Background execution

Anon

Hi!

I'm running PHP 4 on Linux, and I'm trying to perform parts of a script AFTER the page is closed: EG:

echo "thanks for your assistance!";

// Close HTTP connection to client

// dump stuff to database

sort of like die() only the script keeps on executing.

The only method that I've come across that MIGHT do this is to use the backtick operator and the '&' switch at the end of the command line. This is rather ugly and requires a system fork (and a hit in performance)

I understand that you can tell PHP to ignore user abort, can WE make the script 'abort' (to the user) and then keep going?

-Ben

Anon

You have allready in an around about way answered your quesion. Web pages are stateless and therefore do not really have a way of staying around but gives this a go.
Have your page call another once back in the browser like a javascript call to image() preload etc this way you can write the javascript on the fly and have it call with a timeout the second it is loaded in the browser. This also allows you to have the action performed on another server for load sharing. This will work especially if you are talking about spec actions on a database and if you are in an large network with large loads on the webserver. Oh the other option you have is to goto a fully RDBMS and execute a store procedure or have a trigger do the work. Don't forget you could also run a cron job using the standalone php build and have it clean up for you every 30 seconds based on what you have left in a file or database record. Now if anyone has a wonder answer I would also be interested.

Anon

What I had in mind was something like this:

fclose($stdout);

And this just isn't possible?

Anon

The other way is to build a very simple database that holds commands left for execution and have a cron driven persistent executed php application that simply keeps reading the database and including as such the php code to execute and keeps on going and going... Not very pro but there doesn't seem to be another solution at this time.

The main reason for there not being another solution at this time would more than likely be the security issue of zombie threads running around long after the page has been completed.

sepodati

How about register_shutdown_function()?

http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.register-shutdown-function.php

---John Holmes...

Anon

Thanks, I looked at that but how would WE initiated the disconnection? (on the server side rather than the client?)