Reading GPIO status only works outside of PHP if statement?

Question

I can read a GPIO pin's status as such:

<?php
 exec ( "gpio read 7", $status );
 print_r ( $status );
?>

this works fine. But I want to read the status from within a php if statement, eg:

<?php
if (isset($_GET['trigger']) && $_GET['trigger'] == 1) {
 exec ( "gpio read 7", $status );
 print_r ( $status );
 exec ( "gpio write 7 1" );
}
?>

Though exec ('gpio write 7 1'); works, the read and print does not.

Would anyone know what I am doing wrong?

• Steve Robillard: how do you know the write works and the read and print don't?
• MeltingDog: @SteveRobillard the LED I have attached to that GPIO is triggered. The read probably works but is still not being printed to the the screen like it does normally.
• mpromonet: you cannot read from an OUT pin, you should use different pin and configure pin you would like to read as input using gpio mode <pin> in
• goldilocks: @mpromonet I'm going to disagree with that -- you can check the value of an out pin.
• mpromonet: @goldilocks : mea maxima culpa. I did not checked, and you're right gpio read <pin> works on an out pin.

Answer 1

exec adds the returned value to the end of the array $status. So first time, required value is in $status(0). Next time, old value is still in $status(0), but new value is in $status(1), etc for further loops. Fix is to use unset($status) each time round the loop so that exec always adds new value in $status(0).

Answer 2

Here's what I came up with when I had this same problem. This post helped me figure out what the issue was.

function closevalve ($valve) {
 $status[0] = 2;
 while ($status[0] != 1) {
 system ( "gpio write ".$valve." 1" );
 exec ( "gpio read ".$valve, $statusa );
 $status[0] = $statusa[0];
 };
 unset($status);
 unset($statusa);
 echo date("h:i:s A")." - ".whichpin($valve)." Off<br>";
 ob_flush();flush();
 sleep(5);
 };