serving-files

Serving Files over HTTP

Demonstrates using view() to serve files to the browser with proper HTTP headers.

What It Covers

• Serving a file inline (displayed in the browser) with view(false)
• Forcing a download dialog with view(true)
• Automatic HTTP header management:
  • Content-Type based on MIME detection
  • Accept-Ranges: bytes for range request support
  • Content-Length
  • Content-Disposition with the filename (inline or attachment)
  • Content-Range for partial content responses (HTTP 206)

How to Run

This example must be run with a web server, not CLI:

php -S localhost:8080 examples/serving-files.php

Then visit:

• http://localhost:8080 — displays the file inline
• http://localhost:8080?download=1 — triggers a download dialog

Key Methods

• File::view(bool $asAttachment = false) — Sends the file content to the client with appropriate HTTP headers. If raw data is empty, it calls read() first. Pass true to force a download instead of inline display.