exec() help.......

heat23

Hello
I am executing a command line windows program using the exec() function. Is there anyway I can send specific commands to that program so it gets executed?

LordShryku

From the user comments in the manual

Windows 2000

The only way I found to get a command followed by a filename to execute was with k dot mitz's method:

$cmd = "\"executable\" args file-name";

Example:
$cmd = "\"C:\program files\winzip\wzunzip.exe\" -c C:\temp\uploaded_file.zip";
exec($cmd,$output,$rv);

The point to note is that this will not work:

$output = command file-name;

So for this case, use exec as shown.

http://www.php.net/exec

unstable_geek

you want to be able to interact with your program once it has started?

nope - unless the program perhaps opens a socket or something.

can you send it commands from the command line under windows? If so, then yeah, I guess you could.

what kind of program are you running? is it a CLI or GUI?

heat23

Yes I want to be able to interact with the program that opens.
It is a CLI program. I just need it to run 1 pre-defined command.
Is there anyway to do that?? PHP or not??

Basically I need to be able to run that program, and that 1 command thru the web

thanks

unstable_geek

putting PHP aside, you want something like the expect program under unix (might be windows versions).

expect is designed to interact with other programs, kinda like "if I see this then print this" stuff.

you could write an external wrapper that does this, then call that from PHP perhaps.

If, say, the program only needed prompting through its process, this would work.

I dont think you will be able to interact yourself from a webpage to the CLI program, because HTTP is stateless. You would only be able to submit a command, then your process is over.