How can using FTP functions instead of file_get_contents improve the retrieval of files with special characters in filenames from FTP URLs in PHP?

When retrieving files with special characters in filenames from FTP URLs in PHP, using FTP functions instead of file_get_contents can improve the retrieval process because FTP functions are specifically designed to handle file transfers over FTP connections, including files with special characters in their names. By using FTP functions, you can ensure that the filenames are properly encoded and decoded during the transfer process, preventing any issues that may arise from special characters. 

// Using FTP functions to retrieve files with special characters in filenames from FTP URLs
$ftp_server = 'ftp.example.com';
$ftp_user = 'username';
$ftp_pass = 'password';
$remote_file = 'file_with_special_characters.txt';
$local_file = 'downloaded_file.txt';

// Connect to FTP server
$ftp_conn = ftp_connect($ftp_server);
ftp_login($ftp_conn, $ftp_user, $ftp_pass);

// Retrieve file from FTP server
if (ftp_get($ftp_conn, $local_file, $remote_file, FTP_BINARY)) {
    echo "File successfully retrieved.";
} else {
    echo "Error retrieving file.";
}

// Close FTP connection
ftp_close($ftp_conn);

Keywords

FTP functions file_get_contents special characters filenames PHP

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