write to a file

devil_online

Hi, I want to write to a file using this code:

$fp = fopen( "test.txt", "w" );
$result = file_get_contents( "test.txt" );
if(date('H')==13 AND date('i')==17)
{
fwrite( $fp, "2" );
}
print $result;

however it wont work only if I change to:

$fp = fopen( "test.txt", "a" );

but I don't want this way...any sugestions?

thanks

laserlight

What are you trying to do?

devil_online

i'm trying to make a result...like at 9:00 pm one team scores.. 🙂

And make that result in a txt file...

laserlight

Well, the thing here is that writing to a file is generally trivial.

For example:

$fp = fopen("test.txt", "a");
fwrite($fp, "2");
fclose($fp);

echo file_get_contents("test.txt");

devil_online

So how can resolve this isue.

Thanks

laserlight

To be honest, I still dont know what's the issue.

I mean, how does your own code not work?

devil_online

sorry...it doesnt write nothing...

devil_online

anyone?

Davy

You need to conduct proper debugging techniques.

Firstly if there are no error messages then break the code down in your head.

I tested this code and I know the 'fopen' part works. How do I know?

Well

$fp = fopen( "test.txt", "w" );

Tells my server assign the following instructions to variable $fp: Open file named 'test.txt', wipe out the contents then place the ifle pointer in the file. I.E. 'Overwrite'. If this file does not exist then attempt to create it.

It did not exist so it created it perfectly well.

$result = file_get_contents( "test.txt" );

In order to test this line, I opened the txt file and wrote something in it. I then copy/pasted the above 2 lines of code into a new page (fresh) and typed:

echo $result;

Much like you did, but yours wasn't working so maybe your code did something to the contents to stop it echo'ing anything?
(NOTE: I had to change the "w" to "a" because in my test code, when opening the text file, it deletes it's contents then echo's it. It would echo nothign then...so I changed the "w" to "a" just to test the file retrieval.

So...I type in FOO into the text.txt file. Look, it works!:

FOO

I will now be missing the entire IF statement and test the fwrite() function. I have changed the 'a' back to 'w' to test the code as a whole. I now have the following code on it's own

$fp = fopen( "test.txt", "w" );

fwrite( $fp, "2" );

And it works! Now, to further test this code, I have replaced the '2' with '1' to test the 'w' part of the fopen function. Once again - it works!

So now we have whittled this program down to your iffy IF statement.

You say nothing is written to your test.txt file? We can now be 100% certain now that it is because your IF statement is returning FALSE and will not write anything. CHeck the criteria of your IF statement.

if(date('H')==13 AND date('i')==17)

This means that the page has to be prcoessed within the 60 second zone of 13:17 for the IF statement to return TRUE and fwrite the '2' to your 'test.txt' file.

Are you sure that the page is being processed within this time? Baring in mind that the time will not go from the user's computer but from the server's computer...

For the last time I am testing this code for the time. I can verify the time as my computer IS the server so I can see the time to validate it :p

I use the full code shown below. RThe time has been changed to the present time of testing, '23:02'.

$fp = fopen( "test.txt", "w" );
$result = file_get_contents( "test.txt" );
if(date('H')==13 AND date('i')==17)
{
fwrite( $fp, "2" );
}
print $result;

Okay I had mixed test results with the full code. It wrote tot he text file but did not PRINT the $result. It is outside the IF statement so regardless of wether the IF statement is TRUE, it should echo the file contents.

So - the faulty part of the script I have found (and you could have found if you debugged properlly) is the PRINT part at the bottom of the script.

Earlier on we tested the file_get_contents so there must be a problem with where the variable $result is defined. Or maybe not...to be honest I cannot make it out right now.

However, I can see that the $result variable is defined before any changes are made. Is this what you wish to do? Show the contents of the text file BEFORE and changes were made? If you wanted to show the contents AFTER the changes then this is definately not working.

Installer

As an addendum to Davy's excellent reply, here's a test script for you

$fp = fopen("test.txt", "w") or die('File not opened.');
$result = file_get_contents("test.txt");
print 'test.txt before: ' . $result . '<br />';
if(date('H') == 13 AND date('i') == 17) {
    fwrite($fp, "2");
    $result = file_get_contents("test.txt");
    print 'test.txt after: ' . $result;
} else {
    echo "It isn't 1:17 pm. Write failed." . '<br />';
}
fclose($fp);

Davy

OK I fixed the code!! Swap the below lines around:

$fp = fopen( "test.txt", "w" ); 
$result = file_get_contents( "test.txt" );

To read

$result = file_get_contents( "test.txt" );
$fp = fopen( "test.txt", "w" );

My paypal account is at <removed>

For taking up half an hour fo my life - donate generously!!:glare:

Davy

Originally posted by Installer
As an addendum to Davy's excellent reply, here's a test script for you

$fp = fopen("test.txt", "w") or die('File not opened.');
$result = file_get_contents("test.txt");
print 'test.txt before: ' . $result . '<br />';
if(date('H') == 13 AND date('i') == 17) {
    fwrite($fp, "2");
    $result = file_get_contents("test.txt");
    print 'test.txt after: ' . $result;
} else {
    echo "It isn't 1:17 pm. Write failed." . '<br />';
}
fclose($fp);

[/B]

I was thinking of suggesting this! I forget what they call this now...error handling? No I believe it's error logging..or even error messages? I dno...but this technique is well recommended amongst good programmers and keeps your users informed if somethign goes wrong. I.E. User friendly 🙂

devil_online

that work very well, but when it's not that time it erases the infomation in the tex file..how can I prevent from erasing the information in the text file?

thanks

LordShryku

Do the if statement before fopening. Or use a conditional to set the fopen method.

Installer

Use fopen($file_name, 'a') to open the file for appending.

Davy

It would depend on how you want to open the file.

You said earlier that you wanted to open with W instead of A but now you want to know how to open with A instead of W if it isn't that time.

So...set up a simple IF statement just before the fopen line. If it IS the time then set the $open = "w". If it isn't then set $open = "a".

Then within the fopen line, put the variable name in place of the "w" to look like:

$fp = fopen( "test.txt", $open );

This code should work. However, you may notice that the time would be checked twice in different IF statements. This will amount to messy code. This code can be cleaned up but if it works for you, then it works!!

I think I've outstretched myself with help on this topic so please don't ask me to clean the code up for you... 🙂

EDIT: I've just realized I've given the same answer as LordShryku, except I've fleshed it out a little and shown how you can do it. :p sorry for stealin tha idea, dude!

devil_online

no..I din't said that..I said that I want to put the information one time but I want to not erase when it's not that time..

Davy

then place only one fopen into an IF statement!

It isn't brain surgery! Installer did the code you need already for you with lots of user friendly features such as returning messages if the procedure encounters problems.

Think out the problem THEN think out the solution.