[Pdx-pm] Apache, mod_perl, Catalyst, qx, and the ampersand

[chromatic]

On Wednesday 20 December 2006 15:35, Roderick A. Anderson wrote:

> Short-ish story is we pull a XML file -- specified as a GET from a URL
> redirect.  Parse it and get a URI/URL of a large file.  The next step is
> to pull that file back but not make the user wait on it.  They should be
> able to continue with other parts of the process.
>
> I'm wondering if
>
> 	qx{ script_that_does_the_get_and_other_magic & };
>
> is the right way to go.  Other methods of backgrounding a process from
> within Apache/mod_perl.

That works for pretty simple things, if you're careful about permissions.  
Another option is to install a messaging system and communicate with other 
processes.  I've heard good things about Spread:

http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2006/11/30/lamp-and-spread.html

This is a little more complex, but it has a nice conceptual cleanliness as 
your needs grow.

-- c