从PHP文件调用Windows程序（通过命令提示符）

Question

I have tried calling a windows program several ways and I have gotten the same result each time.

The program opens up on my machine (without a GUI) but never closes each means that the browser is forever loading.

Though when executing the query string manually through the command line prompt the program closes. Not only that, but the program doesn't actually execute

(it is just launched ie there aren't any results).

I just want to know the proper way of starting a program with switches through PHP.

Here is the query string that works (closes the program after executing):

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Softinterface, Inc\Convert PowerPoint\ConvertPPT.exe" /S 
"C:\Users\Farzad\Desktop\upload\test.ppt" /T "C:\Users\Farzad\Desktop\upload\test.png" /C 18

Answer 1

If the program never closes, then PHP can't return a value from exec() . The program must close. Chances are there is a problem accessing your files on your desktop in this manner. It will be executed with whatever permissions the webserver has defined.

http://php.net/manual/en/function.exec.php

You might consider the advanced functionality of proc_open() . It will give you access to all the necessary pipes, but I don't think that will help you in this situation.

Answer 2

If the target directory on your Windows machine is C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Softinterface, Inc\\Convert PowerPoint\\ConvertPPT.exe , you need to double-quote the directories that have space character within them.

To translate it into php terms, it should be like this:

$directory = 'C:\"Program Files (x86)"\"Softinterface, Inc"\"Convert PowerPoint"\ConvertPPT.exe';

$command = $directory . ' enter your arguments here';

exec($command, $output, $return_var);

// if $return_var == 0, you hit the jackpot.

Answer 3

The physical directory where your Windows desktop is stored belongs to your user profile folder. That means that other users (including the one Apache runs as, which is typical "Local System") won't have the appropriate permissions to read and write files on it. While you can adjust your Apache set-up to make it run with your own user, Farzad , it's more common to put web applications in an entirely different directory tree. It may happen that ConvertPPT.exe just stalls because it's trying to write a file at a location where it's not allowed. I suggest you create a top folder directory and make sure it's world-writeable (once finished, you can tighten these permissions if you like).

Once you discard (or confirm) that the issue is caused by lack of appropriate credentials, make sure you are escaping your command and arguments properly. See this link:

http://es2.php.net/manual/en/function.exec.php#101579

One more thing you can try is to close PHP sessions before issuing the call to exec():

http://es2.php.net/manual/en/function.exec.php#99781

Answer 4

You have probably run into this bug: http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=44994

which has been bothering me for ages, even today, on PHP 5.3.5.

It seems like there is some kind of deadlock between the error output of the program and the apache error log file handle into which the program is redirected to write its stderr output, making the program be stuck for ever until the apache processes are killed.

Also, when using passthru , or system , or the backtick operator, there's an intermediary "cmd.exe" process that is used to run the program in an invisible console, and I have seen this cmd process getting stuck without even running the program.

I don't really have a solution as of now, and it seems the bug, even though reproduced by many people, hasn't been resolved.