flush() not woking on Linux+Apache?

dspillett

I'm playing with some code that performs a few heavy DB queries, and uses calls to the flush() function in order to give the user some basic progress information.

This works fine on my paid-for web hosts configuration, butnot on any of my home setups. I don't expect it to work on Win32 as the manual states that is won't, but the flush() command doesn't seem to have any effect on my Linux/Apache/php setup either.

One of the user notes on the manual page for flush() is to call ob_flush() as well - but if I try that PHP reports that the ob_flush doesn't exist... [though it doesn't complain about ob_start].

FYI: the versions I have installed are:
Apache 1.3.26
PHP 4.1.2
Over-all the machine is a fairly basic/standard Debian Woddy [kernel 2.2.20] setup.

Are there any settings that I have missed that enable/change the output buffering behaviour?

dspillett

Oh, and ob_implicit_flush doesn't seem to have the desired effect either...

dotwebbie

Is flush() not enabled on your home system? Which version of php? Is it the same version as your host?

dspillett

flush() is working as expected on my webhost (RedHat some-thing-or-other, PHP4.1.2) but not on my home test box (fairly normal Debian setup with relevant security patches, PHP4.1.2).

As far as I can tell there is nothing more I need to do in order to get flush() to work on my test box.

Its not really a problem anymore though: I've rewritten the scripts so that they don't need to use flush() - this way I can make use of mod_gzip.

jasongonella

Set output buffering to off in the php.ini file - this'll do it. You can keep implicit_flush off as well.

Jason