PHPExcel_Writer_Exception with message "Could not close zip file php://output."

Question

I'm using PHPExcel to export some data to user in an excel file. I would like the script to send the excel file to the user immediately after it's creation. Here is my test code:

try{

  /* Some test data */
  $data = array(
    array(1, 10   , 2             ,),
    array(3, 'qqq', 'some string' ,),
  );

  $objPHPExcel = new PHPExcel();
  $objPHPExcel->setActiveSheetIndex(0);

  /* Fill the excel sheet with the data */
  $rowI = 0;
  foreach($data as $row){
    $colI = 0;
    foreach($row as $v){
      $colChar = PHPExcel_Cell::stringFromColumnIndex($colI++);
      $cellId = $colChar.($rowI+1);
      $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->SetCellValue($cellId, $v);
    }
    $rowI++;
  }

  header('Content-Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet');
  header('Content-Disposition: attachment;filename="export.xlsx"');
  header('Cache-Control: max-age=0');

  $objWriter = PHPExcel_IOFactory::createWriter($objPHPExcel, 'Excel2007');
  $objWriter->save('php://output');

}catch(Exception $e){
  echo $e->__toString();
}

On my local server (Windows 7 x64, Php 5.3.8, Apache 2.2.21) I get a valid xlsx file. There are no errors. But there is problem on the live server (Linux 2.6.32-5-amd64, PHP 5.3.3-7+squeeze13, Apache 2.2.16). The script lets the browser to download the "export.xlsx" file with such content:

exception 'PHPExcel_Writer_Exception' with message 'Could not close zip file php://output.' in /var/www/someuser/data/www/somedomain.com/libs/PHPExcel/Writer/Excel2007.php:348
Stack trace:
#0 /var/www/someuser/data/www/somedomain.com/classes/Report/Leads/Export.php(339): PHPExcel_Writer_Excel2007->save('php://output')
#1 /var/www/someuser/data/www/somedomain.com/application/pages/account/controllers/TestController.php(13): Report_Leads_Export->Test()
#2 /var/www/someuser/data/www/somedomain.com/libs/Zend/Controller/Action.php(516): Account_TestController->indexAction()
#3 /var/www/someuser/data/www/somedomain.com/libs/Zend/Controller/Dispatcher/Standard.php(295): Zend_Controller_Action->dispatch('indexAction')
#4 /var/www/someuser/data/www/somedomain.com/libs/Zend/Controller/Front.php(954): Zend_Controller_Dispatcher_Standard->dispatch(Object(Zend_Controller_Request_Http), Object(Zend_Controller_Response_Http))
#5 /var/www/someuser/data/www/somedomain.com/index.php(511): Zend_Controller_Front->dispatch()
#6 {main}

PHP is NOT running in Safe Mode. The "open_basedir" option is empty (it's commented out).

I have found such code in the PHPExcel files:

if ($objZip->close() === false) {
    throw new PHPExcel_Writer_Exception("Could not close zip file $pFilename.");
}

So the reason of the problem is that $objZip->close() === false where $objZip is an instance of ZipArchive class.

What is the reason of the problem and how can I solve it? Thank you.

Answer 1

The most common cause of this error when saving to php://output is an open_basedir restriction that doesn't include a valid system's temp folder (e.g. /tmp), or permissions for the system's temp folder... suhosin can also affect this, even when the obvious permissions appear to be set correctly.

A possible workround is to write the file to the filesystem in a directory that you know you do have full privileges to write, and then use readfile() to stream that file to php://output before deleting the file