Downloading a file with a different name to the stored name

Question

Is it possible to let your user download a file with a different name?

For example, there is a file called "4324ffsd34.jpg". I want people to download it via download.php, with a different name (like "filetodownload.jpg"), without renaming the original file.

• Artelius: You can also do this in Apache with mod_rewrite without needing to hit your PHP scripts. May not be applicable to your situation, but if it is, it could improve performance.

Answer 1

Sure, use a Content-disposition header

header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="filetodownload.jpg"');

if you wish to provide a default filename, but not automatic download, this seems to work.

header('Content-Disposition: filename="filetodownload.jpg"');

• Utku Dalmaz: yes i can see now, thx :), but i guess i must also use "readfile('original.pdf');" to do it
• David Snabel-Caunt: Absolutely, and good to set the Content-Length and Content-Type too. You can use filesize() for the length and write your own function based on the extension to do content-type or use uk2.php.net/fileinfo
• RJ Anoop: @RULE101 you can either use readfile() or fread() to do it

Answer 2

Sure you can, just try something like this:

$original_filename = '4324ffsd34.jpg';
$new_filename = 'my_new_filename_is_detailled.jpg';
// headers to send your file
header("Content-Type: application/jpeg");
header("Content-Length: " . filesize($original_filename));
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . $new_filename . '"');
// upload the file to the user and quit
readfile($original_filename);
exit;

Hope it helps!

Answer 3

There is also another way if you are using html5

<a href="link/to/my/file/with/a/name/i/dont/like.jpg" download="MyFile.jpg">Download</a>

Cheers :3

• Manish Patel: download attribute is not work in safari, this is only work on crome ,firefox
• Webmaster G: Works for me. No one's using safari anymore. At least no one who's serious about browsing the web...

Answer 4

Nothing wrong with the above but I had to add:

ob_clean();
flush();

before readfile

otherwise I can not open the download jpg/png file

• viniciussss: Very usefull. Without it I was getting a corrupted file.

Answer 5

<a href="4324ffsd34.jpg" download="filetodownload">Download</a>

• Gayan Dasanayake: Note you don't have to specify file extension, it will be added by the browser.
• Gayan Dasanayake: This "download" attribute is only honored for links to resources with the same-origin.