Call a CL program from inside php program

[ronhextall]

I would like to call a CL program with an input parameter or two from within a php program. We are running ZendCore and use db2_connect and db2_execute to query and update files on the iSeries all the time so a connection should be the problem.

Just would like a nice clean example from beginning to end on how to do it.

Thanks.

[kentatzend]

So ... first you really should consider moving to Zend Server. We end-of-lifed Core about 2 years ago ... so you are way out of date wrt technology like PHP version, bug fixes, etc.

Second, you should take a look at the toolkit we've added to Zend Server. I think it can do what you want ...

[ronhextall]

We are getting a new machine in the next year so we will upgrade everythign than I am told.

Is there no hope until than?

[ronhextall]

This link provides an excellent example and it worked fine, outside some minor syntax issues.

http://www.sematopia.com/2006/09/php-on ... s/?print=1

[kentatzend]

First, Zend Core had an older version of a toolkit to allow calls to IBM i CL programs and functions. We have discontinued that in favor of this newer version developed jointly by IBM and Zend but you could start start with that older versino to get stuff running and later during the transition change a few lines and move to the new toolkit. Try to keep your CL calls isolated into one file/function so it's easy to swap out if you can.
Second, I'm not 100% certain but it might even be possible given the nature of the new toolkit that it could be made tow ork on Zend Core. Maybe some of the more toolkit knowledgeable people have more thoughts.

[aseiden]

With Zend Core (past end-of-life, as Kent said), the old toolkit will work; the new toolkit should also work, so long as Zend Core's older version of ibm_db2 handles CLOBs well enough.

[chrisbirk]

There is a real easy way. Go and set up a dummy table and put a trigger on it, that is the cl command you want to have run. Insert a dummy record and it will fire the trigger and that will call the cl command, etc.

It is fast and works.