Using PHP to create a .txt file

[daniel0012]

My goal is to have an HTML form that create a text file. The problem I am facing is that i want to get the file name from one of the form fields.
Is there anyway to do that?

[brealmz]

do you want to append the text file everytime it was submitted? or create another text file?

The problem I am facing is that i want to get the file name from one of the form fields

name of form fields or from user input?

ill get back to you as soon as this is clear.

if possible post all of form fields involved so i can give you the more clear answer

[exam]

Originally Posted by daniel0012

My goal is to have an HTML form that create a text file. The problem I am facing is that i want to get the file name from one of the form fields.
Is there anyway to do that?

Explain exactly what you want to accomplish, and I'll tell you how to accomplish it.

[daniel0012]

I have a form with the fields,
event
date
time
description
file

When thats proccesed, I want it to create a text file with the name the user put in the file box. I want the text file to look like this

<tr>
    <td><b>
Event
</b></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>
Date
</td>
  </tr>
<tr>
<td>
Time
</td>
</tr>
  <tr>
    <td style="padding-bottom: 10px;">
"Description"
</td>
&nbsp;
  </tr>
<br />

which will be put into a directory.

[Arenlor]

Do you have PHP? If so then creating this will be simple.

[exam]

PHP Code:


// Make the filename safe for the OS (remove anything but letters, numbers, ., _, and -)
$file = preg_replace ('/[^a-zA-Z0-9\._-]/', '', $_POST['file']);

$cont = '<tr><td><b>'.$_POST['event'].'</b></td></tr><tr><td>'.$_POST['date'].'</td></tr><tr><td>'.$_POST['time'].'</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-bottom: 10px;">"'.$_POST['description'].'"</td>&nbsp;  </tr><br />';

$f = fopen ($file, 'w');
fputs ($f, $cont);
fclose ($f); 


That's very simplistic, you need to sanitize all user input before using it, but it'll give you an idea of how to go about it. Note that I'm using the $_POST supervariable to access the data, change this if you're submitting the form via GET.

[daniel0012]

Originally Posted by exam

PHP Code:


// Make the filename safe for the OS (remove anything but letters, numbers, ., _, and -)
$file = preg_replace ('/[^a-zA-Z0-9\._-]/', '', $_POST['file']);

$cont = '<tr><td><b>'.$_POST['event'].'</b></td></tr><tr><td>'.$_POST['date'].'</td></tr><tr><td>'.$_POST['time'].'</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-bottom: 10px;">"'.$_POST['description'].'"</td>&nbsp;  </tr><br />';

$f = fopen ($file, 'w');
fputs ($f, $cont);
fclose ($f); 


That's very simplistic, you need to sanitize all user input before using it, but it'll give you an idea of how to go about it. Note that I'm using the $_POST supervariable to access the data, change this if you're submitting the form via GET.

Would this have to be in the same directory that the text files are going?

[exam]

As it is now, yes. But you can just prepend an absolute path to the beginning of the $file variable, and put it where ever you want.

[daniel0012]

How would I do that?

[exam]

For example, you could do:

$file = 'files/'.$file;

After the preg_replace line, to put all the files in a folder called "files" in the current directory.

[daniel0012]

I get the error

Warning: fopen(.../events/) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 29

Warning: fputs(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 30

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 31

Lines 29-31 are

$f = fopen ($file, 'w');
fputs ($f, $cont);
fclose ($f);

[Arenlor]

create the directory events and let us know if you're still receiving this error.

[daniel0012]

I did and it still shows the same errors.

	$file = preg_replace ('/[^a-zA-Z0-9\._-]/', '', $_POST['file']);
	$file = '../'.'events/'.$file;

Is that code correct?

[brealmz]

try this instead;
$file = preg_replace ('/[^a-zA-Z0-9\._-]/', '', $_POST['file']);
$file = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/event/'.$file

[daniel0012]

Now I'm not getting any errors but it isn't creating the file.

Here is the code:

<?php

		
	$event = $_POST['event'];
	$date = $_POST['date'];
	$time = $_POST['time'];
	$description = $_POST['description'];
	$file = preg_replace ('/[^a-zA-Z0-9\._-]/', '', $_POST['file']);
	$file = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/event/'.$file;

$cont = '<tr><td><b>'.$_POST['event'].'</b></td></tr><tr><td>'.$_POST['date'].'</td></tr><tr><td>'.$_POST['time'].'</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-bottom: 10px;">"'.$_POST['description'].'"</td>&nbsp;  </tr><br />';

$f = fopen ($file, 'w');
fputs ($f, $cont);
fclose ($f);
?>

[brealmz]

do you have a file permission?
what are your error reporting settings?
there must be something wrong with the code.

at the top write this.
error_reporting(E_ALL);

see if it will give you an error

[daniel0012]

Notice: Undefined index: event in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 20

Notice: Undefined index: date in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 21

Notice: Undefined index: time in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 22

Notice: Undefined index: description in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 23

Notice: Undefined index: file in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 24

Notice: Undefined index: event in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 27

Notice: Undefined index: date in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 27

Notice: Undefined index: time in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 27

Notice: Undefined index: description in /home/scabapti/public_html/test/add/add_event_form.php on line 27

I changed the permissions and I got this error.

[brealmz]

the problem was clear your POST variable was empty..
check you form and make sure you have method="post" attribute or else it will be defaulted to GET method.

[daniel0012]

<form action="add_event_form.php" method="post">

This is the first line of the form.

[brealmz]

that was weird. use:
var_dump($_POST);

to verify if your post variable was not empty

also is your php code and your form in different file?

also check if your form tag was properly closed.