How to call a php script using system in PHPFog

Question

I have a php script which needs to run in the background. Currently on my dev box I am running

shell_exec("php5-cgi <path>");

It works fine. Although, when I pushed my code onto a dedicated phpfog cloud, it seem that the script is not being called. I am unable to find out where the issue is. Is it that exec_shell is not working or php5-cgi command does not exist.

How can I understand better what is going on ?

Answer 1

You might try dropping 5-cgi from your exec call:

exec_shell("php <path>");

Additionally, you could use a cron job for this: http://docs.phpfog.com/customize/cron

Create a cron job to run <path> on an interval that works for your needs (Assuming path is a php file). PHPFog makes this very easy.

If you are trying to execute a long running task, an not make a browser wait for the result, I recommend queuing in a database table then use a cron job to execute a php script that handles those queued tasks. I would use ajax calls from the client to check the status of the task and then do a page refresh when the task completes.