To export a PHP array to CSV, use fputcsv with proper headers. 1. Use fputcsv to handle formatting, including commas and special characters. 2. For browser download, set headers: Content-Type: text/csv and Content-Disposition: attachment;filename=export.csv. 3. When saving server-side, replace php://output with a file path. 4. For associative arrays, write headers once using array_keys. 5. Ensure no output occurs before headers to avoid errors.
If you need to export a PHP array to a CSV file, the process is pretty straightforward. As long as you understand how to handle arrays and output data properly, it's just a matter of formatting and headers.
Use fputcsv for clean output
PHP has a built-in function called fputcsv() that does most of the heavy lifting. It automatically formats each row of your array into a proper CSV line, handling commas, quotes, and special characters correctly.
Here’s a basic example:
$data = [
['Name', 'Email', 'Country'],
['John Doe', 'john@example.com', 'USA'],
['Jane Smith', 'jane@email.com', 'Canada']
];
header('Content-Type: text/csv');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment;filename=export.csv');
$fp = fopen('php://output', 'php');
foreach ($data as $row) {
fputcsv($fp, $row);
}
fclose($fp);This will send the CSV directly to the browser and prompt a download. If instead you want to save it to a file on the server, replace 'php://output' with a real file path like 'export.csv'.
Handle associative arrays if needed
If your array uses keys (like from a database fetch), you’ll probably want to include the headers too. Just grab the keys once before looping:
$data = [
['name' => 'John Doe', 'email' => 'john@example.com'],
['name' => 'Jane Smith', 'email' => 'jane@email.com']
];
$fp = fopen('php://output', 'php');
// Write header only once
fputcsv($fp, array_keys($data[0]));
foreach ($data as $row) {
fputcsv($fp, $row);
}
fclose($fp);Just keep in mind that associative arrays may not always preserve order across PHP versions unless you're careful.
Set correct headers for downloads
To make sure browsers treat it as a downloadable CSV file, these headers are important:
-
Content-Type: text/csvtells the browser what type of content it is. -
Content-Disposition: attachment;filename=yourfile.csvmakes it download with a specific name.
Omitting or misconfiguring these might result in the CSV showing up as plain text in the browser.
Also:
- Make sure no extra output happens before
header()calls — no spaces, echo statements, or includes. - If you're using a framework or template system, check if it already sends headers.
So that's basically it. The main points are: use fputcsv, manage headers right, and adjust for associative arrays if needed. Not super fancy, but gets the job done reliably.
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