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