Question

What I have to be able to do is copy an entire folder from a remote source to the local server executing the PHP file. I can do that fine except for one problem, PHP files. Obviously, I can’t just go copying the source code of a PHP file using regular commands as they will interpret the code and give me the returned stuff. What I have to have is the code. Is there any way to do that?

Hope I’m clear enough, my problem isn’t something very hard to understand, I just want to know if it’s actually possible. If not, maybe someone may have an idea of an optimal way of storing the source code alongside the executable php? I was thinking simply saving it as text when I’m done developing but if there is a way to do it completely automatically then that would be much more awesome. Best case scenario, I can just copy the folder with php files and then execute it from local. I need to know if that’s even possible… Worst case scenario, I have to duplicate files in order copy the text version of them to the local server and discard the php ones since th e executed files are not relevant to my program. I don’t want that, but I just don’t know if PHP is able to do what I want.

Edit: sorry for not specifying! I am the admin of the remote server and have total access. I can and was expecting to make a php file on the server itself. That’s the kind of system I have at the moment! I zip a folder and return it when requested from my local source. My only problem is the php executing.

Answer 1

You cannot do that unless you:

• have FTP access (or anything else that is not HTTP-based)
• have access to a script on the server that is designed to return the sourcecode of a given file
• use an exploit such as the ?-s bug in the CGI SAPI

So you are most likely out of luck.