Question

First Part:

I am trying to write a script to email us when a service call is not paid.

Heres’ what I have got started:

$query = "SELECT * FROM service";
        $result = mysql_query($query);  

    while($row = mysql_fetch_row($result)){

                $id = $row[0];
                $dateEntered = $row[1];
                $type = $row[2];
                $account = $row[3];
                $dateCompleted = $row[4];
                $notes = $row[5];
                $status = $row[6];

                foreach($status == 'Unpaid'){
                mailBadAction($id, $account, $status);

                }
        }   

I am not sure if I wrote the foreach right (probably didn’t, and I’m not in environment where I can just try it because its hooked into everything else.)

But basically, it will load all of the service calls in my while statement. I want to check each records $status, and check if it is ‘Unpaid’, and if so, run the function mailBadAction() and pass the $id, $account, $status, $dateEntered to the function. I only want this to happen ONCE a day.

Second Part:

I need this to run everyday at a certain time, once a day. I have zero understanding of cron jobs so I think that is out unless someone wants to help me out with that. But what I have learned is if I just include this page on the index or login page, it will run when someone simply hits the login page. But this will run it for every single time someone hits the index page.

Can someone help out?

Answer 1

As you are already in a loop, going though the results, so you don’t need a foreach, you just need if:

  if($status == 'Unpaid'){
            mailBadAction($id, $account, $status);

    }

And if you are on a linux environment, you need cron to run something once a day.

The easiest thing to do (if your system has it…), is add the php script to /etc/cron.daily and make it executable. Your script would look something like (depending on the environment…):

#!/usr/local/bin/php
<?php
// your script
?>

And you really should test it…