RE: FN-FORUM: Suggestions please charset="Windows-1250"

date posted 30th January 2006 11:17

[EMAIL REMOVED] wrote:
> I am after a job where there will be csv files on a ftp server that
> will need uploading to a database once a day and I am trying to work
> out the best way to do it. I gather you need "allow_url_fopen = On"
> set in php.ini to be able to use the ftpwrapper. Is it likely to be
> set to on? It should be in php as far as I know unless they change
> their mind. I was wondering about setting up a cron job to do it. Has
> anyone done anything similar as I am looking for pointers in the
> right direction?

This doesn't seem to be a web-based task, so PHP would be a slightly
strange choice of technology. I know that it's possible to write command

line programs in PHP, but you very rarely hear of it being done.

Personally I'd write a Perl program that connects to the FTP server,
downloads the files and inserts the data into the database. I'd then set

up a cronjob that executed that program every day.

Of course, it doesn't have to be Perl. Any programming language would be

suitable as long as it has support for accessing FTP servers and
databases. You could even do it in a Unix shell script as long as you
don't mind using external programs for the FTP and database bits.

Dave...


Dave, I use the CLI version of PHP for every cronjob driven programme
that I create. I gave up using Perl years ago as I couldn't see the
sense in using 2 programming languages when one would do.

Pamela, I would use something like:

fopen(file on local or remote server)
$var = fread(file handle, filesize)
fclose

foreach $var as $line
($values) = split($line, delimter)
insert into table (field) values($values)

If you put !#/path to php in the top of your PHP file you can run the
file from your cron thus:

./name of php file

You can also use $ARGV[0], $ARGV[1] etc. to pass values in on the
command line

Ian


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