Question

EDIT: Cron line: /usr/bin/php /usr/local/yy/yy/yy/webspace/httpdocs/test.mysite.ie/test.php > /dev/null 2>&1

I have written a script that functions as it should when i navigate to it in the browser. This is my first time trying to use a cron job so i’m not overly familiar with how they work. The script is below. As i said, the script works as it should if i navigate to the url in a web browser.

test.php

<script src="jquery.min.js"></script>
<script>
//SET UP JS VARIABLES
var allMatchedNumbers = new Array();
var matchedthingyNumbers;
var matchedthingyPlus1Numbers;
var matchedthingyPlus2Numbers;
var winningthingyNumbers = new Array();
var winningBonusNumber;
var winningthingyPlus1Numbers = new Array();
var winningPlus1BonusNumber;
var winningthingyPlus2Numbers = new Array();
var winningPlus2BonusNumber;
var thingyList;
var thingyListItems;
var thingyPlus1List;
var thingyPlus1ListItems;
var thingyPlus2List;
var thingyPlus2ListItems;
var userNumbers = new Array();
var displayCounter = 1;
var drawDate;
var thingyNumbers;
var thingyBonus;
var thingyPlus1;
var thingyPlus1Bonus;
var thingyPlus2;
var thingyPlus2Bonus;

//GET RESULTS & DATE FOR thingy, PLUS1, PLUS2 FROM THE DOM OBJECT ONLY
$(document).ready(function fetchResults(){
    $.ajax({
        url: "scrape_page.php",
        success: function(data) {
        } 
    });

    $.ajax({
        url: "latest_results.txt",
        success: function(data) {
            var dom = $(data);
            //GET thingy DATE
            drawDate = dom.find('.date-heading.fooRegular').contents().first().text();
            //GET thingy NUMBERS
            thingyNumbers = dom.find('.result-block').eq(0).find('.thingy-winning-numbers');
            thingyBonus = dom.find('.result-block').eq(0).find('.thingy-bonus');
            thingyPlus1 = dom.find('.result-block').eq(1).find('.thingy-winning-numbers');
            thingyPlus1Bonus = dom.find('.result-block').eq(1).find('.thingy-bonus');
            thingyPlus2 = dom.find('.result-block').eq(2).find('.thingy-winning-numbers');
            thingyPlus2Bonus = dom.find('.result-block').eq(2).find('.thingy-bonus');
            populateWinningNumbers();
        } 
    });
});


//PUT WINNING NUMBERS IN ARRAY
function populateWinningNumbers() {
    //MAIN thingy NUMBERS
    thingyList = thingyNumbers;
    thingyListItems = thingyList.find('li');
    thingyPlus1List = thingyPlus1;
    thingyPlus1ListItems = thingyPlus1List.find('li');
    thingyPlus2List = thingyPlus2;
    thingyPlus2ListItems = thingyPlus2List.find('li');

    thingyListItems.each(function(index) {
        winningthingyNumbers[index] = parseInt($(this).text());
    });
    //winningBonusNumber = parseInt($('#mainthingyBonus').find('li').text());
    winningBonusNumber = parseInt($(thingyBonus).find('li').text());
    winningthingyNumbers.push(winningBonusNumber);

    //thingy PLUS NUMBERS
    thingyPlus1ListItems.each(function(index) {
        winningthingyPlus1Numbers[index] = parseInt($(this).text());
    });
    winningPlus1BonusNumber = parseInt($(thingyPlus1Bonus).find('li').text());
    winningthingyPlus1Numbers.push(winningPlus1BonusNumber);
    //PLUS 2
    thingyPlus2ListItems.each(function(index) {
        winningthingyPlus2Numbers[index] = parseInt($(this).text());
    });
    winningPlus2BonusNumber = parseInt($(thingyPlus1Bonus).find('li').text());
    winningthingyPlus2Numbers.push(winningPlus2BonusNumber);

    postDataToDB();
}

//POST OFFICIAL thingy NUMBERS TO DATABASE
function postDataToDB() {
    $.ajax({
        url: "postToDB.php",
        type: "post",
        data: {thingyNums:winningthingyNumbers, thingyPlus1Nums: winningthingyPlus1Numbers, thingyPlus2Nums: winningthingyPlus2Numbers, drawDate:drawDate},
        // callback handler that will be called on success
        success: function (data) {
        }
    }); 
}
</script>

scrape_page.php

<?php

    include 'simple_html_dom.php';

    $html = file_get_html('http://www.site.com');
    $file = 'latest_results.txt';
    file_put_contents($file, $html);
?>

postToDB.php

<?php

$winningNums = $_POST['thingyNums'];
$winningPlus1Nums = $_POST['thingyPlus1Nums'];
$winningPlus2Nums = $_POST['thingyPlus2Nums'];
$drawDate = $_POST['drawDate'];

$thingyToSave = implode(',', $winningNums);
$plus1ToSave = implode(',', $winningPlus1Nums);
$plus2ToSave = implode(',', $winningPlus2Nums);

//CONNECT TO REMOTE
$con = mysql_connect("172.xx.xx.xx","user","pass");
if (!$con)
  {
  die('Could not connect: ' . mysql_error());
  }

//SELECT thingy DB
mysql_select_db("App", $con);

//CHECK IF DATE ALREADY EXISTS IN DB
$date_check = mysql_query("SELECT drawDate FROM thingy WHERE drawDate='$drawDate'");
$do_date_check = mysql_num_rows($date_check);

if($do_date_check > 0){
    //DATE ALREADY IN DB
    die("Entries already exist");
} else {
    mysql_query("INSERT INTO thingy (drawDate) VALUES ('$drawDate')");
    mysql_query("UPDATE thingy SET thingyRes = '$thingyToSave' WHERE drawDate = '$drawDate'");
    mysql_query("UPDATE thingy SET thingyPlus1Res = '$plus1ToSave' WHERE drawDate = '$drawDate'");
    mysql_query("UPDATE thingy SET thingyPlus2Res = '$plus2ToSave' WHERE drawDate = '$drawDate'");
    echo "Success";
}

mysql_close($con);
?>

Answer 1

The script you’re trying to run contains Javascript – which is executed in a browser. Cron will execute the PHP script on the server, and send the output nowhere (as you’re directing it to /dev/null).

There’s nothing in that scenario that will interpret and execute the Javascript.

You need to essentially port the logic in your Javascript (which makes requests to the two related PHP scripts) to PHP. (You could possibly run some server side javascript interpreter/php extension, but in this case that would seem a bit crazy.)