PHP echoing without echo

Question

Very simple code:

<?php
$last_line = system('pwsh -Command (Get-Location).path', $retval);

Returning string on html page:

How is this possible and how to avoid it?

Behaves as documented. Did you read the documentation of that function you used and perhaps a few related ones? — Ulrich Eckhardt, Apr 07 '22 at 09:34

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 07 '22 at 09:37

1

The PHP system() command executing a system command and print immediately the output out. To avoid that you can use exec().

answered Apr 07 '22 at 09:37

Maik Lowrey

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited Apr 07 '22 at 19:28

0

You can use ob_start() to save the output of the command in a buffer. Then use ob_clean() in order to clear that buffer without printing it.

ob_start(); 
$last_line = system('pwsh -Command (Get-Location).path', $retval);
ob_clean();

edited Apr 07 '22 at 19:28

Skatox

answered Apr 07 '22 at 09:37

W S

This is correct - but needs some words describing the solution. PHP docs for output buffers are here: https://www.php.net/manual/en/book.outcontrol.php – Peter Krebs Apr 07 '22 at 09:39
While it works, there are functions other than `system` that don't flush the output directly to begin with, which don't require this workaround… – deceze Apr 07 '22 at 09:40

2 Answers2