PHP. Different encoding when calling shell_exec from command line and browser

Question

I have this php script:

<?php
  $cmd_desformat = "/usr/local/bin/process /tmp/input.txt > /tmp/output.txt";
  shell_exec($cmd_desformat);

Where input.txt is a UTF-8 file (checked with "file -i") containing:

Buenos días

and /usr/local/bin/process is a binary executable from a third party which I have extensively used and never got this problem.

Well, problem is that when I execute this from a browser:

http://localhost/test.php

The result output.txt is an US-ASCII file containing:

Buenos d?as [][

However, when I execute this from command line:

php test.php

The result output.txt is an UTF-8 file with the expected:

Buenos días [][

I have tried to execute from command line with user www-data to see if I could replicate the browser behaviour, but the result is again the correct one. I have also tried to use exec instead of shell_exec but the results are the same. Also tried with Firefox and Chrome.

I need it to work when being called from the browser. Any ideas?

Is bin/process sensitive to the environment locales…?

deceze
– deceze ♦

2018-05-07 15:59:29 +00:00
Commented May 7, 2018 at 15:59 — deceze
– deceze ♦, Commented May 7, 2018 at 15:59

BA_Webimax · Accepted Answer · 2018-05-08 14:11:39Z

5

The PHP CLI environment is not the same as the shell_exec one. There are two possibilities for how to manage to get your content to return in the proper manner.

The easiest way is to just reset the environment by calling env -i in the shell_exec call.

<?php
  $cmd_desformat = "env -i /usr/local/bin/process /tmp/input.txt > /tmp/output.txt";
  shell_exec($cmd_desformat);

This may not work if the default environment is not correctly set up. If that is the case, then you may need to set it up explicitly using putenv().

<?php
  putenv('LANG=en_US.UTF-8'); // Set this to the language you need
  $cmd_desformat = "/usr/local/bin/process /tmp/input.txt > /tmp/output.txt";
  shell_exec($cmd_desformat);

edited May 8, 2018 at 14:11

answered May 7, 2018 at 16:12

BA_Webimax

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1 Comment

Aghyul Kyoku Over a year ago

Thank you mate!! I was pulling my hair on this one... I used putenv and then it worked fine. OMG I was beginning to lose my sanity 😂 I don't understand how it's not a default in PHP...

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