I have a php script that gets called via an ajax call. Values are sent to this script to build a pdf. I want to send the pdf to the browser, but since the script that builds the pdf returns to the page with the javascript I can't see how to do this. Any ideas?
I would recommend something a bit different. Instead of AJAX call make a redirect to an URL like this:
./path_to_pdf_script/script.php?param1=val1¶m2=val2
This script would be the one which generated the pdf. Place somewhere on top of the script this header:
header('Content-type: application/pdf');
And simply echo the string the pdf content is in. If you want the user to download this pdf instead of viewing you could do the AJAX call with the example found HERE:
from php.net
If you want the user to be prompted to save the data you are sending,
such as a generated PDF file, you can use the ยป Content-Disposition
header to supply a recommended filename and force the browser to
display the save dialog.
<?php
// We'll be outputting a PDF
header('Content-type: application/pdf');
// It will be called downloaded.pdf
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="downloaded.pdf"');
// The PDF source is in original.pdf
readfile('original.pdf');
?>
You could use an iframe instead of an ajax request and force-download the pdf file.
As you noticed, your AJAX call can't directly output the PDF to the browser. One workaround is to remove AJAX and send the user directly to the page that generates the PDF. This approach is very common and well documented. But there is a way to use AJAX to generate the PDF, so that the user will stay on the web page until the file is ready.
Your AJAX call could answer with a JSON object with 2 exclusive fields:
"pdfurl" if the pdf file was successfully created and written to the disk,
"errormsg" if there was an error.
Something like (in PHP):
<?php
//...
if (writepdf($filename, ...)) {
$result = array('pdfurl' => '/files/' . $filename);
} else {
$result = array('errormsg' => 'Error!');
}
echo json_encode($result);
Then the page's javascript could contain (jQuery example):
$.ajax({
type: "GET",
url: "ajaxcreatepdf.php",
data: {userid: 1},
dataType: "json",
success: function(data, textStatus) {
if (data.pdfurl) {
window.location.href = data.pdfurl;
}
else {
$("#messagebox").html(data.errormsg);
}
}
});
The Ajax request is not direct visible to the user, so a redirect make no sense
You need to load this PDF into an existing or new browser window after the ajax has returned.
Related
I am using PHPExcel to read an excel template, populate the data, and ask the user to download the file.
generate_excel.php
$objPHPExcel = PHPExcel_IOFactory::load("./template.xlsx");
//populate data ...
header('Content-Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment;filename="01simple.xlsx"');
header('Cache-Control: max-age=0');
$objWriter = PHPExcel_IOFactory::createWriter($objPHPExcel, 'Excel2007');
$objWriter->save('php://output');
When I open generate_excel.php directly from the browser, the result file is downloaded.
But if I make an ajax call to the generate_excel.php, I don't get the download prompt. Using chrome developer tools, I can see from the Network tab that the ajax call was successfully completed and a bunch of random characters is seen in the response data. I'm assuming that is the excel object.
Does anyone know how I can achieve the download excel feature using ajax? I don't want to refresh the page. When the user clicks on the "export" button, there should be an ajax call to the php file and prompt the user to download.
Thanks!
I looked for ways to pass JSON data with ajax to PHP and return an excel file (MySQL and PHPExcel) for the user to save.
I looked around and put some pieces together, hope it can help someone:
jQuery:
$("#exportBotton").on("click",function(event) {
event.preventDefault();
// create json object;
str_json = JSON.stringify({"key01":val01, "key02":val02, "key03":val03});
$.ajax({
type: "post",
data: str_json,
url: "../../includes/dbSelect_agentFormExport.php",
dataType: "json",
success: function(output){
// output returned value from PHP t
document.location.href =(output.url);
}
});
});
PHP:
$str_json = file_get_contents('php://input');
$objPHPExcel = new PHPExcel();
// here i populated objPHPExcel with mysql query result.....
function saveExcelToLocalFile($objWriter){
// make sure you have permission to write to directory
$filePath = '../tmp/saved_File.xlsx';
$objWriter->save($filePath);
return $filePath;
}
$objWriter = new PHPExcel_Writer_Excel2007($objPHPExcel);
$response = array(
'success' => true,
'url' => saveExcelToLocalFile($objWriter)
);
echo json_encode($response);
exit();
Not everything should be done with AJAX. Sometimes plain old HTML is more suitable for a job. I guess your button has a tag? Why won't you do something like this
Export to Excel
in your HTML? Note the target="_blank" part. It's there to make sure your page is not reloaded.
