Open XLS-File from URL with PHP and save it in variable

Question

There is a report, which a server automatically creates in my Intranet.

I can access it and download it via an url like this:

http://www1.intranet.com/reportingtool.asp?settings=var&export = ok

I want to use it with PHPExcel.

$objPHPExcel = PHPExcel_IOFactory::load("file.xls");

When I swop file.xls with the url it doesn't work.

Which alternative way can I use to avoid the step by manually downloading the excel-file and writing the file-name in the code?

Mark Baker · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-08 13:25:50Z

1

You can't...

To parse the xls file, PHPExcel needs to be able to move the file pointer backward and forward through the file as it reads data from the OLE streams; which isn't an option with a file retrieved via url, only with a file that is physically available on the server filesystem.

Workaround (downloading to a temporary file):

$url = 'http://www1.intranet.com/reportingtool.asp?settings=var&export=ok';
$tmpfname = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir());
file_put_contents(
    $tmpfname,
    file_get_contents($url)
);
$objPHPExcel = PHPExcel_IOFactory::load($tmpfname);

though you'll probably need to manually delete $tmpfname afterwards

edited Oct 8, 2013 at 13:25

answered Oct 8, 2013 at 12:59

Mark Baker

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1 Comment

Susanne92 Over a year ago

Okay that is also a solution. Thanks so much! I think I have to build something like a Cronjob with downloads the report and renames it ...

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