Automated Script

[Maximus]

Guys, I need to make an automated script that runs every x seconds
without using a CRON job.

I heard there was a way doing it only in PHP. If you know any function
that can be used please inform me about it.

[chotiwallah]

not possible using php only.

three possible ways around:

1. use some web based cron (can't remember an url at the moment, sorry)

2. if you have a local pc that's online 24h, have a little program
there calling the automated script every x seconds

3. use the most frequented page of your website to call the automated
script (using a blind image, for instance). you'd have to include a
timer in the automated script than.

micha

[Andrew]

chotiwallah wrote:

not possible using php only.

three possible ways around:

1. use some web based cron (can't remember an url at the moment, sorry)

2. if you have a local pc that's online 24h, have a little program
there calling the automated script every x seconds

3. use the most frequented page of your website to call the automated
script (using a blind image, for instance). you'd have to include a
timer in the automated script than.

You could use an infinite loop and stick the code to be executed inside
with a sleep at the end.

$x = 5;
while(1) {
echo "Hello world";
sleep($x);
}

Or if you want to re-execute the code a set number of times use:

$x = 5;
$y = 10;
for ($c = 0; $c < $y; $c++) {
echo "Hello world";
sleep(5);
}

--
Andrew @ Rockface
np: Sylvie - Smoke and Mirrors [stopped]
www.rockface-records.co.uk

[Adam]

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 07:50:59 +0000 (UTC), Andrew @ Rockface wrote:

chotiwallah wrote: You could use an infinite loop and stick the code to be executed inside
with a sleep at the end.

$x = 5;
while(1) {
echo "Hello world";
sleep($x);
}

I've been digging around looking for info on precisely this topic.

Not sure whether your code will work (infinitely). It will simply hit
the maximum page execution time set by php.ini on the server - then
throw an ugly error.

You could extend that time with ini_set() - but I'm not sure whether
there's a memory or performance hit on a server processing an infinite
loop. It would also dependon what is actually happeniong iside the
loop.

Adam.

[Andrew]

Adam wrote:

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 07:50:59 +0000 (UTC), Andrew @ Rockface wrote:

chotiwallah wrote:

You could use an infinite loop and stick the code to be executed inside
with a sleep at the end.

$x = 5;
while(1) {
echo "Hello world";
sleep($x);
}

I've been digging around looking for info on precisely this topic.

Not sure whether your code will work (infinitely). It will simply hit
the maximum page execution time set by php.ini on the server - then
throw an ugly error.

You could extend that time with ini_set() - but I'm not sure whether
there's a memory or performance hit on a server processing an infinite
loop. It would also dependon what is actually happeniong iside the
loop.

True.

I generally run php scripts using wget from a crontab job. In fact I do
that every hour to run remote tests on around 60 sites and have found
it's perfect for the job.

--
Andrew @ Rockface
np: (Winamp is not active ;-)
www.rockface-records.co.uk

[R. Rajesh Jeba Anbiah]

chotiwallah wrote:

not possible using php only.

three possible ways around:

1. use some web based cron (can't remember an url at the moment, sorry)
FWIW, it's webcron.com

<snip>
3. use the most frequented page of your website to call the automated
script (using a blind image, for instance)

FWIW, you don't have to go for webbug, it's enough that you put your
own cron_handler() function in frequently accessed PHP file. May also
use auto_prepend_file feature
<http://in2.php.net/ini.core#ini.auto-prepend-file>, (but it's a
discouraged approach). But, as you said, it's like reinventing the
wheel.

Possibly, the pure PHP solution is to use sleep() function and set
the maximum execution time to 0 (no limit) and to use it in command
line (so, that it doesn't use webserver resources).

--
<?php echo 'Just another PHP saint'; ?>
Email: rrjanbiah-at-Y!com Blog: http://rajeshanbiah.blogspot.com/