CLI php on XP: make sure file is written to and closed before renaming

[geekpie]

Hi
This is all on XP. I am using CLI php to loop through a folder converting all .ppts to pdfs.
I use pdfcreator.exe for this. the relevant php line is:

$convertproc = proc_open('"C:\Program Files\PDFCreator\PDFCreator.exe" /NoStart /PF'.$file, $descriptorspec, $retval);

(I've also used exec() in earlier efforts).
I then get the process id using

proc_get_status($convertproc);

and pause until the process is finished, then close the process:

while($procstatus['running']==1 )
{
$procstatus = proc_get_status($convertproc);
}
proc_close($convertproc);

Then I try to rename the file:

$output = exec('ren '.$newfile .' '. $finalname, $output, $returnval);

However, the new pdf file seems to get written to after the process has finished running, so the rename fails. I've tried filesize(), is_readable(file) and all sorts of others but to no avail.

Any advice?

[sneakyimp]

If the $convertproc handle is telling you that it has completed when it has not really completed, then you probably have to resort to something pretty ugly to try and get it to work. Something like checking the file size of the file being written until it stops changing comes to mind.

I have to ask, why can't you write the file using the correct name in the first place?

[geekpie]

Hi
Good question. I've spent a lot of time trying, but

'' [Compatibility Mode]'

always ends up in the filename after conversion by PDFCreator using Autosave with filename set to <title>. The files being converted are ppt 2003, I have Office 2007; I suppose it's something to do with that.

Is it a registry thing?

[sneakyimp]

That would be a question for PDFCreator. I'd be willing to bet you can set some additional command-line options which would get rid of that.