Make Link for Dynamically Made Css File

ClevaTreva

I've been hunting around but can't find the answer to my question, so here goes.

I've made a tool that makes css for the visitor to download based on selections made via a form. This css is held in a variable called $csscode. At the moment the only way I can figure to give it to the user is via a textarea, where they can cut and paste it.

I would rather have a link (or button) they can press that pops up the file..save as dialog (or similar) so they can save it right there. I do not want to make a file on my server, as it would quickly get clogged up.

What I thought to do was make a link like this:

<a href="givememycss.php?csscode=$csscode">Click Here to Download CSS</a>

I aslo figured that the givememycss file might need headers, maybe like this:

<?php
header("Content-type: text/css");
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=usercss.css");
?>

But what else? Was my idea sound, missing something, what?

Trevor

dotbob

you were correct with the headers.

Putting these at the top of a page will force a file download dialogue.

Good idea to pass the newly formed CSS over to another page. I would simply echo out the data into the page.

I had a similar problem and found that even with the new data POSTed to the page that would end up being downloaded, because the data was sent after the header, it was downloading a blank file. The way I got around this was to use output buffering and this worked a treat.

For example:

ob_start(); //start the buffer
echo $data; //echo the POSTed data
//now write the headers that will force the file download
header("Content-type: application/doc");
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=".$filename);
ob_end_flush();//end the buffer

The reason that I POSTed the data to the new page was that sending data via a URL does have a size limit. Plus it looks much tidier to the user.

Anyway, give it a go.

Hope this helps

ClevaTreva

dotbob, you are a *

Worked like a charm. I knew I was nearly there, but nearly isn't good enough.

Trevor

dotbob

glad to be of help mate.

🙂