What is the best way to collect and download multiple files in PHP?

When needing to collect and download multiple files in PHP, one way to achieve this is by creating a zip archive containing all the files and then prompting the user to download the zip file. This approach simplifies the process for the user by providing a single download link for all the files. 

<?php

// Array of file paths to be included in the zip archive
$files = array('file1.txt', 'file2.pdf', 'file3.jpg');

// Create a new zip archive
$zip = new ZipArchive();
$zipName = 'files.zip';

if ($zip->open($zipName, ZipArchive::CREATE) === TRUE) {
    // Add files to the zip archive
    foreach ($files as $file) {
        $zip->addFile($file);
    }
    $zip->close();

    // Prompt user to download the zip file
    header('Content-Type: application/zip');
    header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . $zipName . '"');
    readfile($zipName);

    // Delete the zip file after download
    unlink($zipName);
} else {
    echo 'Failed to create zip archive';
}
?>

Keywords

file handling file download PHP multiple files file_get_contents

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