How to upload and parse a CSV file in php

Question

I want to upload a csv file with php. After the file is uploaded, I want to display the data of the CSV file. I would like an example how to accomplish this task.

[Handling file uploads](http://www.php.net/manual/en/features.file-upload.php) in the PHP manual — Pekka, Apr 08 '11 at 10:02
[`fgetcsv()`](http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.fgetcsv.php) in the PHP manual — Pekka, Apr 08 '11 at 10:02
You didn't find any tutorial that explains uploading files with PHP? I bet there are some... — Felix Kling, Apr 08 '11 at 10:03
i am confused to choose a plugin,Suggest me a best plugin to upload files in php. — n92, Apr 08 '11 at 10:18
there's no "plugins" in PHP, extensions at most, and you don't need any to handle uploads. — Capsule, Apr 08 '11 at 10:21
Dup of [parse csv file php](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3930061/), [Quick php file upload guide](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3696803/) — outis, Dec 26 '11 at 07:37

score 171 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 09 '15 at 15:22

171

This can be done in a much simpler manner now.

$tmpName = $_FILES['csv']['tmp_name'];
$csvAsArray = array_map('str_getcsv', file($tmpName));

This will return you a parsed array of your CSV data. Then you can just loop through it using a foreach statement.

answered Jan 09 '15 at 15:22

Thomas Clowes

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In addition of this brilliant solution, using `explode(, $csv)` you can separate each field and have an array of fields inside each element of the CSV array. – Villapalos May 18 '16 at 10:58
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$csvAsArray = array_map('str_getcsv', file($_FILES['csv']['tmp_name'])); Incase you needed it any simpler. – dvaey Sep 29 '17 at 15:16
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While this seems to be quick and easy, it is not a complete or secure solution. It should at least involve move_uploaded_file() to ensure that the file was actually uploaded via $_POST; and secondly there is no check to see if this is a CSV file. Try uploading some graphics instead and look what's inside $csvAsArray ... ! – Coder Dec 01 '17 at 17:38
very brilliant answer. – Sarower Jahan Mar 22 '19 at 18:49
I have an issue. If I opened using the usual fopen, my text is like this ["19","This is a \nlonger\nscrolling name","NULL"]. If I used the method above it became ["19","This is a \n"],["longer"],["scrolling name\"","NULL"]. Anyone else had similar issue? – phantomhive Jul 27 '20 at 14:28

score 75 · Answer 2 · edited Dec 30 '14 at 20:54

75

untested but should give you the idea. the view:

<form action="upload.php" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<input type="file" name="csv" value="" />
<input type="submit" name="submit" value="Save" /></form>

upload.php controller:


$csv = array();

// check there are no errors
if($_FILES['csv']['error'] == 0){
    $name = $_FILES['csv']['name'];
    $ext = strtolower(end(explode('.', $_FILES['csv']['name'])));
    $type = $_FILES['csv']['type'];
    $tmpName = $_FILES['csv']['tmp_name'];

    // check the file is a csv
    if($ext === 'csv'){
        if(($handle = fopen($tmpName, 'r')) !== FALSE) {
            // necessary if a large csv file
            set_time_limit(0);

            $row = 0;

            while(($data = fgetcsv($handle, 1000, ',')) !== FALSE) {
                // number of fields in the csv
                $col_count = count($data);

                // get the values from the csv
                $csv[$row]['col1'] = $data[0];
                $csv[$row]['col2'] = $data[1];

                // inc the row
                $row++;
            }
            fclose($handle);
        }
    }
}

edited Dec 30 '14 at 20:54

Syntax Error

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answered Apr 08 '11 at 10:37

xylar

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Quick question the file will be removed after the parse right? its just temp stored under the temp folder am i correct? – Bill Jul 22 '13 at 11:33
1

A good solution, but not sure why you are only grabbing the first two columns of each row? Also, `$csv[$row]['row1'] = $data[0];` is misleading, it should be `$csv[$row]['column1'] = $data[0];`. In any case, a better solution is just to use `$csv[$row]=$data` and make a multi-dimensional array with the whole file. – kmoney12 Sep 20 '13 at 07:36
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it's better to check MIME instead of file extension. – Raptor Dec 18 '13 at 12:35
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Thanks for this solution. I edited $num to $col_count and the row1, row2 indexes to col1, col2 since that's what they are and it was the only confusing part. Instead of disabling execution time, what I usually do is set_time_limit(60) inside the while loop so it stays reset as long as we're reading the rows and then starts to count down again after that's done. That way if there is some other issue after exiting the loop then it will time out like it's supposed to and we don't have to worry about how long the file will be. – Syntax Error Dec 30 '14 at 21:00
@Bruce To my understanding, it may be removed or overwritten by future saves, but this would be a by-product of those interactions. As such, dont count on it to be stored permanently deleted or saved unless you explicitly declare it so. – Seraphendipity Jul 24 '19 at 15:08

score 52 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 20 '19 at 18:35

Although you could easily find a tutorial how to handle file uploads with php, and there are functions (manual) to handle CSVs, I will post some code because just a few days ago I worked on a project, including a bit of code you could use...

