PHP error `Only variables should be passed by reference`

Question

Goal

I have never touched PHP.

My goal is to retrieve BLOB .docx content from MySQL. I have found this resource to help me: Get content of docx file which saved in mysql dabase as blob type in php

I have just installed something called xampp along with Apache and PHP.

Created a folder within htdocs called Techincal. Inside there I have 2 files called test3.php and test.docx

At this moment I am not using MySQL at all. I am trying to see what PHP can do for me.

I have copied the code from the link above.

Code

<?php

/*Name of the document file*/
$document = 'test.docx';

/**Function to extract text*/
function extracttext($filename) {
    //Check for extension
    $ext = end(explode('.', $filename));

    //if its docx file
    if($ext == 'docx')
    $dataFile = "word/document.xml";
    //else it must be odt file
    else
    $dataFile = "content.xml";

    //Create a new ZIP archive object
    $zip = new ZipArchive;

    // Open the archive file
    if (true === $zip->open($filename)) {
        // If successful, search for the data file in the archive
        if (($index = $zip->locateName($dataFile)) !== false) {
            // Index found! Now read it to a string
            $text = $zip->getFromIndex($index);
            // Load XML from a string
            // Ignore errors and warnings
            $xml = DOMDocument::loadXML($text, LIBXML_NOENT | LIBXML_XINCLUDE | LIBXML_NOERROR | LIBXML_NOWARNING);
            // Remove XML formatting tags and return the text
            return strip_tags($xml->saveXML());
        }
        //Close the archive file
        $zip->close();
    }

    // In case of failure return a message
    return "File not found";
}

echo extracttext($document);
?>

When I run it on localhost - been following instructions on other websites on how to run PHP files.

Output

Notice: Only variables should be passed by reference in C:\xampp\htdocs\technical\test3.php on line 9
Testing

A more reliable way to get a filename extension is to use pathinfo i.e. $ext = pathinfo($filename, PATHINFO_EXTENSION); — Nick
– Nick, Commented Dec 19, 2019 at 11:58

rahul bhangale · Accepted Answer · 2019-12-19 11:54:58Z

2

You need to store the result of explode() statement on line no 9 into a variable and then that variable should be passed to end function. This will resolve your problem. Refer the below-corrected code.

       <?php

    /*Name of the document file*/
    $document = 'test.docx';

    /**Function to extract text*/
    function extracttext($filename) {
        //Check for extension
$tmp = explode('.', $filename);
        $ext = end( $tmp );

        //if its docx file
        if($ext == 'docx')
        $dataFile = "word/document.xml";
        //else it must be odt file
        else
        $dataFile = "content.xml";

        //Create a new ZIP archive object
        $zip = new ZipArchive;

        // Open the archive file
        if (true === $zip->open($filename)) {
            // If successful, search for the data file in the archive
            if (($index = $zip->locateName($dataFile)) !== false) {
                // Index found! Now read it to a string
                $text = $zip->getFromIndex($index);
                // Load XML from a string
                // Ignore errors and warnings
                $xml = DOMDocument::loadXML($text, LIBXML_NOENT | LIBXML_XINCLUDE | LIBXML_NOERROR | LIBXML_NOWARNING);
                // Remove XML formatting tags and return the text
                return strip_tags($xml->saveXML());
            }
            //Close the archive file
            $zip->close();
        }

        // In case of failure return a message
        return "File not found";
    }

    echo extracttext($document);
    ?>

edited Dec 19, 2019 at 11:54

answered Dec 19, 2019 at 11:48

rahul bhangale

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4 Comments

DeveloperLV Over a year ago

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '$ext' (T_VARIABLE) in C:\xampp\htdocs\technical\php.php on line 10

Nick Over a year ago

There's a semicolon missing after $tmp = explode('.', $filename)

rahul bhangale Over a year ago

Added the missing semicolon.

rahul bhangale Over a year ago

Images are stored in word/media/ you need to write code to show them. Use something like - github.com/xylude/Docx-to-HTML

d0niek · Accepted Answer · 2019-12-19 11:43:08Z

0

Function end() need an array by reference (read: https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.end.php) and you just put there a result of other function. You have to store result of explode() to some variable and that variable put to end().

answered Dec 19, 2019 at 11:43

d0niek

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