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PHP file_get_contents() Function

PHP Filesystem Reference Complete PHP Filesystem Reference

Definition and Usage

The file_get_contents() reads a file into a string.

This function is the preferred way to read the contents of a file into a string. Because it will use memory mapping techniques, if this is supported by the server, to enhance performance.

Syntax

file_get_contents(path,include_path,context,start,max_length)

Parameter Description
path Required. Specifies the file to read
include_path Optional. Set this parameter to '1' if you want to search for the file in the include_path (in php.ini) as well
context Optional. Specifies the context of the file handle. Context is a set of options that can modify the behavior of a stream. Can be skipped by using NULL.
start Optional. Specifies where in the file to start reading. This parameter was added in PHP 5.1
max_length Optional. Specifies how many bytes to read. This parameter was added in PHP 5.1

Tips and Notes

Tip: This function is binary-safe (meaning that both binary data, like images, and character data can be written with this function).

Example

<?php
echo file_get_contents("test.txt");
?>

The output of the code above will be:

This is a test file with test text.

PHP Filesystem Reference Complete PHP Filesystem Reference
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