Catching a script timeout

[Karma]

Hi,

I'm trying to write a basic script that will check a website responds to a HTTP request within 60 seconds. However, I'm not quite sure how to catch the time-out event.

Here is my code:

--------------------------------------------------------
<?php

$url = "mydomain.tld";
$found = "N";
$found = Check_response($url, $found);

if ($found == "N")
{
$email_msg = "The following site failed to respond after 60 seconds:\n\n";

$email_msg = $email_msg . "Site: [mydomain.tld...]
$email_msg = $email_msg . "Description: mydomain.tld\n";
$email_msg = $email_msg . "Date: " . date("D M j G:i:s T Y") . "\n\n";

$snd_2_email = "[e-mail]";
$email_from = "[e-mail]";
$email_subject = "WARNING: mydomain.tld failed to respond.";

mail($snd_2_email,$email_subject,$email_msg,"From:$email_from\r\nReply-To: [e-mail]");
}

function Check_response ($url, $found)
{
set_time_limit(60);
$lines = file($url);

foreach ($lines as $line_num => $line)
{
if (strstr($line,"unique keyword from within the html")) { $found = "Y"; }
}

return $found;

}

?>
--------------------------------------------------------

Can anyone advise where I'm going wrong? All I get at the moment is a "Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 60 seconds exceeded in C:\localhost\checksite.php on line xx"

[edited by: Karma at 12:23 pm (utc) on Dec. 17, 2008]

[OutdoorWebcams]

A call to set_time_limit [php.net] will override the value of max_execution_time in php.ini and cause the script to abort after 60 seconds. That's what you are experiencing right now, so the first thing to do is to remove this function call to keep your script running even if the checked domain does not respond within 60 seconds.

I think the only way to catch the time-out event is to check the execution time of the Check_response function call, something like this:

// start counting seconds
$t1 = time();

// now let this function complete it's operation
// even if encountering a server timeout on the other end
$found = Check_response($url, $found);

if( (time() - $t1) > 60 ) // took longer than 60 seconds?
$found = "N"; // then consider the URL as not found

[milocold]

Hi,

Hmm...set_time_limit returns a fatal_error if reached, thereby halting your scripts execution. So if you wanna restrict a procedure to a specific time duration, I don't think that's that's the function to use.

I agree with Outdo...your handle's too long dude. ;)

time() is the function to use, but I would recommend placing the conditional in the Check_response procedure:

function Check_response ($url, $found) { 
 $lines = file($url); 
  
 $start = time();  
 $duration = 60; 
 $end = $start + $duration;  
 foreach ($lines as $line_num => $line) { 
 if(time() <= $end){ // Keep checking! 
  if (strstr($line,"unique keyword from within the html")){ 
  $found = "Y"; 
  break; 
  }  
 } else { break; } // Timed out 
 }  
  
 return $found; 
} 

- M. Cold

[OutdoorWebcams]

But it's

$lines = file($url);

that may hang.

You check the time it takes to compare the content of $lines against the unique keyword, but not how long it takes to get this content.

But of course you could wrap the time check around the line

$lines = file($url);

and return 'N' on failure instead of wrapping around the Check_response function call at the top.

[milocold]

Opps! Your right, Outdoor. I totally missed that. lol