Custom HTTP Response code together with JSON return

Question

Okay, I have a ajax-based file-upload, that sends files to a processing php-code. This all works fine, and it returns a json_encoded array. However, this array returns either a result that is "success" or "error" - however, I would like to be able to actually change the HTTP-status code (currently they all return a 200 OK, because it gets a response from the script).

So, does anyone have code that allow PHP to BOTH send a http_response_code() AND a json_encoded() message? Or can link me to somewhere that has an example?

I have included the code for the process_upload.php-file, sorry for the length (it's about 130 lines) - near the end I've tried to include a http_status_code(415) but this doesn't do anything.

Updated the code, since I discovered that it was me having misjudged where the variable triggering the http_status_code() was. Fixing that, it works.

<?php
if (!session_id()) { session_start(); };
require_once('conf/config.php');
require_once('functions.php');
$returnmessage = json_encode(["content"=>"Error Error Error","infotype"=>"error"]);
$changereturnheader = 0;
if ((isset($_SESSION['loggedin']) && $_SESSION['loggedin'] == true) || $allow_public == true) {
        if (isset($_FILES['file'])) {
            if (in_array('error', $_FILES['file'])) {
                switch ($_FILES['file']['error']) {
                    case 0:
                    $returnerror = false;
                    $returnerrorcontent = '';
                    break;
                    case 1:
                    $returnerror = true;
                    $returnerrorcontent = 'The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive in php.ini';
                    break;
                    case 2:
                    $returnerror = true;        
                    $returnerrorcontent = 'The uploaded file exceeds the MAX_FILE_SIZE directive that was specified in the HTML form';
                    break;
                    case 3:
                    $returnerror = true;        
                    $returnerrorcontent = 'The uploaded file was only partially uploaded';
                    break;
                    case 4:
                    $returnerror = true;        
                    $returnerrorcontent = 'No file was selected';
                    break;
                    case 6:
                    $returnerror = true;        
                    $returnerrorcontent = 'Missing a temporary folder. Introduced in PHP 4.3.10 and PHP 5.0.3';
                    break;
                    case 7:
                    $returnerror = true;      
                    $returnerrorcontent = 'Failed to write file to disk. Introduced in PHP 5.1.0';
                    break;
                    case 8:
                    $returnerror = true;        
                    $returnerrorcontent = 'A PHP extension stopped the file upload. Introduced in PHP 5.2.0';
                    break;
                    default:
                    $returnerror = false;
                    $returnerrorcontent = '';
                    break;
                }
            }
            if (isset($_FILES['file']) && $returnerror == false) {
                $allowed = '';
                $allowed_extensions = allowedExtensions('');
                $totalentries = count(allowedExtensions('')) -1;
                for ($i = 0; $i <= $totalentries; $i++) {
                    $allowed .= (($i == $totalentries) ? $allowed_extensions[$i] : $allowed_extensions[$i].', ');
                }
                if (($_FILES['file']['size'] + foldersize($userpath.$username) < $storage_limit)) {
                    if (in_array($_FILES['file']['type'], allowedMimeTypes(''))) {
                        if (in_array($_FILES['file']['type'], allowedMimeTypes('audio'))) {
                            $folder = 'music';
                        } elseif (in_array($_FILES['file']['type'], allowedMimeTypes('image'))) {
                            $folder = 'pictures';
                        } elseif (in_array($_FILES['file']['type'], allowedMimeTypes('video'))) {
                            $folder = 'video';
                        } elseif (in_array($_FILES['file']['type'], allowedMimeTypes('application'))) {
                            $folder = 'documents';
                        } elseif (in_array($_FILES['file']['type'], allowedMimeTypes('text'))) {
                            $folder = 'documents';
                        }
                        $filename = $_FILES['file']['name'];
                        if (file_exists(''.$userpath.$username.$folder.'/'.onlyValidChar($_FILES['file']['name']))) {
                            if (!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) == 'xmlhttprequest') {
                                // echo 'exist';
                                $returnmessage = json_encode(["content"=>"$filename already exist","infotype"=>"error"]);
                            }                       
                        } else {
