file_put_contents and a new line help

Question

I've got a file that I'm writing to and I cannot get file_put_contents to append the next entry on a new line, even after a newline character. What am I missing? I'm on a windows machine.

$file = 'test.txt';
$message = "test\n\n";
file_put_contents($file, $message, FILE_APPEND);

score 118 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 24 '10 at 10:38

118

try

$file = 'test.txt';
$message = "test".PHP_EOL;
file_put_contents($file, $message, FILE_APPEND);

or

$file = 'test.txt';
$message = "test\r\n";
file_put_contents($file, $message, FILE_APPEND);

answered Feb 24 '10 at 10:38

Mathieu

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@Gordon -1 for using `PHP_EOL`! This constant is only useful if you use a file for internal purposes and is massively overused. In most cases, UNIX-friendly `\n` is a better choice. – Robo Robok May 28 '18 at 20:26
6

@RoboRobok question was about `\n` not working on a windows machine, `PHP_EOL` or `\r\n` seems very appropriate here. this is not about "most cases" – Mathieu Jun 27 '18 at 17:47

score 32 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 16 '11 at 22:42

32

For the PHP_EOL you may not be seeing your new line because you are defining the end of the line after you write your new line. Therefore the new line is only made after the new content is added to the last line of your text file.

it should read like this:

$file = 'test.txt';
$message = 'some message that should appear on the last line of test.txt';
file_put_contents($file, PHP_EOL . $message, FILE_APPEND);

answered Aug 16 '11 at 22:42

Zambiki

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This answer needs WAY more love. This fixed my issue. – ILikeTurtles Jul 18 '13 at 20:49

score 15 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 15 '12 at 10:27

15

how are you viewing the contents of $file? if you're using notepad you can't see \n.

edited Aug 15 '12 at 10:27

Alfred

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answered Feb 24 '10 at 10:31

bcosca

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Yes, in notepad.. Ok, so this is my problem then? Is there something that I can do to see the breaks in notepad? – jim Feb 24 '10 at 10:33
i use notepad2. download at www.flos-freeware.ch – bcosca Feb 24 '10 at 10:36
Volker, thanks. Also to you RockJock. That did the trick. I was doing \n\r which I guess makes a difference. – jim Feb 24 '10 at 10:37
Thanks rockjock. going there now. – jim Feb 24 '10 at 10:38

score 5 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 19 '13 at 07:49

5

Just give a normal new line and it works

$file = 'test.txt';
$message = "test
";
file_put_contents($file, $message, FILE_APPEND);

answered Jun 19 '13 at 07:49

Rayiez

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score 4 · Answer 5 · answered Apr 12 '14 at 19:53

4

For those who are passing the second argument to file_put_contents as an array rather than a string, it also works to put PHP_EOL as the last array element:

file_put_contents($file, array('value 1', 'value 2', PHP_EOL), FILE_APPEND);

answered Apr 12 '14 at 19:53

DJ Far

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score 2 · Answer 6 · edited Nov 27 '17 at 06:59

First, read something about the new line character. It is different for each operating system... There is LF, CR, CR+LF... Have a look here

On Windows, you need CR+LF (\r\n) as Mathieu already said. On Linux, only LF is needed (\n)

But, to be sure, use PHP_EOL.

In using files, you would probably need to know more about path and directory separators. They are also different. Use DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR instead of forward-slash or back-slash ;)

file_put_contents and a new line help

6 Answers6

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