Some difficulty with file_exists

[roger.moon2]

So I wrote a script to run via crontab but when it tries to check
whether a file exists like below:

if (!file_exists("settings.ini"))
return false;

it checks whether the file exists in $HOME not in /home/user/files/
scripts/ where the original file is been executed from:

00 20 * * 1 /usr/local/bin/php /home/user/files/scripts/check.php /
dev/null 2>&1

Why is that?

[Rik]

ro*********@googlemail.com wrote:

So I wrote a script to run via crontab but when it tries to check
whether a file exists like below:

if (!file_exists("settings.ini"))
return false;

it checks whether the file exists in $HOME not in /home/user/files/
scripts/ where the original file is been executed from:

00 20 * * 1 /usr/local/bin/php /home/user/files/scripts/check.php /
dev/null 2>&1

Why is that?

Because you use the CLI, not the (web)server variant? The current
working directory is the directory from which /usr/local/bin/php is invoked.
So, for instance on the `doze box here:

-- C:\cwd.php ---
echo getcwd();
--------------
C:\>"C:\PHP\php.exe" "C:\cwd.php"
C:\

C:\>cd FOO

C:\FOO>"C:\PHP\php.exe" "C:\cwd.php"
C:\FOO

If it's terribly important that the working directory is the same as
where your file resides you can add something like this to it:

chdir(dirname(__FILE__));
HTH,
--
Rik Wasmus

Estimated date being able to walk again: 01-05-2007.
Less then a week, hurray!

[J.O. Aho]

ro*********@googlemail.com wrote:

So I wrote a script to run via crontab but when it tries to check
whether a file exists like below:

if (!file_exists("settings.ini"))
return false;

it checks whether the file exists in $HOME not in /home/user/files/
scripts/ where the original file is been executed from:

00 20 * * 1 /usr/local/bin/php /home/user/files/scripts/check.php /
dev/null 2>&1

Why is that?

When using as CLI program, the ./ is the location from where the file is
executed, in your example it's the cron users home directory that would most
likely be ./, so the solution for your problem is to use absolute path.

if (!file_exists("home/user/files/scripts/settings.ini"))
return false;

Things are different if you execute the script via a web server, but absolut
paths will always work.

--

//Aho