Shell commands from PHP

[Admin]

i need to run some shell commands in PHP to resize images... has anyone done this? i am using this


$cmd = "cd /usr2/hsphere/home/sdravers/sdravers.com/new/images/events
jpegtopnm temp.jpg > temp.ppm
pnmscale -xysize 600 600 temp.ppm > full.ppm
pnmscale -xysize 120 120 temp.ppm > thumb.ppm
pnmtojpeg thumb.ppm > $id_thumb.jpg
pnmtojpeg full.ppm > $id_full.jpg
rm *.ppm
rm temp.jpg
y";

shell_exec($cmd);

and i get the following error

Warning: Cannot execute using backquotes in safe mode in /usr2/hsphere/home/sdravers/sdravers.com/new/add_event.php on line 78


help?

[sde]

i havent a clue except maybe this will help?

http://www.php.net/manual/en/functio...peshellcmd.php

what about making it it's own script like:

#script.php
#!/usr/bin/php
do all that stuff here

then: exec(script.php);

haven't tried it, .. i have executed files, but not with the shell_exec() function.

[redhead]

Its:

PHP Code:

#!/usr/bin/php -q
<?php
/*whatever php stuff */
?>

[sdeming]

Hey guys,

This is a problem due to having safe_mode enabled. What you may want to do is use a CGI script to perform the selected tasks instead of invoking it directly from PHP. Since CGI is run via suexec, security isn't really an issue but PHP is not quite as easy to deal with due to Apache 1.3 limitations.

Alternatively, a CGI version of PHP can be used but you'll likely have to create a separate directory with your "unsafe" scripts and a .htaccess control file that looks like this:

AddType application/cgi-php php
Action application/cgi-php /usr/local/bin/php

Now each .php file within this directory will be executed via CGI/suexec, safely but without the safe_mode limitations. I hope that helps at least a little.

** EDIT **
I was wrong. It can be made to work using the above method, but .htaccess files use relative paths so the php binary has to be copied into your web space, presumably into cgi-bin as php.cgi (for clarity) and the "Action" part of the .htaccess file should read "Action application/cgi-php /cgi-bin/php.cgi" instead of what I wrote above. Sorry for the confusion!