I’m working on a web application and need to create functionality where users can either view files directly in their browser or download them to their computer. This should work exactly like email attachment handling where you get two options. When someone clicks the view option, the file should open right in the browser window. When they choose the download option, it should trigger a save dialog so they can store the file locally on their device. I’m using PHP for the backend and wondering what’s the best approach to implement this dual functionality. Should I use different headers for each action or is there a more elegant solution? Any code examples would be really helpful since I’m still learning how to handle file operations properly.
I’ve built this before - use one endpoint with proper parameter handling. Check file extensions and set the right MIME types, or you’ll get browsers trying to download PDFs that should display inline, or rendering binary files that should download. File size limits caught me off guard initially. For larger files, you need chunked reading or you’ll run out of memory. And sanitize those file paths - learned that lesson when someone tried accessing files outside the directory I wanted. The header approach others mentioned works, but don’t forget Content-Length. Users want to see download progress.
To achieve file viewing and downloading features, focus on using the correct Content-Disposition headers. Set it to ‘inline’ for files you want displayed in the browser and ‘attachment’ for those to be downloaded. Always ensure the Content-Type header is set appropriately as well; for instance, PDFs require it for proper browser display. Additionally, validating your file paths is crucial to prevent security risks like directory traversal. For large files, consider using readfile() to manage memory usage efficiently. Once you grasp these concepts, implementing the functionality becomes straightforward.
u’ll need two separate PHP scripts or one script with a parameter. something like filehandler.php?action=view vs filehandler.php?action=download. for viewing, use header(‘Content-Disposition: inline’). for downloads, use header(‘Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=“yourfile.pdf”’). set proper MIME types too - browsers get confused without them.