file_get_contents($url) disabled on the host. Alternatives?

[rucanunes]

Hello,

I have a module that has this line on it:

$ConteudoRemoto = file_get_contents($url);

But my server doesn't allow file_get_contents.
Is there a way to go around this?

Thank you,
Raul Nunes

[Joseph07]

Try this.

$ch = curl_init();
$timeout = 0;
curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_URL, 'http://example.com');
curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
curl_setopt ($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, $timeout);
$file_contents = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

// display file
echo $file_contents;

Read more on cURL

[laserlight]

I would find it rather strange if they did not allow file_get_contents() yet allowed cURL. What do they allow? If it is a paid host, perhaps you should demand that they allow file_get_contents(), or switch host if they refuse.

[rucanunes]

I tried the code but didn't worked! 🙁

Here's the complete module:

<?php
/**
* @version $Id: mod_jvtempo.php 2007-04-28 22:22:22Z Lisboa $
* @package Joomla
* @copyright Copyright (C) 2006 Joao vieira. All rights reserved.
* @license http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU/GPL, see LICENSE.php
* Joomla! is free software. This version may have been modified pursuant
* to the GNU General Public License, and as distributed it includes or
* is derivative of works licensed under the GNU General Public License or
* other free or open source software licenses.
* See COPYRIGHT.php for copyright notices and details.
*/

// no direct access
defined( '_VALID_MOS' ) or die( 'Restricted access' );
global $mosConfig_offset, $mosConfig_cachepath;
$cidades = $params->def( 'cidades' );
$graus = $params->def( 'graus' );
$font_header = $params->def( 'font_header' );

function converte_data($strdata)
{
	$strdata_partir = explode(" ", $strdata);
	$strdata = str_replace(":", "", $strdata_partir[1]);
	$strdata_partir = explode("/", $strdata_partir[0]);
	$strdata = $strdata_partir[0] . $strdata_partir[1] . $strdata_partir[2] . $strdata;
	return $strdata;
}

function apanha_tempo($accid, $graus, $mosConfig_cachepath)
{
	//puxa dados em cache, caso existam
	if ( !file_exists( $mosConfig_cachepath . '/jvtempo.txt') )
	{
		$ficha = fopen($mosConfig_cachepath . '/jvtempo.txt', "w");
		$dcache[$accid]['LastUp'] = "";
		$dcache[$accid]['Temp'] = "";
		$dcache[$accid]['CIcon'] = "";
		fputs($ficha, serialize($dcache));
		fclose($ficha);
	}else
	{
		$ficha = fopen($mosConfig_cachepath . '/jvtempo.txt', "r");
		$dcache = unserialize(fgets($ficha, 1000));
		fclose($ficha);
	}	

$cidade = explode("=", $accid);
$accid = $cidade[0];
$url ="http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc:$accid";

//  $ConteudoRemoto = file_get_contents($url);

$posx = explode('<title>', $ConteudoRemoto);
$posx = explode(',', $posx[1]);
$xcity = trim(strip_tags($posx[0]));

$posx = strpos($ConteudoRemoto, '</div></td></tr><tr><td rowspan="8"><div class="icon"><img src="');
$ConteudoRemoto = substr($ConteudoRemoto, $posx, 300);
$ConteudoRemoto = explode('<img src="', $ConteudoRemoto);
$posx = explode('.gif', $ConteudoRemoto[1]);
$posx = explode('/', $posx[0]);
$xicon = trim(strip_tags($posx[count($posx)-1]));

$ConteudoRemoto = explode('div class="temp">', $ConteudoRemoto[1]);
$ConteudoRemoto = explode('°', $ConteudoRemoto[1]);
$xtemperature = trim(strip_tags($ConteudoRemoto[0]));
$xdate = date("Y/m/d H:00:00");

$MsnWeather['City'] = $xcity;
$MsnWeather['LastUp'] = $xdate;
$MsnWeather['Temp'] = $xtemperature;
$MsnWeather['CIcon'] = $xicon;	

if (count($cidade)>1) $MsnWeather['City'] = $cidade[1];

//verifica se os dados que estão em cache são mais actuais ou não
$alterou = false;
if ( converte_data($MsnWeather['LastUp']) > converte_data($dcache[$accid]['LastUp']) )
{
	$dcache[$accid]['LastUp'] = $MsnWeather['LastUp'];
	if ($MsnWeather['Temp']) $dcache[$accid]['Temp'] = $MsnWeather['Temp'];
	if ($MsnWeather['CIcon']) $dcache[$accid]['CIcon'] = $MsnWeather['CIcon'];
	$alterou = true;
}else
{
	$MsnWeather['LastUp'] = $dcache[$accid]['LastUp'];
	$MsnWeather['Temp'] = $dcache[$accid]['Temp'];
	$MsnWeather['CIcon'] = $dcache[$accid]['CIcon'];
}

if ( $alterou && file_exists( $mosConfig_cachepath . '/jvtempo.txt') )
{
	$ficha = fopen($mosConfig_cachepath . '/jvtempo.txt', "w");
	fputs($ficha, serialize($dcache));
	fclose($ficha);
}
//faz calculos de temperatura
if ( !($MsnWeather['Temp']) )
{ 
	$temperatura = "-"; 
	$MsnWeather['CIcon'] = "44"; 
}
elseif ($graus == 'c')
{ 
	$temperatura = $MsnWeather['Temp'];
	$temperatura = $temperatura-32;
	$temperatura = $temperatura/9;
	$temperatura = $temperatura*5;
	$temperatura = round($temperatura, 0); 
}
elseif ($graus == 'f') 
{ 
	$temperatura = $MsnWeather['Temp']; 
}
if (!$MsnWeather['CIcon']) $MsnWeather['CIcon'] = "44";

$varlocal = "";
$varlocal .= "<a href='http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc:$accid&setunit=".strtoupper($graus)."' target='_blank'>".$MsnWeather['City']."<img align=\"absmiddle\" border=\"0\" src=\"http://st.msn.com/as/wea3/i/en-US/". $MsnWeather['CIcon'] . ".gif\">&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong>".$temperatura."°".strtoupper($graus)."  </strong></a>";
return $varlocal;
}

$cidades = explode(",", $cidades);
$content .="<table onmouseover=\"this.style.cursor='pointer'; return true;\" onmouseout=\"return true;\">";
for($i=0; $i<count($cidades); $i++)
{
	$content .="<tr><td>";
	$content .= apanha_tempo($cidades[$i],$graus, $mosConfig_cachepath);
	$content .="</td></tr>";
}	
$content .= "</table>";

?>

Do you think you could get around line
// $ConteudoRemoto = file_get_contents($url);

I've it commented so I don't get an error on the front page, but I don't have up to date weather like that.

Thank you,
Raul Nunes

[laserlight]

It seems that fopen() works, so you could use that instead. Read the PHP manual on [man]fopen/man for more explanation and examples.