Invoking a python script from a PHP script

Question

I am running a PHP web script locally for testing purposes through terminal with command: php -S localhost:8000 .

<?php $command = '/usr/bin/python /Users/Jupiter/Desktop/NC/www/createHarbourContainter.py'; exec($command); ?>

I am trying to call this python script that exists in the same directory:

#!/usr/bin/python


import os
import sys

save_path = '/Users/Jupiter/Desktop/NC/harbours/'
name = sys.argv[1]

def newHarbourContainer():
    os.makedirs(save_path + name)


def main():
    newHarbourContainer()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

This python script has chmod x+ set to it.

I am able to run the python script from the terminal : python createHarbourContainter.py

What I am unable to do is get the PHP function exec() to invoke the python script. Help needed!

Answer 1

In PHP you can use backticks ` to execute shell commands, so try this:

<?php 
`/usr/bin/python /Users/Jupiter/Desktop/NC/www/createHarbourContainter.py`
?>

See http://php.net/manual/en/language.operators.execution.php for more info

Answer 2

So I have found a solution:

$output = shell_exec('python createHarbourContainer.py')

And to get back an output into the browser:

echo "<pre>$output</pre>";

I was running the server in PHP Development Server . Using bash command: php -S localhost:8000 from directory where index.php is located. The server was logging all input and output from browser interface. I realized that when calling: /usr/bin/python from php the PHP Development Server would halt and open python interpreter.

And setting the whole path to the python script I wanted executed didn't work because the PHP script didn't have permission.

How this can help someone else in future.