force download... IE 5.5 problem

[Anon]

Hi guys and girls,

I'm having some problems with forcing a file download.
I want to use the script to force the download of .doc,.pdf and .txt files.
I did some searching on these forums and it already helped me alot!
I already have a script that works on most browsers (ie5.01, netsc4.07, netsc6.01, opera4.01) except for IE 5.5 and Opera 5.
IE 5.5 just opens the file in the browserwindow, Opera 5 just opens raw code in the browserwindow (as if they were textfiles). I already had to use a little hack to please IE 5.5, otherwise download.php got downloaded instead of the actual file...
Please have a look at the code below.

All tips are appreciated!
Thanx alot!

Bert

This is what I've got for now:

---

<?
//download.php, a result of some serious cutting and pasting...
//download.php?file.ext will get 'file.ext' from the download directory
//download.php?somesubdir/file.ext will get 'file.ext' from 'somesubdir' in the download directory
$what_to_get = getenv("QUERY_STRING");
//puts cookie,
SetCookie("Download",yep, time()[phone], "/", "www.domain.com", 0);
//headerstuff

$size = filesize("/path/to/the/download/dir/$what_to_get");
//we wanna know the name of the file, without the directories
$my_name_is = basename($what_to_get);
//use one of these 2, I don't know if it makes a difference...
//header("Content-Type: application/octet-stream");
header("Content-Type: application/force-download");
//need the size of our file
header("Content-Length: $size");
// IE5.5 just downloads download.php if we don't do this...
// for now I only check on 5.5 but what if 6.0 has the same problem??
if(preg_match("/MSIE 5.5/", $HTTP_USER_AGENT)) {
header("Content-Disposition: filename=$my_name_is");
}
else {
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=$my_name_is");
}
header("Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary");
$fh = fopen("/path/to/the/download/dir/$what_to_get", "r");
fpassthru($fh);
exit;
?>

---

[Anon]

Update...

It doesn't work on a Mac either.
Tried IE5.0 and Communicator 4.7...

Please help...

Bert

[Anon]

Are you doing this to keep the files off your viewable web browser?

[Anon]

I don't want the user to lose the page that he starts the download from.
When someone downloads example.doc from a system that had MS Word installed, the document will open in the current page, so the user will have to press the back button to get back into the site. This is what I don't want to happen.
I could use a javascript popup but that is my last way out...

All tips appreciated...

Bert

[Anon]

Hi there,

i got a download-script and tested it on Mac Ns4x, mac ie5+ and pc ns4+, pc ie 5+.

It works fine for me.

I call it up like this:

download.php4?File=Yourfilename.xxx

here is the script:

if (strstr($HTTP_USER_AGENT, "MSIE"))
{
if ($platform=="mac") {
$attachment = " junk;";
header("Content-type: application/octet-stream");
}
else
{
$attachment = "";
header ("Content-type: application/force-download");
}

}
else
{
$attachment = " attachment;";
header("Content-type: application/octet-stream");
}
$pos=strrpos($File,"/");
$Filename=substr($File,$pos+1,strlen($File)-$pos);
header ("Content-Disposition:$attachment filename=$Filename");
header("Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary");
@readfile($File);
}

mfg,

Arno Schneider, 4u-mediagroup

[Anon]

Hello Arno
Where do you detect $platform=="mac"?

It also seems that something is missing in the script or the last } is an error.

I've tried just using this on a mac IE5:
header ("Content-Disposition: junk; filename=$Filename");
header("Content-type: application/octet-stream");

• but it still tries to open .mov-files.

Lars