Can't delete files

[Eric Meijer]

With formgenerator I created a form to upload files. So far so good.
For reasons I am not using a MySql database but make use of data.dat file (Ascii file) where records are being saved.
In the file delete_file_rec.php I have added some lines of code to implement new functionalitity, so that I am not only deleting a

selected record in the data.dat file but deleting the related file from the files directory as well. To realise this I use the standard

PHP function unlink(). To extract the needed filename from data.dat I use the PHP function explode() on the selected record

so I later can select the wanted filename in this record with the correct array value.

for($i=0;$i<sizeof($records);$i++)       //This is still the excisting code that writes the records back to the data.dat file
{
   if($i!=$id)                                       //Note the $id is the value of the choosen record to delete
   fwrite($file,$records[$i]);
     else                                 // This is the new added code to extract the filename
     {
      $columns = explode("|",$records[$id]);
        //$filename = "TryMe.txt";                             //for testing
        $filename = $columns[sizeof($columns)-1];
        echo "$filename";                                        //for testing
        if(unlink("../files/$filename")) echo "The file $file is succesfull deleted";

      }//else
}//for

Now the problem:
After uploading a new file using my uploadform the choosen file is copied to the ../files directory.
To delete this file I start up the administration form ../Admin/index.php and pick out the uploaded file and delete it.
Running the new added code -in the else loop-  the unlink function generates an error.
However the echo displays the correct filename on the screen.

The oddest thing is that when I run the same code using $filename = "TryMe.txt"; intead of $filename =

$columns[sizeof($columns)-1]; things work fine.
To do this I copied a TryMe.Txt file to the "../files" directory first! After that I choose a random record to delete in the

administration. The result is that echo displays the correct filename and the file TryMe.Txt is deleted from the ../files

directory!!

Summarized:
$filename = "TryMe.txt"; - unlink runs fine
ref. output echo, echo:
===============================================
../files/TryMe.txtThe file Resource id #1 is succesfull deleted
===============================================

$filename = $columns[sizeof($columns)-1]; - unlink generates error.
ref. output echo, Warning:
================================================
../files/10_16_40_boef.gif
Warning: unlink() failed (Invalid argument) in c:\program files\easyphp\www\homepage\knmi-postbus\admin\delete_file_rec.php

on line 43

Is there sombody who can help me out??

[Eric Meijer]

In another newsgroup I got the clue.

$filename = trim($filename);  // to remove unwanted spaces and/or newlines.

How simple live can be......

[Greg]

meijee, I have followed your lead and seem to have it working partially, however I have up to three files able to be uploaded via my form, how do I modify your code to allow for three files, also how do I get it to not show an error when a user has only uploaded one file and not three?

An error I am getting is

11_43_07_test.png The file Resource id #3 is succesfully deleted
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/mysite/public_html/forms/filesup/admin/delete_file_rec.php:41) in /home/mysite/public_html/forms/filesup/admin/delete_file_rec.php on line 47

How or what is causing this?

Thanks

[TNTEverett]

Email me a copy of your delete_file_rec.php file and I will see if I can duplicate your error. 

[TNTEverett]

Try the following code to delete any number of files in a specific record.

   // This is the new added code to extract the filename
   $columns = explode("|",$records[$id]);
   for($j=0;$j<sizeof($columns);$j++) {
    $filename = $columns[$j];
    $filename = trim($filename);
    $filename = strip_tags($filename);
    if(file_exists("../files/".$filename)&&($filename!="")) {
     unlink("../files/$filename");
    }
   }
  }

All this does is test every form entry for a specific record ID.  It will only match file names that exist in the files folder and deletes all the matched files. 

[slam07]

Hi All
I am having the same problem and have tried the above solutions with no joy.
Could someone please post the delete_file_rec.php script, so I can check I have everything right.
(Sorry, newbe with php)
tia

[slam07]

Hi Slam here again
I still have this problem.
I have tried the above solution, but without sucsess
Can someone please post the delete_file_rec.php with the changes above so I can check against mine?
Cheers
Slam

[TNTEverett]

<?php
// Global registers by pass

include("global.inc.php");
pt_register('GET','id');

// Start regular stuff

if($id=="") {
header("Refresh: 0;url=index.php");
} else {
$file = fopen("data.dat","r+") or die ("Could not open file!");
$garbage = fgets($file,4096);
$i=0;
while(!feof($file)) {
  $temp = fgets($file,4096);
  if($temp!="") {
   $records[$i]=$temp;
   $i++;
  }
}
$top_line = $garbage;
ftruncate($file,0);
fseek($file,0);
fwrite($file,$top_line);
for($i=0;$i<sizeof($records);$i++) {
//This is still the excisting code that writes the records back to the data.dat file
//Note the $id is the value of the choosen record to delete
  if($i!=$id) {
   fwrite($file,$records[$i]);
  } else {
   // This is the new added code to extract the filename
   $columns = explode("|",$records[$id]);
   for($j=0;$j<sizeof($columns);$j++) {
    $filename = $columns[$j];
    $filename = trim($filename);
    $filename = strip_tags($filename);
    if(file_exists("../files/".$filename)&&($filename!="")) {
     unlink("../files/$filename");
    }
   }
  }
}

header("Refresh: 0;url=index.php");
}
?>