Run php script using CRON + CPanel

djalecc

Hello there peeps, new here and done many searches, tried everything that was posted with no luck.

I'm trying to get a script to run it's self every 5 minutes (for the purpose of testing, I'm trying to run it every minute)

For those about to respond, please be aware I can only access cron jobs from my CPanel.

It asks for a command

What I need to know is what I need to type in to the command box to enable this script to run.

Thanks in advance if you can help me out here, spent 2 days on this one and I don't normally give up!

edcellgavin

i'm not quite sure
but in Plesk(whose functionalities are much like CPanel),
you just type in the command as if your typing it in the command prompt. it usually is convenient to type in the complete path of the script

djalecc

my host has just come back with

"enter in the command box...

GET http://www.mydomain.com/CRON.php"

But even that does not work! 😕

Shrike

Hi Alec,

Welcome to the forum 🙂

I'm afraid I don't know anything about Cpanel, perhaps this link might be of some use.

Sorry to state the obvious, but you did change http://www.mydomain.com to your own domain name?

rikmoncur

I use cpanel and my cron needs the following:

/usr/bin/php -f /home2/USERNAME/public_html/DIRECTORY/FILENAME.php

I've changed the path a bit there to take out my details but the bit after the -f is the server path to your php file.

djalecc

Originally posted by Shrike
Hi Alec,

Welcome to the forum 🙂

I'm afraid I don't know anything about Cpanel, perhaps this link might be of some use.

Sorry to state the obvious, but you did change http://www.mydomain.com to your own domain name?

Hi there shrike, thanks for the response... I beleive I met your other half the other week! 🙂

(and yes I did replace mydomain with my own domain!! lol)

I've tried just about every path going in every forum, spent a day searching google, even my web host cant come up with the correct answer!.. I'm beaten, boo hoo, and its driving me mad!

djalecc

Originally posted by rikmoncur
I use cpanel and my cron needs the following:

/usr/bin/php -f /home2/USERNAME/public_html/DIRECTORY/FILENAME.php

I've changed the path a bit there to take out my details but the bit after the -f is the server path to your php file.

Hi, thanks for the reply..

I have tried this command line and it doesnt seem to make it work either... Normally I would put the -q command to make no output (quiet), but that does not work either!... What does the -f do by the way?

rikmoncur

I haven't a clue what the -f does!
I spent days searching the web until I found a posting on a forum with that info and it worked for me.

However, my isp changed my site over to a new server and the cron job stopped working so I emailed them and they fixed something at their end to make it work.

Perhaps your isp is at fault?

djalecc

The -f does this... aparently !!!

-a Run interactively
-b <address:port>|<port> Bind Path for external FASTCGI Server mode
-C Do not chdir to the script's directory
-c <path>|<file> Look for php.ini file in this directory
-n No php.ini file will be used
-d foo[=bar] Define INI entry foo with value 'bar'
-e Generate extended information for debugger/profiler
-f <file> Parse <file>. Implies `-q'
-h This help
-i PHP information
-l Syntax check only (lint)
-m Show compiled in modules
-q Quiet-mode. Suppress HTTP Header output.
-s Display colour syntax highlighted source.
-v Version number
-w Display source with stripped comments and whitespace.
-z <file> Load Zend extension <file>.

Drakla

djalecc, you have replaced the filepath with the full path to your file, yes?

Also try checking your email to see if the cron daemon has emailed you the output of the script. Once you know it's running fine you can add > /dev/null to the end of the command if you don't want its output any more.

You could create a test script that writes to a text file every minute, or emails you with the time, just so you know you've got the hang of cron jobs.

djalecc

Ok.. First thanks for all the input people have provided....

I've just about given up on this cron job...

Is there another way to auto call a page?

What I'm trying to do is after some information has arrived in my database table (MySQL) I want it to email all my members with the information who receive newletters...and delete the information from the table.

The script that does this works... however as it takes longer than 30 seconds to run it completly, it times out.

There must be an easy way for me to email my members when this info arrives in my table.

Any ideas welcome!

Shrike

How is the data inserted into the table?

djalecc

The info is entered in the table by my script, its just a simple INSERT INTO table ($var1 , $var2 etc) VALUES (var1, var2 etc)

This bit works!... It needs to be placed in the table first so the script can respond to the server in under 30 seconds (which it does now I place the data to the table)

Now once its in the table, I need to grab the same info and send it by email to all my members.

Again this bit works, but as it takes on average 40-50 seconds to send the emails I could not have it send it straight away after being received.

This all happens live, to get an idea of what I'm trying to do here take a look at www.bookme.in

Someone sends a text message, I then pass that message to all my drivers.

I'm using the 'click the link yourself' method at the moment, as I could not figure out how to work the Cron job!

So basiclly when someone does text in a message on bookme.in, I get it in my table, I then click a link on my site which sends the emails then deletes the info from the table.

Its all working, I just need to automate it!!!!!

(I used to have a lot of hair!!! Now I think i'm going bold.!!)

Richardtagger

i use CPanel and Cron to run a script...
GET http://www.url.com/dbupdatercron24hours.php

does work... are you sure you are using a) the standard layout and b) got the timing options right.. try having one that inserts a time stamp into a DB and have it run every minute.. it takes a while but it DOES work with GET

Shrike

If it's just a problem of execution time that can be changed at runtime with the ini_set() function.

ini_set( 'max_execution_time', '120' );// Value in seconds

djalecc

Originally posted by Richardtagger
i use CPanel and Cron to run a script...
GET http://www.url.com/dbupdatercron24hours.php

does work... are you sure you are using a) the standard layout and b) got the timing options right.. try having one that inserts a time stamp into a DB and have it run every minute.. it takes a while but it DOES work with GET

Hi...

When you say "It takes a while but it does work" what do you mean?

Do you mean after you have entered the cron in to cpanel, it takes a while for the cron to start working? If so do you know how long?

Cheers
Alec