header function and reloading of page

[anakadote]

ok, so there's obviously something i don't understand about the header function. I have a script that downloads files from my server. How i have it now is that the file name is a link to the same page with a variable appended telling it to download the file. when i click the link the file does download but the page doesn't reload and the attached variables aren't in the URL. the reason i want the page to reload is that everytime the file is downloaded it updates my mysql database telling it how many times it has been downloaded, and i want the new value to be displayed.

example link:

<?php

    echo '<a href="' . $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] . '?id=' . $whatever . '">the file name</a>';

?>

example code:

<?php

 if(!empty($_GET['id'])){

          (a query getting info)
          (a query updating times downloaded)

          header ("Content-Type: application/$ft");
	header ("Content-disposition: attachment; filename=$fn");
	header ("Content-Length: $fs");
	readfile ($the_file);

          (a query getting the new info)
 }

?>

[bpat1434]

Once headers are sent, they can't be recalled. So once you readfile(), you can't use header("Location:") or anything.

One way to solve this problem is to open that page up in a new window (so it displays a white page) and then when the user closes that window, your parent page refreshes with the new information.

i.e.

//download.php
 echo '<a href="getdl.php?id=' . $whatever . '" target="_blank">the file name</a>';


//getdl.php
 if(!empty($_GET['id'])){

(a query getting info)
(a query updating times downloaded)

header ("Content-Type: application/$ft");
header ("Content-disposition: attachment; filename=$fn");
header ("Content-Length: $fs");
readfile ($the_file); 

Then, just add soem javascript to download.php that catches when its child window has closed and the page will reload.

~Brett