[RESOLVED] php code not working in cron

DeathfireD

Ok heres the low down. I've run php files as crons lots of times on windows 2k and 2k3 but none have been as huge and intense as the latest php project me and a fallow coder did.

Heres our problem. Our project and crons are all on a linux server not sure if that would make a difference. Our crons are run using the linux crontab system. It seems like the php files are run but when we look at the list page that outputs data thats been updated in the mysql db by the crons nothing is changed. So to check if its the php files I visit them using a web browser. They run and work fine, the mysql db is updated and the output list page outputs correct data.

So, my partner suggests that maby the linux version of the php interpreter doesn't like crons that use includes. This sounds crazy but thats the only logical answer we both can come up with since the crons work fine using any web browser to visit and initiate them. But when using crontabs to run the php files through the php interpreter, the mysql db is not updated.....it so happens all the mysql connection data is in an include, so is allot of other settings.

So does anyone have any suggestions or ideas how to fix or why this is happening?

HalfaBee

It is probably a path issue.
The quick fix is to use wget to run the page as if it was being called from the browser.

If you keep a log of the errors the script finds in the cron line, you should be able to locate the problem.

e.g.
* /usr/local/bin/php script.php > output.log 2> errors.log

DeathfireD

Well heres the paths of the crons
2,7,12,17,22,27,32,37,42,47,52,57 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/xml.cron.php
3,18,33,48 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/online.cron.php
3,18,33,48 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/online.2.cron.php
3,18,33,48 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/online.3.cron.php
3,18,33,48 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/online.4.cron.php

however I had the hoster change the unix jibba jabba to extended to see if that would work.
IE. /4 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/xml.cron.php
/20 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/online.cron.php
/20 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/online.2.cron.php
/20 php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/online.3.cron.php
/20 * php /home/ftpusers/otvote/html/online.4.cron.php

you understand every 4 mins for the xml.cron.php and 20 mins for all the others.

HalfaBee

It is not the cron paths, but the paths in the script.
When called from the browser the path will be set to the local dir.
When called by cron, it might not be the same path.

Also the $_SERVER variable is not set when called from cron.

DeathfireD

so this wont work?

include_once("config.php");
include_once("./inc/mysql.class.php");
include_once("./inc/servers.class.php");

HalfaBee

That could be the problem.
Try setting the include_path.

set_include_path('/home/ftpusers/otvote/html');

DeathfireD

what do you mean? Change the php files to use this?

set_include_path('/home/ftpusers/otvote/html');
include_once("config.php");
include_once("./inc/mysql.class.php");
include_once("./inc/servers.class.php");

or
include_once("/home/ftpusers/otvote/html/config.php");
include_once("/home/ftpusers/otvote/html/inc/mysql.class.php");
include_once("/home/ftpusers/otvote/html/inc/servers.class.php");

or what...im confused sorry lol.

DeathfireD

well this didint work

set_include_path('/home/ftpusers/otvote/html');
include_once("config.php");
include_once("./inc/mysql.class.php");
include_once("./inc/servers.class.php");

Edited: never mind I found out the php files needed to be run as executables on linux. So everything works now.