What steps can be taken to troubleshoot and resolve issues with file downloads in PHP, such as unexpected byte additions or encoding errors, particularly when dealing with CAD-related files?

When dealing with file downloads in PHP, especially for CAD-related files, issues like unexpected byte additions or encoding errors can occur due to the binary nature of these files. To troubleshoot and resolve these problems, it is crucial to set the correct headers for the file type and use binary-safe functions for reading and writing the file data. 

// Set the correct headers for CAD-related file downloads
header('Content-Type: application/octet-stream');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="filename.dwg"');

// Read the file data in binary-safe mode and output it to the browser
$filepath = 'path/to/your/cad/file.dwg';
$handle = fopen($filepath, 'rb');

while (!feof($handle)) {
    echo fread($handle, 8192);
}

fclose($handle);

Keywords

file downloads PHP byte additions encoding errors CAD files

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