Invoking PHP From HTML

PHP_User_1266

Is there a way to invoke a PHP program from HTML without using FORM containing the action parameter (i.e. <FORM action="myprogram.php" method="post">)? I am looking for an HTML command similar to <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0;url=index.html"/>. But I need it to invoke a program (ending in .php) instead of a url (ending in .html).

I have set up a process to invoke PayPal for credit/debit card payments. While in PayPal, the user can completed the transaction or cancel the transaction. When control returns from PayPal, one HTML page is invoked if the user processes the transaction and a different one is invoked if the user cancels the transaction. So in the scenario when the user processes the transaction, I have a PHP program set up to place the previously entered information into a database and send the user a confirmation email. However, I do not want to reply on the user doing anything for this process to run. I want this process to execute as soon the control is returned from PayPay. So is this possible? Thanks!

dagon

look up the ipn (Instant Payment Notification) docs on paypal, comes with php examples

PHP_User_1266

Thanks, dagon. I looked at the IPN documentation. I think that I am covered in that respect. The main thing that I want to do is invoke the PHP program without going through an HTML Form, because I have processing besides PayPal that I need to perform (database updates and emails). Those process are already set up and working. They just reply on the user pressing a "Continue" button when returning from PayPal. I want to bypass this user intervention and go straight into the PHP program. So I want to find out if there is a command to directly call the PHP program similar to how you can route to an HTML page with the <meta tag. If I can do this, my problem is totally solved. Thanks again!!

dagon

i really don't understand the question, you don't need to go through a for to invoke a php script, just call the php page

PHP_User_1266

All HTML examples that I have ever seen for invoking a PHP program involve using the <FORM . . . > statement. In these examples, the action will not happen until the SUBMIT button is pressed by the user.

I just have not seen an example where you call the PHP program from the HTML page without using <FORM . . .>. So I am just wondering if and how you can do that (like a CALL statement from other programming languages) and was trying to find an example of it. Thanks!!

dagon

"I have a PHP program set up to place the previously entered information into a database and send the user a confirmation email. However, I do not want to reply on the user doing anything for this process to run."

just use the ipn script

NogDog

If the PHP script being called will recognize input data from $GET (or $REQUEST), then you can use a link and put the "form data" in the URL query string, e.g.:

<?php
printf(
   "<a href='http://www.example.com/script.php?fld1=%s&fld2=%s&fld3=%s'>click me</a>",
   urlencode($value1),
   urlencode($value2),
   urlencode($value3)
);

If the receiving script only looks for $_POST data, then you will either need to use a form, or else do some clever JavaScript stuff to send post data to it via an onclick() event or such (AJAX, perhaps?).

dagon

ipn is the way to go, this is exactly what it is designed for.

PHP_User_1266

I looked at the PayPal documentation and corresponding examples more closely and saw exactly what I need to do. From previous examples, I thought the specifications for "return" and "return_cancel" had to be html files. I just saw an example that specified a php file, which is exactly what I need. So when I return via the "return" specification, I will be able to store information into the database and send an email to the user. So I will now place the html content that I used into a php script and I will be "good to go." Thanks tremendously!!