Last updated: Fri, 01 Jun 2007

file_get_contents

(PHP 4 >= 4.3.0, PHP 5)

file_get_contents — Reads entire file into a string

Description

string file_get_contents ( string $filename [, bool $use_include_path [, resource $context [, int $offset [, int $maxlen]]]] )

Identical to file(), except that file_get_contents() returns the file in a string, starting at the specified offset up to maxlen bytes. On failure, file_get_contents() will return FALSE.

file_get_contents() is the preferred way to read the contents of a file into a string. It will use memory mapping techniques if supported by your OS to enhance performance.

Note: If you're opening a URI with special characters, such as spaces, you need to encode the URI with urlencode().

Note: context parameter can be skipped by NULL.

ChangeLog

Version	Description
5.0.0	Added the context support.
5.1.0	Added the `offset` and `maxlen` parameters.

Notes

Note: This function is binary-safe.

Tip

You can use a URL as a filename with this function if the fopen wrappers have been enabled. See fopen() for more details on how to specify the filename and Appendix O, List of Supported Protocols/Wrappers for a list of supported URL protocols.

Note: Context support was added with PHP 5.0.0. For a description of contexts, refer to Streams.

Warning

When using SSL, Microsoft IIS will violate the protocol by closing the connection without sending a close_notify indicator. PHP will report this as "SSL: Fatal Protocol Error" when you reach the end of the data. To workaround this, you should lower your error_reporting level not to include warnings. PHP 4.3.7 and higher can detect buggy IIS server software when you open the stream using the https:// wrapper and will suppress the warning for you. If you are using fsockopen() to create an ssl:// socket, you are responsible for detecting and suppressing the warning yourself.


[Editors note: As of PHP 5.2.1 you can specify `timeout` context option and pass the context to file_get_contents()]





The only way I could get get_file_contents() to wait for a very slow http request was to set the socket timeout as follows.





 ini_set('default_socket_timeout',    120);    


$a = file_get_contents("http://abcxyz.com");





Other times like execution time and input time had no effect.

siegfri3d at gmail dot com
05-Dec-2006 08:52


Use the previous example if you want to request the server for a special part of the content, IF and only if the server accepts the method.

If you want a simple example to ask the server for all the content, but only save a portion of it, do it this way:

<?

$content=file_get_contents("http://www.google.com",FALSE,NULL,0,20);

echo $content;

?>



This will echo the 20 first bytes of the google.com source code.

fcicqbbs at gmail dot com
04-Aug-2006 08:55


the bug #36857 was fixed.

http://bugs.php.net/36857



Now you may use this code,to fetch the partial content like this:

<?php

$context=array('http' => array ('header'=> 'Range: bytes=1024-', ),);

$xcontext = stream_context_create($context);

$str=file_get_contents("http://www.fcicq.net/wp/",FALSE,$xcontext);

?>

that's all.

richard dot quadling at bandvulc dot co dot uk
15-Nov-2005 10:47


If, like me, you are on a Microsoft network with ISA server and require NTLM authentication, certain applications will not get out of the network. SETI@Home Classic and PHP are just 2 of them.



The workaround is fairly simple.



First you need to use an NTLM Authentication Proxy Server. There is one written in Python and is available from http://apserver.sourceforge.net/. You will need Python from http://www.python.org/.



Both sites include excellent documentation.



Python works a bit like PHP. Human readable code is handled without having to produce a compiled version. You DO have the opportunity of compiling the code (from a .py file to a .pyc file).



Once compiled, I installed this as a service (instsrv and srvany - parts of the Windows Resource Kit), so when the server is turned on (not logged in), the Python based NTLM Authentication Proxy Server is running.



Then, and here is the bit I'm really interested in, you need to tell PHP you intend to route http/ftp requests through the NTLM APS.



To do this, you use contexts.



Here is an example.



<?php



// Define a context for HTTP.

$aContext = array(

    'http' => array(

        'proxy' => 'tcp://127.0.0.1:8080', // This needs to be the server and the port of the NTLM Authentication Proxy Server.

        'request_fulluri' => True,

        ),

    );

$cxContext = stream_context_create($aContext);



// Now all file stream functions can use this context.



$sFile = file_get_contents("http://www.php.net", False, $cxContext);



echo $sFile;

?>



Hopefully this helps SOMEONE!!!

aidan at php dot net
31-Jan-2005 07:23


This functionality is now implemented in the PEAR package PHP_Compat.



More information about using this function without upgrading your version of PHP can be found on the below link:



http://pear.php.net/package/PHP_Compat

add a note

file_put_contents

file_exists