How to Trigger File Downloads Using JavaScript Instead of AJAX?

AJAX File Download: Handling Click Event and Server-side File Retrieval

When attempting to download a file via an AJAX request, you may encounter challenges. Let's examine the issue and provide a solution.

In your code, you have an AJAX request that sends a GET request to "download.php". However, this approach is not suitable for file downloads. To initiate a file download, a different strategy is required.

Solution:

Instead of using an AJAX request, it is recommended to use the "window.location" method. This method allows you to navigate to a specific URL, which will trigger the file download. The following code snippet demonstrates how to achieve this:

function downloadFile() {
  window.location = "download.php";
}

On the server-side, your PHP script ("download.php") should be configured to handle file downloads by setting appropriate HTTP headers and sending the file content. The following code sample shows an example of how this can be implemented:

header("Cache-Control: public");
header("Content-Description: File Transfer");
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename= file.txt");
header("Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary");    
readfile("file.txt");

By following these steps, you can successfully trigger a file download when a user clicks a button on your web page.

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