[Resolved] cannot create directories

sneakyimp

i had this elaborate script working a few days ago and today it's broken. the choking point is a function that creates directory paths with an exec command. here's a simplified version:

<?
echo getcwd() . "<br>";

// case 1
// this doesn't work
$directory = "/home/virtual/site1/fst/var/www/html/jta/import/output/account/admin";

// case 2
// neither does this
$directory = "/home/virtual/mydomain.com/home/mydomainadmin/mainwebsite_html/jta/import/output/account/admin";

// case 3
// nor does this
$directory = "./output/account/admin";
$cmd = "mkdir -p " . $directory;
exec($cmd, $success);

if (!is_dir($directory)) {
  echo $cmd . " FAILED<br>";
}

?>

they all fail.

all directories right up to the user's webroot are owned by username.apache

and chmodded to 775

the output from case 1:

/home/virtual/site1/fst/var/www/html/jta/import
mkdir -p /home/virtual/site1/fst/var/www/html/jta/import/output/account/admin FAILED

output from case 2:

/home/virtual/site1/fst/var/www/html/jta/import

Warning: is_dir(): Stat failed for /home/virtual/mydomain.com/home/mydomainadmin/mainwebsite_html/jta/import/output/account/admin (errno=13 - Permission denied) in /home/virtual/site1/fst/var/www/html/jta/import/test.php on line 17
mkdir -p /home/virtual/mydomain.com/home/mydomainadmin/mainwebsite_html/jta/import/output/account/admin FAILED

case 3:

/home/virtual/site1/fst/var/www/html/jta/import
mkdir -p ./output/account/admin FAILED

can anyone tell me what the problem is? or how to turn off safe mode for this one directory?

daphreeek

From memory safe mode wont let you run exec commands.

Use mkdir() http://nz2.php.net/manual/en/function.mkdir.php

if (mkdir($directory, 0755))
    echo "Directory Created";

sneakyimp

aha. i did do some reading on safe mode and noticed that system() and passthru() and other stuff was restricted, but i didn't pick up on the fact that they don't run AT ALL.

interestingly, the exec() command didn't return an error or anything. it was the manual check i did afterward that clued me in to the problem.

the reason i was using exec is because you can create a whole series of nested folders with a single command. i suppose i could write a complicated make_directory_path function using mkdir. there were some examples in the documentation i think.

thanks!