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How to Create a ZIP File of Project via FTP
Creating a ZIP file of your project directly on your server can be incredibly useful, especially when you have a large number of files. This method is faster than downloading files to your local machine, zipping them, and then uploading them back to the server. In this guide, I will walk you through the process of creating a ZIP file of your project via FTP using a PHP script.
Prerequisites
- FTP access to your server.
- A web server running PHP with the
ZipArchiveextension enabled. - Basic knowledge of FTP and PHP.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Prepare Your Environment
Ensure you have FTP access to your server and a way to upload files (e.g., using an FTP client like FileZilla,WInScp). Also, verify that your server has enabled the `ZipArchive` PHP extension.
2. Create the PHP Script
Create a PHP script named make-zip.php that will handle the zipping process. This script will be responsible for zipping all the files in your project, excluding itself and the resulting ZIP file.
Here’s the make-zip.php script:
<?php
$zipFileName = 'project.zip';
$zip = new ZipArchive();
if ($zip->open($zipFileName, ZipArchive::CREATE | ZipArchive::OVERWRITE) !== TRUE) {
exit("Cannot open <$zipFileName>\n");
}
// Directory to be zipped
$rootPath = realpath(dirname(__FILE__));
// Create a recursive directory iterator
$files = new RecursiveIteratorIterator(
new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($rootPath),
RecursiveIteratorIterator::LEAVES_ONLY
);
// Add files to the zip file
foreach ($files as $name => $file) {
// Skip directories (they would be added automatically)
if (!$file->isDir()) {
$filePath = $file->getRealPath();
$relativePath = substr($filePath, strlen($rootPath) + 1);
// Normalize the relative path
$relativePath = str_replace('\\', '/', $relativePath);
if (basename($file) !== 'make-zip.php' && basename($file) !== $zipFileName) {
$zip->addFile($filePath, $relativePath);
}
}
}
$zip->close();
echo "Zip file created successfully!";
?>
3. Upload the Script to Your Server
Use your FTP client to upload the make-zip.php script to the root directory of your project, typically the public_html directory.
4. Run the Script
Open your web browser and navigate to the script to execute it. For example:
http://yourdomain.com/make-zip.php