Download Helper

The download helper assists in forcing downloading of files by presenting users with the “save as” dialog.

'force' forces a download of a file to the user's browser. This function is binary-safe and will work with any MIME type that Kohana is aware of.

• $filename - [string] filename of the file to be downloaded – default = ””
• $data - [string] data to be sent if the filename does not exist – default = ””
• $nicename - [string] suggested filename to display in the download – default = ””

Example:

// File path is relative to the front controller
download::force("file.txt");
 
// For a file located in application/downloads
 
// Use relative path
download::force('./application/downloads/file.txt');
 
// OR use the defined application path
download::force(APPPATH.'downloads/file.txt');
 
// Example usage in a controller
public function download($file)
{
    // Keep extra page output from being added to your file
    $this->auto_render = false;
    // Don't forget to 'return' the result otherwise nothing happens
    return download::force($file);
}
 
// Suggesting a file name - browser will prompt to save the file as 'latest-results.xml'
download::force($file, NULL, 'latest-results.xml');