CakeResponse::file() should accept an instance of SplFileObject

[lorenzo]

If an instance of a file is passed it should be able to stream the file. This is super useful for sending files that come from another stream, from a tmp file or just from memory.

[jippi]

👍 <3

[markstory]

This could be done in 2.6 and end up in 3.0 via merges.

[ADmad]

CakeResponse::file() currently using the core File class internally. If SplFileObject is always available in php 5.2 the internal code can be changed to use SplFileObject instead, then it would just be a matter of checking method param type.

[lorenzo]

SplFileObject is always available

[ADmad]

Okay then, I will add this to my todo list.

[markstory]

This could be done in 2.6, and then forward ported to 3.0.

[ADmad]

That's what i plan to do.

[ADmad]

So apparently SplFileObject doesn't have a method to read bytes making it unusable for non-text files.

[markstory]

I guess we can't implement this then.

[markstory]

Closing as it doesn't sound like this is going to be possible. SplFileObject does not provide the necessary tools to work with binary files.

[lorenzo]

What is it lacking?

[ADmad]

Function to read binary files. It only has functions to read text files, per character or per line.

[lorenzo]

It does not have to be line by line though. Just let php do the work for you using fpassthru

[ADmad]

Yes but fpasthru doesn't take SplFileObject as param only resource handle. In that case don't see the point of accepting SplFileObject instance as param. Plus we lose the ability to send the output in chunks since fpassthru outputs till EOF.

[lorenzo]

http://dk1.php.net/manual/en/splfileobject.fpassthru.php

Do we need to send chunks?

[ADmad]

Oh sorry was looking at the fpasthru function instead of method.

We currently do send in chunks which allows terminating the output if client closes connection (at least that's what i understand). Also we would lose the ability to send only specified chunk based on HTTP_RANGE which is currently supported.

[lorenzo]

@ADmad range can be done with fseek()

I think doing chunks in php was a bad idea, personally. Web servers are good at negotiating that on their own. Anyway, I would be willing to live we the downside of no chunk when a SplFileObject is passed to Response::file() only because of the benefit of being able to pass it :D

[ADmad]

@ADmad range can be done with fseek()

With fseek() you would be just able to set the start not the end isn't it?

I think doing chunks in php was a bad idea, personally. Web servers are good at negotiating that on their own.

I don't have much idea about how webserver handle this so I won't comment :)

Anyway, I would be willing to live we the downside of no chunk when a SplFileObject is passed to Response::file() only because of the benefit of being able to pass it :D

In that case this would goto 3.0 since removing the chunking would be BC break.

[lorenzo]

@ADmad You mark the end with ftruncate()

I'm fine with it being in 3.0

[lorenzo]

Let me investigate bit more about that. I was under the impression that you needed to fwrite after ftruncate. Will find an alternative

[lorenzo]

bah, too many complications. Scrap this feature