How to Convert a PHP Array to a Well-Formatted CSV File with Headers?

PHP Array Conversion to CSV: Streamlined Solution

Converting arrays to CSV files in PHP can be a pain. If you've been struggling to produce a properly formatted CSV, this article will provide a better solution.

The Problem: Single-Line CSV and No Header

Consider the following code:

<code class="php">$prods = [1, 2, 3];

foreach ($prods as $prod) {
    $sql = "SELECT * FROM products WHERE id = '$prod'";
    $result = $mysqli->query($sql);
    $info = $result->fetch_array(); 
}

// ... rest of the code</code>

This code may result in a CSV file that is a single, long line instead of the desired format with headers and line breaks.

Solution: Using fputcsv()

To fix this issue, replace the code that writes to the CSV file with the following:

<code class="php">$output = fopen("php://output",'w') or die("Can't open php://output");
header("Content-Type:application/csv"); 
header("Content-Disposition:attachment;filename=pressurecsv.csv"); 
fputcsv($output, array('id','name','description'));
foreach($prod as $product) {
    fputcsv($output, $product);
}
fclose($output) or die("Can't close php://output");</code>

The fputcsv() function automatically handles escaping, field delimiters, and line endings, ensuring the CSV is properly formatted.

Additional Notes

• Use fopen('php://output', 'w') instead of hard-coding a filename to create the CSV in memory.
• Set the appropriate headers for the CSV download in header().
• Use fputcsv() to write the header row and subsequent rows of the CSV.
• Close the file in the end with fclose().

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