Writing to a log file

albert_turner

Hello,

I am using the following code to allow the parameters entered to be recorded in a log then have the user redirected to the appropriote page.

I am very new to PHP and has scrapped this together and can't get it to towork at all.

<?php
// File: email_logger.php
// Date: 04/12/2006

// Check if the URL is correctly formed, i.e. all parameters are present
// Log the details to the necessary log file, locking it while we write
// Redirect the web client onto the actual URL

$newsletter = $_POST("nid");		// newsletter id, e.g. 1206 (mmyy)
//$article = $_POST("aid");		// article id (consecutive number)
$email = $_POST("email");		// email address
// TO DO: CHECK IF THESE ARE NULL AND REDIRECT TO ERROR PAGE

if ($newsletter == null) {
echo("Location: http://www.somesite.com");
}

if ($email == null) {
echo("Location: http://www.somesite.com");
}



$logfile = $newsletter .".log";		// actual logfile name
$dtstamp = date("d/m/Y H:i:s");

// Append info to file - this action will create file if it doesn't already exist
$log = fopen($logfile, "a");
if ($log) { // If logfile opening fails we will just redirect the client anyway
	flock($log, LOCK_EX);
	fputs($log, $dtstamp ."|" .$email ."|" .$article);
	flock($log, LOCK_UN);
	fclose($log);
}


// Redirect the client
//echo "Location: http://www.somesite.com/" .$newsletter .".html" ."#" .$article);
echo("Location: http://www.somesite.com/" .$newsletter .".html");
?>

Any help would be fantastic

Regards,

Albert

suntra

Hi,

First, echo prints stuff AFTER headers were sent... So, to redirect, you need to use the header() function...

Also, you variable verification is not quite good... you should also "kill" the script when redirecting...

So let's try something :

<?php
if ((!isset($_POST['newsletter'])) || (!isset($_POST['email']))) {
    header("Location: http://www.mhassist.co.uk/newsitetesting/php_test/NoPageError.html");
    exit();
}
$newsletter = $_POST['newsletter'];
$email = $_POST['email'];
$logfile = $newsletter .".log";        // actual logfile name
$dtstamp = date("d/m/Y H:i:s");

// Append info to file - this action will create file if it doesn't already exist
$log = fopen($logfile, "a");
if ($log) { // If logfile opening fails we will just redirect the client anyway
    flock($log, LOCK_EX);
    fputs($log, $dtstamp ."|" .$email ."|" .$article);
    flock($log, LOCK_UN);
    fclose($log);
}


// Redirect the client
//echo "Location: http://www.mhassist.co.uk/newsletters/" .$newsletter .".html" ."#" .$article);
header("Location: http://www.mhassist.co.uk/newsitetesting/php_test/" .$newsletter .".html");
exit();
?>

You file writting seems ok... does it return any error ?!

albert_turner

Thanks very much, it doesnt not return any error but unfortunetely does not write a file either! any suggestions for that?

suntra

Create a new file and try these (one after another of course) :

$resFile = fopen('./testfile.txt', 'w');
fputs($resFile, 'This is a simple test');
fclose($resFile);

$resFile = fopen('./testfile.txt', 'w');
flock($log, LOCK_EX);
fputs($resFile, 'This is a simple test');
flock($log, LOCK_UN);
fclose($resFile);

$resFile = fopen('./testfile.txt', 'w');
flock($log, LOCK_EX);
$dtstamp = '(date)';
$email = '(email)';
$article = '(article)';
$strString = $dtstamp ."|" .$email ."|" .$article;
fputs($resFile, $strString);
flock($log, LOCK_UN);
fclose($resFile);

If there is any problems with file, you will see it...

So try these things (separately) and tell me it they work...

albert_turner

I don't know if I am testing them correctly, what I have done is take each bit of code and put it into a seperate php file then upload them onto the server along with the new txt file, then call each php page then check the testfile.txt I had created. Is that what how you ment to check them? I am sorry am really new to this.

suntra

First, delete testfile.txt, it will be written automatically...

Run the first script...

Check if the file exists. Yes ? Open it. What's in there ? Is it « This is a simple test » ?

Delete the file again. Run the second script. Check again the contents...

Delete the file once more. Run the third script. Open the file, do you seen this : (date) (email) (article) ?!

albert_turner

okay did that but nothing happens no file is written, it just opens the blank php page and nothing else. Maybe the problems is with the server and permissions etc

suntra

Ok... make sure the file exists...

Try this :

$strFile = './testfile.txt';
echo 'The file is readable : ' . ((is_readable($strFile)) ? 'yes' : 'no') . '<br />';
echo 'The file is writable : ' . ((is_writable($strFile)) ? 'yes' : 'no') . '<br />';

What do you get ?

albert_turner

The answer is yes for both! I forgot to mention that the server is only using php 4 might that be the reason?

suntra

No. File functions between PHP4 and PHP5 are excessively similar...

Now, well... let's try something...

$strFile = './' . uniqid(time()) . '.txt';
$strContents = uniqid(time());
echo 'The file is ' . $strFile . '<br>';
$resFile = fopen($strFile, 'w');
echo 'resFile is : ' . (($resFile) ? 'true' : 'false') . '<br>';
echo $strFile . ' exists : ' . ((file_exists($strFile)) ? 'yes' : 'no') . '<br>';
echo $strFile . ' will contain : ' .$strContents . '<br>';
$bolInserted = fputs($resFile, $strContents);
echo 'The contents was inserted : ' . (($bolInserted) ? 'yes' : 'no');
fclose($resFile);
clearstatcache();
echo '<br>Let\'s open the file again...';
$resFile = fopen($strFile, 'r');
echo 'resFile is : ' . (($resFile) ? 'true' : 'false') . '<br>';
$strContents = fread($resFile, filesize($strFile));
echo 'strContents is false ' . (($strContents === false) ? 'yes' : 
'no') . '<br>';
echo 'strContents contains : ' . $strContents;

albert_turner

This is the output:-

The file is ./1165918948457e82e474bbb.txt
resFile is : false
./1165918948457e82e474bbb.txt exists : no
./1165918948457e82e474bbb.txt will contain : 1165918948457e82e474bee
The contents was inserted : no
Let's open the file again...resFile is : false
strContents is false no
strContents contains :