How to edit headers/footers from a document using PHPWord?

Question

I am using PHPWord to create documents. What I need to do is edit the header/footer content of an existing docx/odt document. It was not very hard to add the content to a document. But I've spent the whole day on the internet to find a solution. Here is the code through which I am only being able to add content to existing header/footer content:

$source = "DumpFiles/".$_FILES['file']['name'];
    $fileName = $_FILES['file']['name'];
    $phpWord = \PhpOffice\PhpWord\IOFactory::load($source);
    echo "File Loaded";

    // Get Sections from the imported document...
    $sections = $phpWord->getSections();
    $section = $sections[0];

    // Adding Header and Footer Content
    if(isset($_POST['headerContent']) && $_POST['headerContent']!=null)
    {
        $headert = $section->createHeader();
        $table = $headert->addTable();
        $table->addRow();
        $table->addCell(4500)->addText($_POST['headerContent']);
    }
    if(isset($_POST['footerContent']) && $_POST['footerContent'])
    {
        $footervar = $section->createFooter();
        $table = $footervar->addTable();
        $table->addRow();
        $table->addCell(4500)->addText($_POST['footerContent']);
    }

I understand that the usage of global variables directly is a bad practice. :-p

I would rectify these discrepancies in my code once I get the existing code working.

A solution with an example would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

You can access the existing header contents in the following way (simplified to make it shorter, i.e. missing all existence and type checks):

$headers = $section->getHeaders();
$header1 = $headers[1]; // note that the first index is 1 here (not 0)

$elements = $header1->getElements();
$element1 = $elements[0]; // and first index is 0 here normally

// for example manipulating simple text information ($element1 is instance of Text object)
$element1->setText("This is my text addition - old part: " . $element1->getText());

Access to the footer data is very similar:

$footers = $section->getFooters();