Where is my file?

superthin · 08-22-2008, 04:52 AM

Hi every body,

I am creating a small project to manage some books for my team. Exporting database to an Excel (*.xls) file is very important because an the team's member will use that file to import into an barcode printing application.

I found Class: MS-Excel Stream Handler (excel, xls, spreadsheet, read excel) - PHP Classes . This class is useful. I could get an Excel file like I expected (through download, cannot find file on server).

The problem was I cannot understand:

Code:

// line 9 to 15 in example_export.php from the class above

require_once "excel.php";
$export_file = "xlsfile://tmp/example.xls";
$fp = fopen($export_file, "wb");
if (!is_resource($fp))
{
    die("Cannot open $export_file");
}

$export_file = "xlsfile://tmp/example.xls";

What is xlsfile:// ? The class's author said that. It is protocol to generate Excel file.

I cannot find example.xls in any folder on my PC. If I change xlsfile://tmp/example.xls into absolute path like xlsfile://C:/temp/example.xls or any another, an error:

Quote:

Warning: fopen(xlsfile://c:/temp/example.xls) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: "xlsStream::stream_open" call failed in...
(view source is $fp = fopen($export_file, "wb"); )

How to fix to get generated file?

I use Windows XP Service Pack 2. The web server is localhost use AppServ 2.5.10. The web server was installed in C:\AppServ as default.

Please tell me can I get my file. Which file was generated and store on server (NOT from download).

Thank you.

tripy · 08-26-2008, 12:20 PM

xlsfile:// is known as a protocol for your browser. Think like http://, or ftp://, or file://
Probably, it's used by IE and excel to open an excel file without having to physically create it.

But what strikes me is that you have an unix/linux/bsd file path notation in there:
/tmp/example.xls

Try maybe to look in the temp folder of your server/user, as /tmp is the regular temp place on linux.

But by the way, it's even way simpler than that...
Simply create an html table, and send an header like this:

PHP Code:


			
header("Content-Type:  application/vnd.ms-excel");
header("Expires: 0");
header("Cache-Control: must-revalidate, post-check=0, pre-check=0");

before writing the table. Excel will open the html table like it was an spreadsheet...

rin · 07-25-2009, 01:01 AM

Hellow~ :)

I think you have two files.

1. excel.php (74th row)

PHP Code:


			
$this->xlsfilename = '/' . $url['host'] . $url['path'];

↓↓

PHP Code:


			
$this->xlsfilename = $url['host'] . $url['path'];

Because '/' means absolute path.
We want relative path.

2. And you have another download page like your code.

PHP Code:


			
// line 9 to 15 in example_export.php from the class above



require_once "excel.php";

$export_file = "xlsfile://tmp/example.xls";

$fp = fopen($export_file, "wb");

if (!is_resource($fp))

{

    die("Cannot open $export_file");

}

This is point!

First, 'excel.php' and 'download page' and the directory name 'tmp' located in the same directory!

Second, you must look 'tmp' directory's permission. I think this permission should be 757 at least.

english is not my native language.
so I'm hard writing english.
anything.. good luck!

Salathe · 07-25-2009, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superthin

What is xlsfile:// ?

It is a custom stream wrapper written by the author of that class.

Quote:

Originally Posted by superthin

I cannot find example.xls in any folder on my PC. If I change xlsfile://tmp/example.xls into absolute path like xlsfile://C:/temp/example.xls or any another, an error

It should be at C:/tmp/example.xls. The other paths fail because they are not available to be written to. The class is silly in that all paths are converted into absolute ones from the root of the main drive of the machine, not relative to the script.

It would be advisable to fix the class to work as expected; relative to the current working directory unless an absolute, full path is specified. It is also advisable to turn your error reporting to the most aggressive setting during development: like error_reporting(E_ALL | E_STRICT).