How to read a file in PHP?

by

PHP provides various functions to read data from the file. Different functions allow you to read all file data, read data line by line, and read data character by character.

PHP file read functions are given below:

  • fread()
  • fgets()
  • fgetc()

In PHP, you can read a file using several methods. One common approach is to use the file_get_contents() function. Here’s an example:

php
<?php
// Specify the file path
$filename = "example.txt";

// Read the file contents into a variable
$file_contents = file_get_contents($filename);

// Output the contents
echo $file_contents;
?>

Another method is to use the fopen(), fread(), and fclose() functions for more control:

php
<?php
// Specify the file path
$filename = "example.txt";

// Open the file for reading
$file_handle = fopen($filename, "r");

// Read the file line by line
while (!feof($file_handle)) {
$line = fgets($file_handle);
echo $line;
}

// Close the file handle
fclose($file_handle);
?>

These are two common methods for reading files in PHP. The choice between them depends on the specific requirements of your application.