What are the advantages and disadvantages of including an output file and strings to be replaced in PHP for file manipulation tasks?

When working with file manipulation tasks in PHP, including an output file and strings to be replaced can provide a way to modify the content of a file without altering the original file. This can be useful for tasks such as find and replace operations or creating new files based on existing content. However, it is important to handle errors and ensure proper file permissions when working with output files to avoid data loss or security vulnerabilities. 

<?php
// Input file
$inputFile = 'input.txt';

// Output file
$outputFile = 'output.txt';

// Strings to be replaced
$oldString = 'old';
$newString = 'new';

// Open input file for reading
$handle = fopen($inputFile, 'r');
if ($handle) {
    // Open output file for writing
    $outputHandle = fopen($outputFile, 'w');
    
    // Read input file line by line, replace strings, and write to output file
    while (($line = fgets($handle)) !== false) {
        $newLine = str_replace($oldString, $newString, $line);
        fwrite($outputHandle, $newLine);
    }
    
    // Close file handles
    fclose($handle);
    fclose($outputHandle);
} else {
    echo 'Error opening input file.';
}
?>

Keywords

PHP file manipulation output file strings replacement

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