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Question

How to get output from local script in PHP?

Answer 1

+1 A:

You can use PHP's output buffers and functions like ob_start(); and ob_get_contents(); to read the contents of your PHP output into a string.

Here is the example on php.net:

<?php

function callback($buffer)
{
  // replace all the apples with oranges
  return (str_replace("apples", "oranges", $buffer));
}

ob_start("callback");

?>
<html>
<body>
<p>It's like comparing apples to oranges.</p>
</body>
</html>
<?php

ob_end_flush();

?>

And another:

<?php
ob_start();
echo "Hello ";
$out1 = ob_get_contents();
echo "World";
$out2 = ob_get_contents();
ob_end_clean();
var_dump($out1, $out2);
?>

Sam152 2010-03-06 02:53:58

Thanks! Your solution definitely works. But I wish there is a more elegant and general way to do this, just like what file_get_contents() does for remote scripts. You solution only works for a PHP script catching the output of another PHP script but no other file types.

Ethan 2010-03-06 04:37:20

"And I don't want to use exec()/system() things" - How then would php "know" how to run e.g. a (local) python script?

VolkerK 2010-03-06 05:53:01

@VolkerK:In the same way as how the webserver knows how to run a html or php file, based on its extension. I mean, php don't "know", but the webserver "knows". Are webservers working in this way?

Ethan 2010-03-06 06:11:18

@Ethan: Yes the webserver "knows" or is configured to recognize certain types. But then it has to chose and run the "right" interpreter/runtime for the script (not unlike an exec()). If you want the webserver to decide what to do, you has to "ask" the webserver. `file_get_contents('xyz.py');` doesn't ask the webserver, `file_get_contents('http://localhost/xyz.py');` might.

VolkerK 2010-03-06 16:21:54

@VolkerK:I had tried that before, in bar.php:file_get_contents('http://localhost/foo.php');But it didn't work. The web browser kept waiting for response. PHP doesn't support multi-instances?Haven't try this on Python.Thanks alot anyway!

Ethan 2010-03-06 18:40:51

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How to get output from local script in PHP?

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