ftp_fget() function in PHP

The ftp_fget() function downloads a file from an FTP server and saves it directly into an open local file resource. This function is useful when you need to download files from a remote FTP server and store them locally.

Syntax

ftp_fget(con, open_file, server_file, mode, startpos);

Parameters

• con − The FTP connection resource created by ftp_connect()

• open_file − An open file resource where the downloaded data will be stored

• server_file − The path to the file on the FTP server to download

• mode − The transfer mode (FTP_ASCII or FTP_BINARY)

• startpos − The position in the remote file to start downloading from (optional, added in PHP 4.3.0)

Return Value

The ftp_fget() function returns TRUE on success and FALSE on failure.

Example

The following example demonstrates downloading a server file "demo.txt" and saving it to an open local file "new.txt" −

<?php
    $ftp_server = "192.168.0.4";
    $ftp_user = "amit";
    $ftp_pass = "tywg61gh";
    
    // Connect to FTP server
    $con = ftp_connect($ftp_server) or die("Could not connect to $ftp_server");
    $login = ftp_login($con, $ftp_user, $ftp_pass);
    
    $my_serverfile = "demo.txt";
    $local_file = "new.txt";
    
    // Open local file for writing
    $file_pointer = fopen($local_file, "w");
    
    // Download file from server to local file
    if (ftp_fget($con, $file_pointer, $my_serverfile, FTP_ASCII, 0)) {
        echo "Written to $local_file!";
    } else {
        echo "Error in downloading the $my_serverfile!";
    }
    
    // Close connections
    ftp_close($con);
    fclose($file_pointer);
?>

Key Points

• The local file must be opened with fopen() before using ftp_fget()

• Use FTP_BINARY mode for binary files (images, executables) and FTP_ASCII for text files

• Always close both the FTP connection and file pointer after use

• The function requires an active FTP connection established with ftp_connect() and ftp_login()

Conclusion

The ftp_fget() function provides an efficient way to download files from FTP servers directly into local file resources. Remember to handle errors properly and close all connections when finished.