Development:Using the File API

Moodle 2.0

The file API is for managing all the files stored by Moodle. If you are interested in how the file API works internally, see Development:File_API. The page is just about what you need to know to use the file API. Related is the Development:Repository API, which lets users get files into Moodle.

Overview of how it works

File areas

Serving files to users

Getting files from the user

Getting a file from a Moodle form

Getting a file with content from the HTML editor

Giving a file to the user

Moving files around

For example, if you have just built a file at the path

$from_zip_file = $CFG->dataroot . '/temp/backup/' . $preferences->backup_unique_code .
        '/' . $preferences->backup_name;

And you want to move it into the course_backup file area, do

$context = get_context_instance(CONTEXT_COURSE, $preferences->backup_course);
$fs = get_file_storage();
$file_record = array('contextid'=>$context->id, 'filearea'=>'course_backup',
        'itemid'=>0, 'filepath'=>'/', 'filename'=>$preferences->backup_name,
        'timecreated'=>time(), 'timemodified'=>time());
$fs->create_file_from_pathname($file_record, $from_zip_file);

Documentation