PHP str_replace deletes file content

Question

I'm making a simple setup form where you are asked to enter your database credentials which are stored in another PHP file but when the user submits it the contents in the database credentials file are deleted and the file is just empty. I have tried debugging my code but still can't figure out what is causing the problem.

My database credentials file:

<?php
define("DATABASE_HOST", "{DB_HOST}");
define("DATABASE_USER", "{DB_USER}");
define("DATABASE_PASSWORD", "{DB_PASSWORD}");
define("DATABASE_DATABASE", "{DB_NAME}");

My code:

    $databasehost = $_POST['databasehost'];
    $databaseuser = $_POST['databaseuser'];
    $databasepassword = $_POST['databasepassword'];
    $databasename = $_POST['databasename'];
    $searchF  = array('{DB_HOST}','{DB_USER}','{DB_PASSWORD}','{DB_NAME}');
    $replaceW = array($databasehost,  $databaseuser,     $databasepassword,     $databasename);

    $fh = fopen("../static/database.php", 'w');
    $file = file_get_contents('../static/database.php');
    $file = str_replace($searchF, $replaceW, $file);
    fwrite($fh, $file);
    fclose($fh, $file);

Thanks, Nimetu.

Answer 1

You read the file with the call

$file = file_get_contents('../static/database.php');

after you have opened the file using w. Opening it for write will automatically blank the file. So change the order to

$file = file_get_contents('../static/database.php');
$fh = fopen("../static/database.php", 'w');