Running Python script from PHP by using an AJAX call

Question

Hello I have a python script that I'm trying to run from PHP from the client side using an AJAX call like this :

$.ajax({
async: false,
cache:false, 
url:"callpython.php",
type: "POST",
data: "data1=" + path + "&data2=" + clr[k0], 
success: function (response) {
console.log(response);
}});

the code inside callpython.php is:

<?php
exec("python myscript.py",$return);
echo json_encode($return);
?>

and the code inside myscript.py is:

#!/usr/bin/env python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
import string
import cgi, cgitb
from lxml import etree
from PIL import Image

pet="images/rock1.png"
petColor="59A678"
.//The rest of the code that populates the variables printed down below
.
.
.
print "Content-type: text/html"
print 
print eyeSize
print displacementX
print displacementY
print distance
print textX
print textY 
print sizeText
print colorText

As Ajax result I get : Array

When I run the php code from console : php callpython.php it executes the python script and it gives me : ["Content-type: text\/html","","30","37","47","20","27","40","20","#91806F"] but when calling that same php file using ajax Firebug shows me : [] as result.

So please how can I get the same result in that Ajax call as the console results?

Thanks.

Answer 1

As a first step, I would try outputting json from python. What you are getting from python currently is a bunch of lines (a single string), not a valid json encodable list. Also, you wouldn't need the Content-Type in the data as that is a header for use in HTTP. Instead, try this:

PYTHON

import json
...
data_out = [eyeSize, displacementX, ...]
print json.dumps(data_out)

PHP

exec("python myscript.py",$return);
echo $return;