PHP Date Range display, heeeelp!

Blackwind

I need to make this website...I want the PHP code to do the following...

On
05/21/06 - 05/23/06
echo "blah blah..1"
05/24/06 - 05/26/06
echo "blah blah..2"
05/27/06 - 05/30/06
echo "blah blah..3"
......

I started doing PHP today 🙂 but I've done C before so it's not that far off...
I know how to do it with a switch function but then I'd have to input every day
case "5/21/06":
case "5/22/06":

There are going to be A LOT of dates, and I'd prefer to keep them in daterange mode...but I have no idea how to do this.

All help is appreciated.

Installer

Store the dates and text in a database, then retrieve the text for the current date something like this:

mysql_query = "SELECT my_text FROM my_table WHERE start_date <= DATE() AND end_date >= DATE()";

Blackwind

Installer, you freakin ROCK!!!!!!!!!!

Worked ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY!

There is one more thing that I would like to have done but I don't know if it's possible to do this.

this is how the table is built
start_date end_date email text

When the new text shows up on the start date I would like an e-mail to be sent to the e-mail address.

I thought of how you did it (if start_date = DATE ()) but then it would send an e-mail everytime a person visted the website. I want it to send one e-mail at 12AM exactly. Is that possible (without me visiting the page...just automatically)

Installer

You'd probably need to run a cron job to do that, like at 12 am every day a script which would query the data base to see if an interval starts on that date. If one does, then have it send the email.

Blackwind

I finished the PHP script so it's ready to be put up for cron jobs.

How do I make a crong job to be run at 12AM every morning? (I tried accessing my control panel 1and1 hosting, but there doesn't seem to be any options for cron jobs, is there anyother way of doing it?

Blackwind

Ok I SSH into my server.

type in Date to figure out what the server date and time is.
it's 2:47am

make my cron.

#check and send e-mail
50 2 * /absolutepath/testcron/php

the script sends out 2 e-mails (bot to my address just to test)

It never gets executed! I can't figure out why!

planetsim

You set cron up to send an email when it is executed? It may actually have run but there maybe an error in the script somewhere which makes it look as though it hasn't run

Blackwind

yea I wasn't clear enough.

All I want the Cron to do is open up crontest.php
the PHP file checks mysql database and sends e-mails as necessary.

I've been fiddling around with it and I just can't get it to access the PHP file.

When I run the php file on its own the e-mails are sent perfectly.

Installer

Try

50 2 * * * wget http://example.com/path/crontest.php

Blackwind

I tried
50 2 * wget http://example.com/path/crontest.php

and

50 2 * wget /absolute path/crontest.php

still nothing

It's so wierd, I tried so many different combinations from a bunch of tutorials and it just refuses to run..

autocolismo

Hello,
you could create on table in mysql for example:
email
- last_mail_sent

So in your index you make a code that at 12H it checks the table for the last_mail_sent if it was sent the day before it tries to send the email and update the record, else it does nothing.

So all it's needed is someone to visit the page after 12.00.

And you don't need cron jobs

Blackwind

Yea that's what I was going to do, but I'd prefer an automated script that sends the e-mails at 12 am, more reliable, this is for an education site so some days it doesn't get any hits at all, and some days it gets a ton.....so I don't want e-mails not being sent on time because of traffic...hope that makes sense. Thanks for the suggestion though autocolismo.

I don't know why my Crontab doesn't work, I've tried so many things!

Blackwind

OMG I just relized the directory is password protected...DAMN, I mean I do want to keep it that way but is that what's affecting the crontab? is there away to get around it?

and I'm pretty sure Installer was on the right track with wget, I looked it up and it seems my server is compatible with that function.

EDIT-----------------------

FIGURED IT OUT!!!!! AWEOMSE I embeded the username and PW in the url, used the wget function and bam! worked wonderfully!!!

THANKS EVERYONE!! I'm so happy I don't have to do this tedious work anymore!

Blackwind

Hey quick question.

I noticed that the server I have my site hosted on has a huge time difference (about 8 hours from the actual time) I can't adjust the time in server, how can I change it for the SQL function? "SELECT my_text FROM my_table WHERE start_date <= DATE() AND end_date >= DATE()";

the Date() should have 8 hours subtracted from it.