App vars _not_ #include

[superboss]

I have a script ripping lunchmenus from a bunch of html pages using snoopy. As this process can be quite lengthy and the data is static for the day, I'd like this process to be performed only when the first visitor of the day hits the page.

The only solution I've come up with so far is to grab the data and store in an include file and then do fstat(10 fp) > getdate() to determine if the content has been updated or not.

If anyone could help me come up with a smarter solution, it would be much appriciated! The platform is IIS4 / PHP4.

Thanks!

[[deleted]]

Egads, you are on windows.

If you were on linux you could just put an entry in your crontab (scheduler) and have the script execute at 2AM, so the first visitor wouldn't have to wait for the data to come in, it would already be there.

[superboss]

True, however this is not a solution to my problem though. I would still need to use an #include to store the data and then check with fstat if the update had been done when the visitors pops by.

What I was wanting to know was if there is any way to do this check WITHOUT using an include.

[[deleted]]

You've lost me.

is this what you do now?:

A visitor comes to your page.
You check if the statis page with menu-rips has been updated today.
If it has been updated, you include the file.
If it has not been updated, you update the file and include it.

[superboss]

Correct... whereas in the ASP version of my script I use Application variables for this task and do not need to use the include file. Is there a more clever way to solve this problem in PHP?

[[deleted]]

PHP does not have any variables that persist for the entire application.

The method you use sounds like a nice way to check the date.

And include is a nice way to getting the file itself into your page.