CODEWITHSUNDEEP
phpvalidationcsv
tjb1982
tjb1982

Reputation: 2259

fgetcsv doesn't validate whether or not this is a csv file

This question has been asked several times, but as it turns out all of the answers I have come across have been wrong.

I'm having a problem validating whether a file is a CSV or not. Users upload a file, and the application checks to see if fgetcsv works in order to make sure it's a CSV and not an Excel file or something else. That has been the traditional answer I'm finding via Google.

e.g.:

if ($form->file->receive()) {
    $fileName = $form->file->getFileName();
    $handle = fopen($fileName, 'r');    // or 'w', 'a'

    if (fgetcsv($handle)) {
        die('sos yer face');
    }

    if ($PHPExcelReader->canRead($fileName)) {                
        die('that\'s what she said');
    }
}

What happens with the above is 'sos yer face' because fgetcsv validates as true no matter what you give it if your handle comes from fopen($fileName, 'r') as long as there is a file to read; and fgetcsv always false when using fopen($fileName, 'w') or 'a' because the pointer will be initiated at the EOF. This is according to the php.net documentation.

Maybe what I'm saying is ridiculous and I just don't realize it. Can anyone please fix my brain.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 583

Answers (1)

mfonda
mfonda

Reputation: 8003

The problem with validating whether or not a file is a CSV file is that CSV is not a well-defined format. In fact, by most definitions of CSV, just about any file would be a valid CSV, treating each line as a row with a single column.

You'll need to come up with your own validation routine specific to the domain you are using it in.

Upvotes: 1

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