[Resolved] Moving info from array to string

jollyollie

I'm trying to create a php file that I can use with cron to transfer a file from an ftp server to my site every day. It is a real estate site and the file contains information from the local MultiList Service.

My difficulty is that the filename changes daily, thankfully within a set of parameters. The beginning letters "MF" and the ending letters "RESN001.zip" are constant, the middle of the filename changes by date and time. The time element is not standard, varying daily.

Here is what I've been able to do so far:

Download the file by setting the filename manually:

$local_file = "xxx.zip";
$server_file = "MFxxxxxxxxxxRESN001.zip;

$ret=ftp_get($conn_id, $local_file, $server_file, FTP_BINARY) or die ('Could not download: ' . mysql_error());
echo "Successfully written to $local_file\n";

Get the filename as part of an array (it is the only record in the array):

$contents = ftp_nlist($conn_id, "./MF*RESN001.zip");

var_dump($contents);

What I'm looking for is a way to cross these 2 pieces of information so I can set the $server_file to download the file name returned in the $contents variable. I'm having trouble because it is returned as an array rather than a string.

The second part of the question is, can (and how) do I handle having multiple file names in the array. I would like to download all of the files returned by a search (i.e. MFxxxxxxRESN001.zip, MFxxxxxxRESN002.zip, and MFxxxxxxRESN003.zip.)

I do want to have both options available if possible. (A single filename array or multiple filename array, though I guess the number of files in the array shouldn't matter. If it does 3, it will do 1.)

Thanks!

Installer

Is this what you mean?

$contents = ftp_nlist($conn_id, "./MF*RESN001.zip"); 
foreach ($contents as $server_file) {
    if (substr($server_file, 0, 2) == 'MF') {
        // I don't know how you name the local file,
        // but you would put the code for that here:
        $local_file = "xxx.zip";
        $ret = ftp_get($conn_id, $local_file, $server_file, FTP_BINARY) 
            or die ('Could not download: ' . mysql_error()); 
        echo "Successfully written to $local_file\n";
    }
}

jollyollie

Thanks so much for your input. For some reason that doesn't seem to do anything.

Installer

It does something for me. Let's see if we can figure out why not for you.

Are you establishing a connection successfully? Is your login successful? Can you access the server directory? Are you getting a directory listing? Are there any appropriate files in the directory? Is the download failing somehow?

If it didn't work for me, and I wanted to know why, I'd probably use a test script something like this:

$server = 'ftp.example.com';
$user = 'username';
$pword = 'password';
$server_dir = 'remote/directory/';
$local_dir = 'local/directory';

$conn_id = ftp_connect($server); 
if ($conn_id === false) {
    exit('Connection failed.');
} else {
    echo 'Connection succeeded.<br />';
}

$login = ftp_login($conn_id, $user, $pword); 
if (!$login) {
    ftp_close($conn_id);
    exit('Login failed.');
} else {
    echo 'Login succeeded.<br />';
}

$chdir = ftp_chdir($conn_id, $server_dir);
if (!$chdir) {
    ftp_close($conn_id);
    exit('Change directory failed.');
} else {
    echo 'Change directory succeeded.<br />';
}

$contents = ftp_nlist($conn_id, '.'); 
if ($contents === false) {
    ftp_close($conn_id);
    exit('Directory listing failed.');
} else {
    echo 'Directory listing succeeded.<br />';
}

$file_num = 0;
foreach ($contents as $server_file) {
    if (substr($server_file, 0, 2) == 'MF') {
        echo '<b>' . $server_dir . $server_file . '</b> --> ';
        // I don't know how you name the local file,
        // but you would put the code for that here:
        $local_file = 'xxx' . ++$file_num . '.zip';
        echo '<b>' . $local_dir . $local_file . '</b>';
        $ret = ftp_get($conn_id, $local_dir . $local_file, $server_file, FTP_BINARY); 
        if (!$ret) {
            echo '<b> failed.</b><br />';
            continue;
        } else {
            echo '<b> succeeded.</b><br />';
        }
    } else {
        echo $server_dir . $server_file . '<br />';
    }
} 
ftp_close($conn_id);
echo 'Done.';

jollyollie

Installer,

I sincerely appreciate your assistance in this. I've tracked a number of the elements and here is what I've arrived at, the problem was in the name of the file returned in the array.

The $contents piece has the following value :

Array ( [0] => ./MF050601060018302224RESN001.zip )

Which includes the leading character "./". I monkeyed with it creating a secondary variable called $server_file2 defined thusly:

$server_file2 = substr($server_file,2,31);

Now I simply updated the download script and, Bingo. Success!

Thank you so much for your help! I had tested the elements you mentioned before my posting, but didn't say that. The script I wrote had a if ... else to say whether the connection was successful. I put in a print_r command to show the $contents array results, it was just frustrating to have all the pieces, be so close, yet not be able to work it out.

You are the best!

Installer

I'm glad you got it working.

I guess what threw me is that I've never seen a server include the path info with the file name in a directory listing with ftp_nlist().