Php: How to handle file processing and download operations in a single script?

Question

Hi!

In a single script, I need to do the following:

1. create a zip out of files in a directory
2. force the download of the newly create zip

My problem is that whenever I try to do this in a single script, the downloaded zip is corrupted (filesize is ok though). If I trig the processes in two separate script calls, the downloaded zip is ok.

I guess that the problem is that the zip saving to file process isn't completely finished before the download starts. Strangely, it doesn't solve the problem to insert a sleep(3) between the processes... Code outline below.

How to assure that the zip file is completely finished before the force download starts?

Regards / Jonas

// 1. create a zip
$createZipFile = new CreateZipFile('temp.zip');
$createZipFile->zipDirectory('temp/', '.');
$createZipFile->saveZipFile();

sleep(3); // <-- Doesn't matter!

// 2. force zip download
$fileServer = new FileServer();
// Line below gives a corrupted zip when run in same script as 1.     
$fileServer->forzeDownload('temp.zip');

Answer 1

Create the zip and then redirect the user to that file.

http://php.net/manual/en/function.header.php

Answer 2

Thank you, JorenB and Gumbo! The texteditor examination revealed some debug output in zip creation that doesn't affect the orignial zip, but corrupts the data sent to the browser when downloading.