Receiving empty file when downloaded - php

Question

I'm trying to download files form server using PHP by passing the path and file name through URL, like this:
<a class="downloadBtn" style="float:left;" href="download_file.php?folder=<?php echo $codrepresentante.'&file='.$nomeArquivo ?>" >download</a>
Then I receive this PHP file:
<?php
$fileName = $_GET['file'];
$coisa=urldecode($fileName);
$path= "http://localhost/portal/boletos/".$_GET["folder"];
$filePath = $path.'/'.$coisa;
echo "caminho: ".$filePath;
if(file_exists($filePath)){
// Define headers
header("Content-Description: File Transfer");
header("Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary");
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=".$coisa);
header('Content-Type: application/octet-stream');
header('Cache-Control: must-revalidate');
header('Content-Length: ' . filesize($coisa));
ob_clean();
flush();
// Read the file
echo readfile($filePath);
exit;
} else {
echo 'The file does not exist.';
}
?>
But I always get empty files or the The file does not exist response.
I got the $filePath variable and used in the browser to see if the path was wrong, but it worked, so the path is correct.
Could someone help me by indicating where I made a mistake?

Answer 1

Receiving empty file
Based on the code you've shown us, there shouldn't be any download at all.
echo "caminho: ".$filePath;
You're not seeing the errors PHP is reporting to you.
filesize($coisa)
That's the filename - not its full path.
but i always get empty files or the 'The file does not exist.'
So you don't get any download, zero length or other.
got the $filePath variable and used in the browser to see if the path was wrong
In the browser you specify a path relative to the document root - but in your PHP code your paths should be relative to the filesystem root.
You need to start by
learning how to describe an issue accurately
making sure you are capturing the error and warning messages PHP is telling you about
add instrumentation to your code so you can capture the internal state as the execution progresses
breakdown the coponent parts of what you are trying to achieve and test them in isolation