HTML:

<table width="600">
<form action="<?php echo $_SERVER["PHP_SELF"]; ?>" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">

<tr>
<td width="20%">Select file</td>
<td width="80%"><input type="file" name="file" id="file" /></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td>Submit</td>
<td><input type="submit" name="submit" /></td>
</tr>

</form>
</table>

PHP:

if ( isset($_POST["submit"]) ) {

   if ( isset($_FILES["file"])) {

            //if there was an error uploading the file
        if ($_FILES["file"]["error"] > 0) {
            echo "Return Code: " . $_FILES["file"]["error"] . "<br />";

        }
        else {
                 //Print file details
             echo "Upload: " . $_FILES["file"]["name"] . "<br />";
             echo "Type: " . $_FILES["file"]["type"] . "<br />";
             echo "Size: " . ($_FILES["file"]["size"] / 1024) . " Kb<br />";
             echo "Temp file: " . $_FILES["file"]["tmp_name"] . "<br />";

                 //if file already exists
             if (file_exists("upload/" . $_FILES["file"]["name"])) {
            echo $_FILES["file"]["name"] . " already exists. ";
             }
             else {
                    //Store file in directory "upload" with the name of "uploaded_file.txt"
            $storagename = "uploaded_file.txt";
            move_uploaded_file($_FILES["file"]["tmp_name"], "upload/" . $storagename);
            echo "Stored in: " . "upload/" . $_FILES["file"]["name"] . "<br />";
            }
        }
     } else {
             echo "No file selected <br />";
     }
}

I know there must be an easier way to do this, but I read the CSV file and store the single cells of every record in an two dimensional array.

if ( isset($storagename) && $file = fopen( "upload/" . $storagename , r ) ) {

    echo "File opened.<br />";

    $firstline = fgets ($file, 4096 );
        //Gets the number of fields, in CSV-files the names of the fields are mostly given in the first line
    $num = strlen($firstline) - strlen(str_replace(";", "", $firstline));

        //save the different fields of the firstline in an array called fields
    $fields = array();
    $fields = explode( ";", $firstline, ($num+1) );

    $line = array();
    $i = 0;

        //CSV: one line is one record and the cells/fields are seperated by ";"
        //so $dsatz is an two dimensional array saving the records like this: $dsatz[number of record][number of cell]
    while ( $line[$i] = fgets ($file, 4096) ) {

        $dsatz[$i] = array();
        $dsatz[$i] = explode( ";", $line[$i], ($num+1) );

        $i++;
    }

        echo "<table>";
        echo "<tr>";
    for ( $k = 0; $k != ($num+1); $k++ ) {
        echo "<td>" . $fields[$k] . "</td>";
    }
        echo "</tr>";

    foreach ($dsatz as $key => $number) {
                //new table row for every record
        echo "<tr>";
        foreach ($number as $k => $content) {
                        //new table cell for every field of the record
            echo "<td>" . $content . "</td>";
        }
    }

    echo "</table>";
}

So I hope this will help, it is just a small snippet of code and I have not tested it, because I used it slightly different. The comments should explain everything.

what if some one wanted to save the `$content` obtained from the inner `foreach` loop in the text-fields? I am trying to do this here : http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14536221/how-to-pass-the-data-into-the-text-fields — Sumit Gera, Jan 27 '13 at 16:12
The answer below using fgetcsv looks better because it should handle escaped characters correctly. — amh15, Jul 22 '13 at 18:09
Why you are uploading the File, Can we read the File With out save at Server .? — Mr world wide, Sep 22 '16 at 18:24
I am with @amh15 I fail to understand why an attempt to reinvent the standard library functions, will fewer checks, is 1) accepted and 2) upvoted so much. Do yourself a favo(u)r, future reader and read http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.fgetcsv.php — Mawg says reinstate Monica, Jan 28 '17 at 11:11
@Mrworldwide PHP is a server-side program, thus you must either upload the file or use AJAX JS to send the data back to the server. You could read without saving in JS (in which case look at Papa Parse), but this Q and is explicitly for a PHP solution: "...after I uploaded the file...". — Seraphendipity, Jul 24 '19 at 15:04
This is great! For usage in Wordpress, the admin page's full URL is necessary for use in the form's "action" parameter. I found a good way to get this here: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/get-the-full-url-in-php/ — Chris Chalmers, Oct 11 '19 at 17:54

score 4 · Answer 4 · edited Nov 18 '21 at 18:35

I have created below snippet with the help of @Thomas Clowes answer

$tmpName = $_FILES['csv']['tmp_name'];

$csv_data = array_map('str_getcsv', file($tmpName));

array_walk($csv_data , function(&$x) use ($csv_data) {
  $x = array_combine($csv_data[0], $x);
});

/** 
*
* array_shift = remove first value of array 
* in csv file header was the first value
* 
*/
array_shift($csv_data);

// Print Result Data
echo '<pre/>';
print_r($csv_data);

