How to Read a .txt File from an FTP Server into a PHP Variable?

PHP: Reading a .txt File from FTP Server into a Variable

When working with multiple servers, retrieving data from remote FTP servers becomes necessary. This article explores various methods for reading a .txt file from an FTP server and storing its contents in a PHP variable.

Using file_get_contents

The file_get_contents function provides a simple solution for reading FTP files. However, it requires URL wrappers to be enabled in PHP. The syntax is:

<code class="php">$contents = file_get_contents('ftp://username:password@hostname/path/to/file');</code>

If this approach fails, ensure that URL wrappers are enabled.

Using ftp_fget

For greater control over the file reading process, consider using ftp_fget with a handle to a temporary stream. This method allows for customization of transfer mode, passive mode, and other parameters. The code snippet below demonstrates this approach:

<code class="php">$conn_id = ftp_connect('hostname');
ftp_login($conn_id, 'username', 'password');
ftp_pasv($conn_id, true);
$h = fopen('php://temp', 'r+');
ftp_fget($conn_id, $h, '/path/to/file', FTP_BINARY, 0);
$fstats = fstat($h);
fseek($h, 0);
$contents = fread($h, $fstats['size']);
fclose($h);
ftp_close($conn_id);</code>

Remember to include error handling when implementing this method.

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