[Resolved] Wierd Unlink() problem

lambrite

On a small file system I've built, I have the following code. The entire page displays the files within a specific user's folder, and let's the administrator delete them. The form creates an array of all the files that they check, so when the form is submitted, it loops through that array. The value of each is the full system pathname to the file.

This code works for some users and not for others. No php error message is returned, and I can't find any information on how to find out what the error is.

I've checked the folder permissions and file permissions, and they are all 777 on the working and not-working folders and files. I've checked the directory paths and everything...

When I do unlink() or die, the script dies appropriately.

Does anyone know how to get more information about the cause of the error?

Thanks,
Sarah

for ($i=0;$i<$num_del;$i++) {
$currfile = $del[$i];
$displayarray = explode("/", $currfile);
$num_parts = count($displayarray);
$num_parts = $num_parts - 1;
$display_name = $displayarray[$num_parts];
//echo "Unlinking ".$currfile;
unlink($currfile);
echo "<br>".$display_name." deleted.<BR>";
$num_parts = $num_parts - 1;
$User = $displayarray[$num_parts];
unset($displayarray);
}

epp_b

First of all, your code could be more efficient:

$path = "/full/server/path/to/directory/containing/files/";

for ($i=0;$i<$num_files;$i++) {
   $filename = substr(strrchr($del[$i] . "/"), 1);
   echo "deleting " . filename  . "...<br>";
   if (@unlink($path . $del[$i])) {
      echo $filename . " successfully deleted";
   }
   else {
     echo "ERROR deleteing " . $filename;
   }
   echo "<br>";
}

This allows you to at least see which files are being deleted, and which aren't. The "@" symbol switches off error reporting for the function it is used on, so that users don't get an ugly error message if something goes wrong (just remove the "@" symbol to see an error message)

This code works for some users and not for others

Could you be more specific? My "doesn't work" do you mean that it doesn't delete the files?

...and they are all 777

:eek: Never set permissions to 777 -- BIG security hazard. If, ever you need to have PHP handing files, CHOWN (change owner) those files to HTTPD (or whatever your "public" user is on the server). An easy way to do this, if you don't have root/admin access on the server, is to temporarily CHMOD the directories in which these files will be located to 777. Then write up a PHP script to make directories within that directory (CHMOD'd to 755), to where the files handled by PHP will be. Then, CHMOD that main directory back to 755 (or whatever it was originally).

Even better, if you don't need to be manipulating any files, check out FTP Functions. No ownership or file permission issues are involved, making it more secure.

lambrite

Thanks for the info on the ftp functions. I don't have control over the server, but I will look into the possiblity of using them.

I have all the permissions set to 777 at the moment b/c (as you might guess) I am learning PHP, and don't want to have to deal with determining whether an error is code or file permissions. Once everything works, I will go back and change everything to 755.

I think my problem was that there was a (umask?) on the files/folders? I chmod'ed everything to 777 - again - and it all worked. But when I disconnect, reconnect, and look at the file permissions again, they are all rw-r-r. Oy.

Thanks again for your input - I will look into the ftp stuff -

sarah