PHP/lib/proc

PHP local process management

About

This is probably the most basic of the local process-management libraries; I'm not sure if that's a fair description because I haven't tried any of the other possibly-overlapping libraries yet (see Process Control Extensions).

Model

• A process is opened by executing a command via proc_open()^php.
• While it is open:
  • it may send output through stdout (information) or stderr (error messages)
  • it may receive input via stdin
  • Its status may be obtained via proc_get_status()^php.
  • Its priority is modifiable via proc_nice()^php.
  • It may be terminated via proc_close()^php (which waits politely for the process to be done) or proc_​terminate()^php (which forces the issue).

Unlike SSH2, this library does not have a concept of opening a process without first executing a command; the command is the process. Each command opened with proc_open() is like a separate terminal session. In order to maintain any kind of persistent session-state across multiple commands, you have to first run some kind of wrapper-command like "bash" or "script" and then transmit additional commands to that wrapper-command via stdin. (The meaning of those additional commands will, of course, depend entirely on how the wrapper-command interprets them.)

Links

• php.net: System program execution