                            move_uploaded_file($_FILES['file']['tmp_name'],''.$userpath.$username.$folder.'/'.onlyValidChar($_FILES['file']['name']));
                            if(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) == 'xmlhttprequest') {
                                // echo 'uploaded file';
                                $returnmessage = json_encode(["content"=>"You uploaded $filename","infotype"=>"success"]);
                            }
                            $movedfile = pathinfo($_FILES['file']['name']);
                            if (in_array(strtolower($movedfile['extension']),allowedExtensions('')) && in_array($_FILES['file']['type'],allowedMimeTypes('image'))) {
                                // createThumbs($userpath.$username.$folder.'/',onlyValidChar($_FILES['file']['name']),200);
                                generate_image_thumbnail($userpath.$username.$folder.'/'.onlyValidChar($_FILES['file']['name']),$userpath.$username.$folder.'/thumbs/'.onlyValidChar($_FILES['file']['name']));
                            }
                            if (in_array(strtolower($movedfile['extension']),allowedExtensions('')) && in_array($_FILES['file']['type'],allowedMimeTypes('video'))) {
                                $video = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/'.$userpath.$username.$folder.'/'.onlyValidChar($_FILES['file']['name']);
                                $thumbnail = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/'.$userpath.$username.$folder.'/thumbs/'.onlyValidChar($_FILES['file']['name']).'.jpg';
                                $get_frames = shell_exec("/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg -nostats -i $video -vcodec copy -f rawvideo -y /dev/null 2>&1 | grep frame | awk '{split($0,a,\"fps\")}END{print a[1]}' | sed 's/.*= *//'");
                                $stills_number = floor($get_frames / 200);
                                $output = shell_exec("/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg -y -i $video -frames 1 -q:v 1 -vf 'select=not(mod(n\,$stills_number)),scale=-1:120,tile=100x1' $thumbnail");
                            }
                            updateCurrentUploads('current_uploads.php',$_FILES['file']['name']);
                        }
                    } else {
                        if(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) == 'xmlhttprequest') {                                
                            $changereturnheader = 1;
                            $returnmessage = json_encode(["content"=>"The filetype you tried to upload is not allowed","infotype"=>"error"]);
                        }
                    }
                } else {
                    echo 'exceeding diskspace';
                    $returnmessage = json_encode(["content"=>"The file will exceed your available diskspace. Delete some of the files already uploaded to make room","infotype"=>"error"]);
                }
            } elseif ($returnerror == true) {
                if(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) == 'xmlhttprequest') {
                    // echo 'error-message return';
                    $returnmessage = json_encode(["content"=>"$returnerrorcontent","infotype"=>"error"]);
                }
            } else {
                if(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) == 'xmlhttprequest') {
                    // echo 'filetype not allowed 2';
                    $changereturnheader = 1;
                    $returnmessage = json_encode(["content"=>"The filetype you tried to upload is not allowed","infotype"=>"error"]);
                }
            }
        }
    // echo returnCurrentUploads('current_uploads.php');
        if(!empty($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) && strtolower($_SERVER['HTTP_X_REQUESTED_WITH']) == 'xmlhttprequest') {
            // echo 'returnmsg';
            if ($changereturnheader == 1) {
                http_response_code(415);
            }
            echo $returnmessage;
        } else {
            header('location: upload');
        }
    }
?>

Answer 1

In my case, I have to call http_response_code(xxx) before echo json_encode(txt). If I call json_encode first, http_response_code(xxx) is ignored and the status code is always 200.

Answer 2

I'm stupid, and it was a bug in my eyesight, not the functionality. I have two different returnmessages set up, one for requests done via AJAX, and one via regular, non-AJAX file-transfer. I only applied the variable that enables the http_status_code() on the non-AJAX upload. After adding it where it was supposed to be, it works just fine. I modified the code in the question as well, so it now works.

Answer 3

I believe your php version might not be supporting that function.

Can you please try to use the header function

header("HTTP/1.0 415 Unsupported Media Type");

instead of

http_response_code(415);

and see if it helps

Answer 4

I am able to send http_response_code(415) and also deliver json:

<?php

$array = array(
  'one' => array(1, 2, 3),
  'two' => array(4, 5, 6),
  'three' => array(7, 8, 9),
);

http_response_code(415);
echo json_encode($array);