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i have a big script written in php, which should import a lot of informations in a prestashop installation, using webservices, this script is written in "sections" I mean, there is a function that import the categories, another one that import products, then manufacturers, and so on, there are about 7 - 10 functions called in the main script. Basically I assume that this script must run for about an hour, passing from a function to the next one and so on since it arrives at the last function, then return some values and stops until the next night.

i would like to understand if it could be better :

1) impose a time limit of 30 minutes everytime i enter a new function (this will prevent the timeout)

2) make a chain of pages, each one with a single function call (and of course the time limit)

or any other idea... i would like to : know if a function has been called (maybe using a global variable?) be sure that the server will execute the function in order (so the pages chain)...

i hope to have beeen clear, otherwise i'll update the question.

edits: the script is executed by another server that will call a page, the other server is "unkown" from me, so I simply know only that this page is called (they could also call the function by going on the page) but anyway i have no controll on it.

Matteo Bononi 'peorthyr'
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2 Answers2

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For any long running scripts, I would run it through the commandline, probably with a cronjob to kick it off. If it's triggered from the outside, I would create a job queue (for example in the database) where you insert a new row to signify that it should run, along with any variable input params. Then the background job would run - say - every 5 minutes, check if there's a new job in the queue. If there's not, just exit. If there is, mark that it has begun work and start processing. When done, mark that it's done.

1 hour of work is a looooooooong time though. Nothing you can do to optimise that?

troelskn
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  • this is the soultion i'm actually working on, the problem is that I also will not have the rights to run cronjobs, becouse the server is a shared "normal hosting" server and not a dedicated one, by the way, i'm trying to implement a thing like the one you describe (i'll not mark as the answer just becouse i would like some more opinion, be sure i'll mark it in the near future if no more answers are present) – Matteo Bononi 'peorthyr' Feb 21 '13 at 12:35
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You can increase the time limit for execution of a script as much as you want using :

set_time_limit(seconds);

And also for long running scripts you need a more memory. you can increase the memory limit using :

ini_set('memory_limit','20M');

And second other thing you have to make sure is that you are running your script on a dedicated server because if you are using a shared server you server will kill automatically long running scripts.

Jay.D
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