Command-Line PHP and Bash Script - HELP

ppowell

based upon http://www.phpfreaks.com/phpmanual/page/features.commandline.html I am looking to try to write a very simple script for my client. One of my co-workers is the only one that has root access permission (I don't even have it!) and is frequently asked by me to move files from one folder to another. I am having to give her the raw UNIX to do it and she being not as technical struggles through it. So I was tasked with writing a bash script that would make it easy for her to move files.

And I am having not much luck doing it. I am using Shell Script and PHP together to do so.

Here is the Bash Script:

echo 'Please enter the file name you want to move:'; read myFile
echo 'Please enter where this file will go (include the file name only if it will be changed):'; read newFileLocation

echo php ./scripts/process_files.php $myFile $newFileLocation | $myFile

echo "DONE"

Here is the PHP code that eventually will change the values of $myFile and $newFileLocation to allow for auto-backups of original files found in $newFileLocation:

#!/usr/bin/php

<?php
   print_r($argv);
   $myFile = $argv[1]; $newFileLocation = $argv[2];
   echo "$newFileLocation/$myFile";
?>

My goal is to be able to manipulate the variables within the PHP script, return them to the bash script and perform the actions. Ideas appreciated. I am new at bash scripting.

Thanks
Phil

eoghain

I know this is a PHP board, but what you are trying to do is just not right. Bash and the other Unix shells have scripting abilities added to them so that simple administration tasks such as this one can be written once and then just used instead of having to type many commands over and over again.

I know that shell scripting is a scary thing to jump into for the first time, but go get yourself a good book on shell programming and you'll find that it's much easier that trying to juryrig something to work using PHP.

I personally like this book for learning Bash booksmatter.com. But there are plenty of them out there.

And a basic Bash script for moving a file from 1 place to another would be something like this:

echo 'Please enter the file name you want to move:'; read myFile 
echo 'Please enter where this file will go (include the file name only if it will be changed):'; read newFileLocation 

mv $myFile $newFileLocation

echo "DONE"

ppowell

Well thanx, however, the simple idea of doing 'mv' would be enough, were it not for the fact that I would have to create backup copies of the file from the new directory (if found) and then mv.

Plus I have to be sure that the user entered a legitimate file structure and a legitimate directory structure and, sorry, that's too WAY over my head to do in anything except that which I'm comfortable doing and with the expediency of the need to get this done (uh, today), I don't have time to learn Bash quick enough to try it entire in Bash, sorry.

Phil

eoghain

Ok, from your first post it just looked like you simply needed a way to move a file:

frequently asked by me to move files from one folder to another

Ohh well, doing this in bash is still probalby a better idea than trying to glue PHP and bash together. But since you don't have the time to learn bash scripting why bother using bash at all. Just write it completely in PHP and run it through the PHP interpreter as you would any other shell script. That's what #!/usr/bin/php tells the shell you are in to do.

From looking at the link you've given it seems that there is plenty of information there on how to do things like this. And using this http://www.phpfreaks.com/phpmanual/page/ref.readline.html you can see how to prompt your user and thus get rid of bash completely. And using the filesystem functions you should be able to do the rest of the work that you need to do.