For input you can use construct
<form action="generate_excel.php" target="_blank"><input type="button">...whatever</form>
Here is an example of how to download a file using an AJAX call:
var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
xhr.open("GET", "path/to/file.ext", true);
xhr.responseType = "blob";
xhr.onload = function(e) {
if (xhr.status === 200) {
var a = document.createElement("a");
a.href = URL.createObjectURL(xhr.response);
a.download = "file.ext";
a.style.display = "none";
document.body.appendChild(a);
a.click();
}
};
xhr.send();
Found a way to do this, although I'm not sure if this is an ideal approach.
I added a hidden iframe in the page. When the ajax call returns, it returns the url of the created data. I used javascript to redirect the iframe to that url which automatically triggers the download action.
You can try this way:
Send a Jquery AJAX POST request with the data that is to be used to generate excel report, and store that data in a session variable. Return an arbitrary string like 'success' as the response.
If the output of the above AJAX call is 'success', then do a GET request to another URL in your application, that reads the data from session (stored in the first step, else throw an error), prepares an excel file out of that data, and forces the download of that excel file to the browser.
I've got a large form where the user is allowed to input many different fields, and when they're done I need to send the contents of the form to the server, process it, and then spit out a .txt file containing the results of the processing for them to download. Now, I'm all set except for the download part. Setting the headers on the response to the jQuery .post() doesn't seem to work. Is there any other way than doing some sort of iframe trick to make this work (a la JavaScript/jQuery to download file via POST with JSON data)?
Again, I'm sending data to the server, processing it, and then would like to just echo out the result with headers to prompt a download dialog. I don't want to write the result to disk, offer that for download, and then delete the file from the server.
Don't use AJAX. There is no cross-browser way to force the browser to show a save-as dialog in JavaScript for some arbitrary blob of data received from the server via AJAX. If you want the browser to interpret the results of a HTTP POST request (in this case, offering a download dialog) then don't issue the request via AJAX.
If you need to perform some kind of validation via AJAX, you'll have to do a two step process where your validation occurs via AJAX, and then the download is started by redirecting the browser to the URL where the .txt file can be found.
Found this thread while struggling with similar issue. Here's the workaround I ended up using:
$.post('genFile.php', {data : data}, function(url) {
$("body").append("<iframe src='download.php?url="+url+"' style='display: none;'></iframe>");
});
genFile.php creates the file in staging location using a randomly generated string for filename.
download.php reads the generated file, sets the MIME type and disposition (allowing to prompt using a predefined name instead of the random string in the actual filename), returns the file content and cleans up by deleting the source file.
[edit] might as well share the PHP code...
download.php:
<?php
$fname = "/tmp/".$_GET['url'];
header('Content-Type: text/xml');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="plan.xml"');
echo file_get_contents($fname);
unlink ($fname);
?>
genFile.php:
<?php
$length = 12;
$chars = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789";
$str = substr( str_shuffle( $chars ), 0, $length ).'.xml';
$fh = fopen(('tmp/'.$str), 'w') or die("can't open file");
fwrite($fh,$_POST["data"]);
fclose($fh);
echo $str;
?>
Rather than using jQuery's .post(), you should just do a normal POST by submitting the form, and have the server respond with appropriate Content-Encoding and MIME-type headers. You can't trigger a download through post() because jQuery encapsulates the returned data.
One thing I see in use rather frequently, though, is this:
$.post('generateFile.php', function(data) {
// generateFile builds data and stores it in a
// temporary location on the server, and returns
// the URL to the requester.
// For example, http://mysite.com/getFile.php?id=12345
// Open a new window to the returned URL which
// should prompt a download, assuming the server
// is sending the correct headers:
window.open(data);
});
I have a pdf file which is located off my webpage's root. I want to serve a file in ../cvs to my users using php.
Here is the code I have sofar:
header('Content-type: application/pdf');
$file = file_get_contents('/home/eamorr/sites/eios.com/www/cvs/'.$cv);
echo $file;
But when I call this php page, nothing gets printed! I'd like to simply serve the pdf file stored whose name is in $cv (e.g. $cv = 'xyz.pdf').
The ajax response to this PHP page returns the text of the pdf (gobbldy-gook!), but I want the file, not the gobbldy-gook!
I hope this makes sense.
