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How to force a download using php

08:27:27 pm, Categories: General IT articles

Here is a handy function for forcing a download a file in any folder on the server that is readable by your php script.

PHP:

	`function send_file($path) {`
	`session_write_close();`
	`ob_end_clean();`
	`if (!is_file($path) \|\| connection_status()!=0)`
	`return(FALSE);`

	`//to prevent long file from getting cut off from //max_execution_time`

	`set_time_limit(0);`

	`$name=basename($path);`

	`//filenames in IE containing dots will screw up the`
	`//filename unless we add this`

	`if (strstr($_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'], "MSIE"))`
	`$name = preg_replace('/\./', '%2e', $name, substr_count($name, '.') - 1);`

	`//required, or it might try to send the serving //document instead of the file`

	`header("Cache-Control: ");`
	`header("Pragma: ");`
	`header("Content-Type: application/octet-stream");`
	`header("Content-Length: " .(string)(filesize($path)) );`
	`header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="'.$name.'"');`
	`header("Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary\n");`

	`if($file = fopen($path, 'rb')){`
	`while( (!feof($file)) && (connection_status()==0) ){`
	`print(fread($file, 1024*8));`
	`flush();`
	`}`
	`fclose($file);`
	`}`
	`return((connection_status()==0) and !connection_aborted());`
	`}`