It will get result like below

 Array
(
   [0] => Array
    (
        
        [make] => Audi
        [model] => S4
        [grade] => 
        [chassis] => WAUZZZ8K9DA076529
        [year] => 2012
        [kms] => 127000
        [color] => White
        [doors] => 4
        [cc] => 3000
        [engineno] => 
        [trans] => FAT
        [fueltype] => P
        [condition] => 4            
        [price] => 15753
        
    )

)

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Apr 08 '11 at 10:16

1

You want the handling file uploads section of the PHP manual, and you would also do well to look at fgetcsv() and explode().

answered Apr 08 '11 at 10:16

GordonM

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Watch out for commas, quotes and linebreaks inside string values, you should use a state machine to split CSV, not explode. – Emyr Apr 08 '11 at 10:18

score 1 · Answer 6 · edited Jun 04 '21 at 13:12

1

I feel str_getcsv — Parse a CSV string into an array is the best option for you.

You need to upload the file to the server.
Parse the file using str_getcsv.
Run through the array and align as per u need on your website.

edited Jun 04 '21 at 13:12

Ranjul Arumadi

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answered Apr 08 '11 at 10:23

Hacker

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Thanks for the reply.and i have another question for you that which is the best plugin to upload file so that it avoids size of code and has good user interface,please suggest me a plugin – n92 Apr 08 '11 at 10:28
@vinay - i prefer my own upload script to be written. what do u mean by upload plugin ??? you can write one on your own write... its max 10 lines of code – Hacker Apr 08 '11 at 10:32
@vinay - if u really wanna have a plugin to do (php +js) check out http://tinyurl.com/44nv6yt – Hacker Apr 08 '11 at 10:41

score 0 · Answer 7 · answered Aug 20 '14 at 06:26

function doParseCSVFile($filesArray)
    {
        if ((file_exists($filesArray['frmUpload']['name'])) && (is_readable($filesArray['frmUpload']['name']))) { 

            $strFilePath = $filesArray['frmUpload']['tmp_name']; 

            $strFileHandle = fopen($strFilePath,"r");
            $line_of_text = fgetcsv($strFileHandle,1024,",","'"); 
            $line_of_text = fgetcsv($strFileHandle,1024,",","'"); 

            do { 
                if ($line_of_text[0]) { 
                    $strInsertSql = "INSERT INTO tbl_employee(employee_name, employee_code, employee_email, employee_designation, employee_number)VALUES('".addslashes($line_of_text[0])."', '".$line_of_text[1]."', '".addslashes($line_of_text[2])."', '".$line_of_text[3]."', '".$line_of_text[4]."')";
                    ExecuteQry($strInsertSql);
                }               
            } while (($line_of_text = fgetcsv($strFileHandle,1024,",","'"))!== FALSE);

        } else {
            return FALSE;
        }
    }

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Sep 09 '21 at 18:45

public function uploadCsvFile(){
   try{ 
    if($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST'){
        $request = $this->post();
        $fileName = $request->file;
        $file = fopen($fileName, "r"); //open the file
        // $fileName = $_FILES["file"]["tmp_name"];
        while(($column = fgetcsv($file)) !== FALSE){
            $num = count($column);
            $this->dbw->query("insert into csv_upload(first_name,last_name,email,phone,address,pin) values('".$column[0]."','".$column[1]."','".$column[2]."','".$column[3]."','".$column[4]."','".$column[5]."')");
        }

        fclose($file);
    }
    }catch (Exception $e) {
        $this->responseErr($e->getMessage(), 500);
    }
}

Please don't post only code as answer, but also provide an explanation what your code does and how it solves the problem of the question. Answers with an explanation are usually more helpful and of better quality, and are more likely to attract upvotes. — Tyler2P, Sep 09 '21 at 20:07

score -2 · Answer 9 · edited Feb 18 '16 at 15:08

You can try with this:

function doParseCSVFile($filesArray)
{
    if ((file_exists($filesArray['frmUpload']['name'])) && (is_readable($filesArray['frmUpload']['name']))) { 

        $strFilePath = $filesArray['frmUpload']['tmp_name']; 

        $strFileHandle = fopen($strFilePath,"r");
        $line_of_text = fgetcsv($strFileHandle,1024,",","'"); 
        $line_of_text = fgetcsv($strFileHandle,1024,",","'"); 

        do { 
            if ($line_of_text[0]) { 
                $strInsertSql = "INSERT INTO tbl_employee(employee_name, employee_code, employee_email, employee_designation, employee_number)VALUES('".addslashes($line_of_text[0])."', '".$line_of_text[1]."', '".addslashes($line_of_text[2])."', '".$line_of_text[3]."', '".$line_of_text[4]."')";
                ExecuteQry($strInsertSql);
            }               
        } while (($line_of_text = fgetcsv($strFileHandle,1024,",","'"))!== FALSE);

    } else {
        return FALSE;
    }
}

The answer isn't relevant completely and copy/paste type thing. he uses database and stuff here. — Code Cooker, Jul 17 '19 at 13:37

How to upload and parse a CSV file in php

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