Output message after function timeout

Question

I have a function that I need to timeout and output an error message.

I have found the set_time_limit() function, but I dont think I am using it right.

I have tried...

... some code ...

set_time_limit(12);

$client->sendHttp(URL, TIMEOUT_CONNECT, TIMEOUT_READ);

if (set_time_limit(12) != true){
    $_SESSION['Message'] = "Transaction Timed Out!";
}
... some code ...

That's the best I could come up with but it doesn't work. Can you suggest anything?

Answer 1

set_time_limit limits the scripts time, the script all together will end after that amount of time no code will be executed after that

$client->sendHttp should return false, null if a timeout has been reached, read the documentation on that function to see what it will actually return.

Answer 2

Normally if the script timeout, the web server stops it and return an error while You have only a little chance of handling it by Yourself - by defining shutdown function.

But You could use a simple function of Your own, like this one:

function check_timeout($start) {
    if(microtime() <= $start + MAX_EXECUTION_TIME)
        return true;

    return false;
}

while the MAX_EXECUTION_TIME constant would be defined somewhere like

define('MAX_EXECUTION_TIME', 10000); // 10 seconds

Now somewhere in Your code You could do:

// some code...

$start = microtime();

foreach($array as $key => $value) {
    if(check_timeout($start)) {
        // do something
    } else {
        // set HTTP header, throw exception, etc.
        // return false; // die; // exit;
    }
}