Many thanks in advance,
Here's the AJAX I'm using
$('#getCurrentCV').click(function(){
var params={
type: "POST",
url: "./ajax/getCV.php",
data: "",
success: function(msg){
//msg is gobbldy-gook!
},
error: function(){
}
};
var result=$.ajax(params).responseText;
});
I'd like the user to be prompted to download the file.
Don't use XHR (Ajax), just link to a script like the one below. The HTTP headers the script outputs will instruct the browser to download the file, so the user will not navigate away from the current page.
<?php
// "sendfile.php"
//remove after testing - in particular, I'm concerned that our file is too large, and there's a memory_limit error happening that you're not seeing messages about.
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors',1);
$file = '/home/eamorr/sites/eios.com/www/cvs/'.$cv;
//check sanity and give meaning error messages
// (also, handle errors more gracefully here, you don't want to emit details about your
// filesystem in production code)
if (! file_exists($file)) die("$file does not exist!");
if (! is_readable($file)) die("$file is unreadable!");
//dump the file
header('Cache-Control: public');
header('Content-Type: application/pdf');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="some-file.pdf"');
header('Content-Length: '.filesize($file));
readfile($file);
?>
Then, simplify your javascript:
$('#getCurrentCV').click(function(){
document.location.href="sendfile.php";
});
How about using readfile instead? Provided that the file exists, that should work. Make sure your web process has permission to read the directory and the file. There is an example on the readfile page that sets some headers as well.
I'm trying to prompt the user to download the pdf file.
You can't (and don't need to) send a binary download to the user's browser using Ajax. You need to send the user to an actual URL where the PDF is located.
Use #timdev's code, and point the user there using e.g.
location.href = "scriptname.php";
It sounds like you're trying to serve the pdf to user for download via AJAX.
What you want to do is use AJAX to confirm the files exists, and security if any, then simply use js to redirect the browser to that files url, or in this case the url of the php script delivering the pdf. When your browser gets the pdf header it wont try to redirect the page itself but prompt for download, or whatever the users browser settings are.
Something like:
(js)
window.location.href = http://example.com/getApdf.php?which=xyz
(php)
if( !isset( $_GET['which'] ) ) die( 'no file specified' );
if( !file_exists( $_GET['which'] . '.pdf' ) ) die( 'file doesnt exist');
header('Content-type: application/pdf');
readfile( $_GET['which'] . '.pdf' );
I am using Yii Framework, TCPDF and jQuery to generate a pdf.
The pdf is generated by inputing in a form and submitting it using ajax.
The pdf is created but here is the problem when it returns to the client, it down not download.
here is the php code
$pdf->Output('Folder Label.pdf','D');
the jQuery on success function has
success: function(data) {
window.open(data);
}
Which i got from this site.
Can you please help
If the problem is that you are not getting the browser's download dialog for the PDF, then the solution is to do it this way:
First, redirect the browser (using window.location as the other answers say) to navigate to a special controller action in your application, e.g. with this url: http://your.application.com/download/pdf/filename.pdf.
Implement the action referenced in the URL like this:
public function actionPdf() {
header('Content-Type: application/pdf');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="filename.pdf";');
header('Content-Length: '.filesize('path/to/pdf'));
readfile('path/to/pdf');
Yii::app()->end();
}
This will cause the browser to download the file.
You need to save the PDF to somewhere on your server and then issue window.location = '/url/to/pdf-you-just-saved.pdf'; from your javascript. The users browser will then prompt them to download the PDF file.
in tcpdf , just pass this argument the Output method:
$pdf->Output('yourfilename.pdf', 'D');
that's all
Not quite, that will cause errors on some browsers, this is the correct way to set the window location.
window.location.assign( downloadUrlToPdf );
So
Send a request to make the pdf via Ajax to the server
Process and generate the pdf on the server
Return in the Ajax call the url to the file you just made
Use the above code fragment to open a download of said file
I'm trying to accomplish a fairly simple task for my website, but I"m not sure exactly how to go about it. I want the user to be viewing a table, then click a button, at which point the user can save the contents of that table as a csv file. This request can sometimes be quite complicated so I generate a progress page to alert the user.
I have most things figured out except actually generating the csv file. (I use jQuery and PHP)
the jQuery code run on click:
hmis_query_csv_export: function(query_name) {
$.uiLock('<p>Query Loading.</p><img src="/images/loading.gif" />')
$.get({
url: '/php_scripts/utils/csv_export.php',
data: {query_name: query_name},
success: function(data) {
$.uiUnlock();
}
});}
the relevant PHP:
header("Content-type: text/x-csv");
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=search_results.csv");
//
//Generate csv
//
echo $csvOutput
exit();
What this does is sends the text as the PHP file, but it's doesn't generate a download. What am I doing wrong?
