Allowing a user to download files

mpar612

I'm relatively new to PHP (less than three months). I currently have a script that queries a database for paths to files that can be clicked on to download.

This is the code I am currently using to link to the files I would like users to download:

<td><a href=\"$name\" style=\"text-decoration: none\">$name</a></td>

This works, but obviously if the file to download is an image (jpg or gif) or an audio file the file is opened in a browser window.

How can I code this to prompt the user to download the file?

Thanks in advance!

zingbats

You can use headers

http://www.php.net/header

mpar612

Thanks! Now I'm having a little difficulty understanding how this works.

I have one file that has the following link:

<td><a href=\"download.php?path=../ftp/$path&name=$name\" target=\"_blank\">$name</a></font></b></td>

From what I have read the purpose of download.php is to contain the header information to download the file. This is the only code that I have in download.php:

<?php
$file = $_GET['file'];
$name = $_GET['name'];
header("Content-Type: application/octet-stream");
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=$name");
?>

When I click on the original link above a window pops up with the correct filename asking me if I want to open or save the file, but when I save it to a disk or try opening it, I do not get the file that is on the server. It is simply a blank file or I get an error from the program that is trying to open the file.

What I don't understand is how does download.php know which file to open? Am I taking the right approach to this?

Any feedback would be great. Thanks!