhead. Reporting, Analytics, Error Handling and more benefits.
Disclaimer: I was among the ATrigger team. It's a freeware and I have not any commercial purpose.
Windows doesn't have cron, but it does come with the 'at' command. It's not as flexible as cron, but it will allow you to schedule arbitrary tasks for execution from the command line.
Yes, You can schedule and execute your php script on windows to run automatically. In linux like os u will have cron but on windows u can schedule task using task scheduler.
If your code is in remote hosted server then create a cron-job for the same.
Else if in local then use a scheduled task in windows.Its easy to implement.I am having servers with so many scheduled tasks running.
I have a PHP script that needs to be run at certain times every weekday. Is cron or Windows task scheduler the only way to do this?
Is there a way to set this up from within another PHP script?
Depends how exact the timing needs to be. A technique I've seen used (dubbed "poor man's cron") is to have a frequently accessed script (a site's home page, for example) fire off a task on the first page load after a certain time (kept track of in the database).
If you need any sort of guaranteed accuracy, though, cron or a Windows scheduled task is really the best option. If your host doesn't support them, it's time to get a better one.
Apart from cron or Scheduled Tasks, you can have your PHP script to always run it. The process should sleep (within a loop) until the time has reached. Then, the process could execute the remaining functions/methods. Or, you can set up another script (which will act as a daemon) to check for the time and execute the other script.
Well since the web is a pull mechanism you have to have some sort of action that will trigger a PHP script to execute. cron is an option on *nix and task scheduler on windows. You could also write your own service that has a timer but only if needed, this is common on windows services for updaters, jobs etc.
One way you could do it is in the cron task just call a php script for each action needed. Or one php script that executes other tasks. The problem with web based tasks though such as PHP is timeouts. Make sure your tasks are under 60-90 seconds. If not you might look at using python , perl or ruby or even bash scripts to do the work rather than the PHP script.
cron seems like the best option for you though. You will have to call your script with wget. There are examples here: http://www.thesitewizard.com/general/set-cron-job.shtml
For instance this runs the script everyday at 11:
30 11 * * * /usr/bin/wget http://www.example.com/cron.php
Cron, of course, is by far the best way to schedule anything on *nix.
If this is in a remote server you do not have cron access to, you can setup cron/windows scheduler on your computer, to open a web browser to the page that contains the script you wish to run
You probably want to use cron (or windows scheduled tasks).
If you really wanted, you could set up another php script to run continuously with an infinite loop (with a sleep command inside the loop, say for 30 seconds or so) and then when you reach your desired day/time execute the other script via a shell command call. While possible, I can't think if a single good reason to use this method rather than cron/scheduled tasks
You can write a long running script that runs your main script in predefined times but it will be very unnecessary, error prone, and it will basically be a "cron rewrite in phph".
Using the real cron itself will be easier and a more robust solution. If you are packaging an application, you can put a file in /etc/cron.d which contains a single cron line running your application.
You'll need to use a cron job (under Linux/Unix) or a scheduled task under Windows. You could have another script running on a continuous basis which checks the time and executes a script at a specified interval, but using the OS-supplied mechanism is easier to manage and resilient to restarts, etc.
The Uniform Server project has some good suggestions on mimicking cron in environments where cron is unacceptable. Still though, if cron is at all an option, use it.