If you are forcing a download, you can redirect the current page to the download link. Since the link will generate a download dialog, the current page (and its state) will be kept in place.
Basic approach:
$('a#query_name').click(function(){
$('#wait-animation').show();
document.location.href = '/php_scripts/utils/csv_export.php?query_name='+query_name;
$('#wait-animation').hide();
});
More complicated:
$('a#query_name').click(function(){
MyTimestamp = new Date().getTime(); // Meant to be global var
$('#wait-animation').show();
$.get('/php_scripts/utils/csv_export.php','timestamp='+MyTimestamp+'&query_name='query_name,function(){
document.location.href = '/php_scripts/utils/csv_export.php?timestamp='+MyTimestamp+'&query_name='+query_name;
$('#wait-animation').hide();
});
});
At PHP script:
#header("Last-Modified: " . #gmdate("D, d M Y H:i:s",$_GET['timestamp']) . " GMT");
#header("Content-type: text/x-csv");
// If the file is NOT requested via AJAX, force-download
if(!isset($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) || strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) != 'xmlhttprequest') {
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=search_results.csv");
}
//
//Generate csv
//
echo $csvOutput
exit();
The URL for both requests must be the same to trick the browser not to start a new download at document.location.href, but to save the copy at the cache. I'm not totally sure about it, but seems pretty promising.
EDIT I just tried this with a 10MB file and it seems that val() is too slow to insert the data. Hurrumph.
Okay, so I gave this one another go. This may or may not be completely insane! The idea is to make an AJAX request to create the data, then use the callback to insert the data into a hidden form on the current page which has an action of a third "download" page; after the insertion, the form is automatically submitted, the download page sends headers and echoes the POST, and et voila, download.
All the while, on the original page you've got an indication that the file is being prepared, and when it finishes the indicator is updated.
NOTE: this test code isn't tested extensively, and has no real security checks (or any at all) put in place. I tested it with a 1.5MB CSV file I had laying about and it was reasonably snappy.
Index.html
<a id="downloadlink" href="#">Click Me</a>
<div id="wait"></div>
<form id="hiddenform" method="POST" action="download.php">
<input type="hidden" id="filedata" name="data" value="">
</form>
test.js
$(document).ready(function(){
$("#downloadlink").click(function(){ // click the link to download
lock(); // start indicator
$.get("create.php",function(filedata){ // AJAX call returns with CSV file data
$("#filedata").val(filedata); // insert into the hidden form
unlock(); // update indicator
$("#hiddenform").submit(); // submit the form data to the download page
});
});
function lock(){
$("#wait").text("Creating File...");
}
function unlock(){
$("#wait").text("Done");
}
});
create.php
<?php
//create $data
print $data;
?>
download.php
<?php
header("Pragma: public");
header("Expires: 0");
header("Cache-Control: must-revalidate, post-check=0, pre-check=0");
header("Content-Type: text/x-csv");
header("Content-Disposition: attachment;filename=\"search_results.csv\"");
if($_POST['data']){
print $_POST['data'];
}
?>
The best way to accomplish this is to use a Data URI as follows:
Make the AJAX call to the server as per normal
Generate the CSV on the server-side
Return the data (either bare or inside a JSON structure)
Create a Data URI in Javascript using the returned data
Set window.location.href to the Data URI
See this link for instructions (paragraph #3, specifically): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_URI_scheme
This way, you don't need to save any files on the server, and you also don't need to use iframes or hidden form elements or any such hacks.
I don't think you can make the browser download using a AJAX/JS request. Try using a hidden iframe that navigates to the page which generates the CSV
Well the point of using AJAX is to avoid a visible reload of the page. If you want a download, you want the opposite,- a brand new request from the browser. I'd say, just create a simple button pointing to your php page.
To echo and expand on what others have said, you can't really send the file using AJAX. One of the reasons for this is (and someone correct me if I'm wrong on this, please) that the page you're currently on already has sent its content headers; you can't send them again to the same window, even with an AJAX request (which is what your PHP file is attempting to do).
What I've done before in projects is to simply provide a link (with target="_blank" or javascript redirect) to a separate download PHP page. If you're using Apache, check out mod_xsendfile as well.