Export a table to CSV

[ClosedGL]

I'm using PHP and MySQL to produce a table of figures in a webpage. Nothing special there, but what I would like to do is continue to do this but also provide a button at the bottom of the page marked "Export as CSV". When the user clicks this link I would like all of the data to be automagically pumped into a CSV file and a Save As... dialog prompting the user to appear on the screen.

I realise that the following code will go somewhere to helping, but I'm not sure how to make the button trigger the execution of this code.

$size_in_bytes = strlen($csv_output);
header("Content-disposition: attachment; filename=" .
date("Y-m-d").".csv; size=$size_in_bytes");

Its Tuesday today and I swear my brain thinks it's Monday.

Thanks for your help in advance

[dreamcatcher]

Hi,

Check out the PHP Scripts Repository, there are a few classes there for generating CSV files that work pretty well.

http://www.phpclasses.org [phpclasses.org]

dc

[jatar_k]

we have one here
Generating a CSV for Download from MySQL [webmasterworld.com] msg 9

from our PHP LIbrary [webmasterworld.com]

though coopster found a bug when trying to save the file, for me it works perfectly in the scenario you described

[coopster]

Yeah, MS IE chokes on the "attachment" disposition. Actually, it won't if you get prompted and click "Save" but if you click "Open" during the dialog it pukes out. However, change the disposition to "inline" and it will open the pushed content in the browser.

Note, this only happens on data pushed to the browser via echo/print. Files read from the filesystem work like a charm.

[jatar_k]

coop just likes breaking all my stuff ;)

[coopster]

hehe, not at all. I'll figure this one out ... eventually.

[coopster]

Eventually has finally arrived. I'll probably do a better write-up on this, but for those who can't wait, the issue has to do with content negotiation and MSIE's (incorrect) handling of it. You can get all your headers right, you can have it working in every browser, but you throw content negotiation into the mix and MSIE pukes.

The simple resolution? Add a directive to your Apache configuration ...

<Files mydownloadscript.php> 
    BrowserMatch MSIE force-no-vary 
</Files>

[dreamcatcher]

Coop,

Isn`t there a way round it using 'application/octetstream' or 'application/octet-stream' headers for Opera or IE? I thought I read this somewhere? Maybe PHP.net?

dc

[jatar_k]

yeah dc, that is supposed to work and the code I linked to has that in it and works flawlessly for me but coop was having an issue with IE trying to be helpful when you would save the file and then open it, just wouldn't work.

hence the long pounding of forehead against keyboard trying to keep IE from screwing things up as usual.

The fix above finally made it be adult about the whole thing and do what it was told. ;)

[dreamcatcher]

Thanks jatar_k. Just think though, if there weren`t all these issues with browsers, it wouldn`t be half as much fun. :)

[jatar_k]

I'm gettin old, I could use a little less fun ;)

[ergophobe]

I'm gettin old,

Well, I'm pretty sure I have at least a decade on you and I can say that I've been debugging your posts and I think I've found your problem:

The fix above finally made it be adult about the whole thing and do what it was told. ;)

Adults don't do what they're told. Not unless they want to get old before their time.

[jatar_k]

ClosedGL,

after we drove your topic painfully into another discussion altogether did you get it all figured out?

>> at least a decade

at very least, hehe