PHP copy Function

last modified April 3, 2025

The PHP copy function duplicates a file from source to destination. It’s essential for file management operations in PHP applications.

Basic Definition

The copy function copies a file from one location to another. It returns true on success or false on failure.

Syntax: copy(string $source, string $dest, resource $context = null): bool. The function overwrites existing files if permissions allow.

Basic File Copy Example

This demonstrates the simplest usage of copy to duplicate a file.

basic_copy.php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

$source = “source.txt”; $destination = “destination.txt”;

if (copy($source, $destination)) { echo “File copied successfully”; } else { echo “Failed to copy file”; }

This copies “source.txt” to “destination.txt”. The function returns true if successful. Always check the return value for error handling.

Copy with Absolute Paths

This example shows copying using absolute file paths for clarity.

absolute_paths.php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

$source = “/var/www/html/images/photo.jpg”; $destination = “/var/www/html/backups/photo_backup.jpg”;

if (copy($source, $destination)) { echo “Backup created successfully”; } else { echo “Backup failed: " . error_get_last()[‘message’]; }

Here we copy a photo to a backup location. Absolute paths ensure we’re working with specific files. Error handling shows the last error message if it fails.

Copy with Context

This demonstrates using a stream context for additional copy options.

copy_with_context.php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

$source = “data.csv”; $destination = “archive/data_backup.csv”; $context = stream_context_create([ ‘http’ => [ ‘method’ => ‘GET’, ‘header’ => “User-Agent: PHP Copy Script\r\n” ] ]);

if (copy($source, $destination, $context)) { echo “Data archived successfully”; } else { echo “Archive operation failed”; }

The stream context allows setting HTTP headers or other options. This is useful when copying from remote sources or needing specific transfer parameters.

Copy with Error Handling

This example shows robust error handling for file copy operations.

error_handling.php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

function safeCopy(string $source, string $dest): bool { if (!file_exists($source)) { throw new RuntimeException(“Source file not found”); }

if (!is_readable($source)) {
    throw new RuntimeException("Source file not readable");
}

if (file_exists($dest) && !is_writable(dirname($dest))) {
    throw new RuntimeException("Destination directory not writable");
}

return copy($source, $dest);

}

try { safeCopy(“report.pdf”, “backups/report.pdf”); echo “File copied successfully”; } catch (RuntimeException $e) { echo “Error: " . $e->getMessage(); }

This implements a safe copy function with pre-validation. It checks file existence, readability, and writability before attempting the copy operation.

Copy Remote File

This example demonstrates copying a file from a remote URL to local server.

remote_copy.php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

$remoteUrl = “https://example.com/images/banner.jpg"; $localPath = “downloads/banner.jpg”;

if (copy($remoteUrl, $localPath)) { echo “Remote file downloaded successfully”; } else { echo “Failed to download remote file”; }

The copy function can fetch files from HTTP/HTTPS URLs. Note that the PHP configuration must allow URL fopen wrappers for this to work.

Best Practices

• Permissions: Ensure proper file permissions for source and destination.

• Validation: Check file existence and accessibility before copying.

• Error Handling: Always implement proper error handling.

• Large Files: Consider chunked copying for very large files.

• Security: Sanitize file paths to prevent directory traversal.

Source

PHP copy Documentation

This tutorial covered the PHP copy function with practical examples showing its usage in different scenarios.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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