FTP File Retrieval into PHP Variable: A Detailed Guide

When working with remote files, it's often necessary to read their contents into variables for further processing. PHP offers a range of functions to accomplish this task specifically for FTP servers.

Method Using file_get_contents()**

The file_get_contents() function is a straightforward solution for fetching file content from an FTP server. Its syntax is:

$contents = file_get_contents('ftp://username:password@hostname/path/to/file');

If the content is successfully retrieved, it will be stored in the $contents variable. This method is suitable for most use cases. However, if you need more control over the transfer process or encounter issues due to URL wrapper settings, an alternative approach is available.

Method Using ftp_fget()**

The ftp_fget() function provides finer control over file retrieval. It involves the following steps:

1. Establish an FTP connection using ftp_connect() and ftp_login().
2. Enable passive mode for certain FTP servers using ftp_pasv().
3. Open a temporary file pointer in memory using fopen() to store the file contents.
4. Initiate file transfer using ftp_fget(), specifying the remote file path, transfer mode, and offset if needed.
5. Read the file contents into a variable using fstat(), fseek(), and fread().

Code Snippet:

$conn_id = ftp_connect('hostname');
ftp_login($conn_id, 'username', 'password');
ftp_pasv($conn_id, true);

$h = fopen('php://temp', 'r ');
ftp_fget($conn_id, $h, '/path/to/file', FTP_BINARY, 0);
$fstats = fstat($h);
fseek($h, 0);
$contents = fread($h, $fstats['size']);

fclose($h);
ftp_close($conn_id);

This approach offers greater flexibility for advanced FTP file handling scenarios.