8.1.2 file_get_contents() and file()This is NOT the latest copy of this book; click here for the latest version.
string file_get_contents ( string filename [, bool use_include_path [, resource context]])
array file ( string filename [, bool use_include_path [, resource context]])
The next evolutionary step up from readfile() is just called file_get_contents(), and also takes one parameter for the filename to open. This time, however, it does not output any data - instead, it will return the contents of the file as string, replete with new line characters \n where appropriate
Here is file_get_contents() in use:
<?php
$filestring = file_get_contents($filename);
print $filestring;
?>
$Filename, as mentioned already, is a variable used to represent a file you have chosen already, whether that be on Unix or Windows, which means that file_get_contents() opens that file and places its contents into $filestring. Effectively that piece of code is the same as our call to readfile(), but only because we're not doing anything with $filestring once we have it.
Consider this script:
<?php
$filestring = file_get_contents($filename);
$filearray = explode("\n", $filestring);
while (list($var, $val) = each($filearray)) {
++$var;
$val = trim($val);
print "Line $var: $val<BR />";
}
?>
This time we use explode() to turn $filestring into an array, which is then iterated through, outputting one line at a time with line numbers. Remember that array indices start at 0, so we need ++$var to make sure that it starts at line 1 rather than line 0. Also, note that we call trim() on $val - this is because each element in the array still has its new line character \n at the end, and trim() will take that off.
File_get_contents() is an excellent general-purpose file-handling function that you will likely find yourself using extensively.
As an alternative, if you find yourself always wanting your files inside arrays, you can use the file() function - it works in the same manner as file_get_contents(), with the exception that it returns an array, which each line in the file returned as an element.
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