How to Download Files in Laravel Using Response::download?

Downloading Files in Laravel Using Response::download

In Laravel, the Response::download method allows users to download files from the server. Here's a solution to the issues faced when implementing this functionality:

1. File Path Issue:

The error "The file...not exist" indicates an incorrect file path. To resolve this, use the public_path() helper to specify the full physical path to the file:

$file= public_path(). "/download/info.pdf";

2. Preventing Page Navigation:

To avoid navigating to another view or route, use an Ajax request to handle the file download. Here's how:

ViewController:

<button class="btn btn-large pull-right" data-href="/download" id="downloadBtn">
    <i class="icon-download-alt"></i> Download Brochure
</button>

JavaScript:

$(document).ready(function() {
    $('#downloadBtn').click(function() {
        $.ajax({
            url: $(this).data('href'),
            success: function() {
                alert('File downloaded successfully!');
            },
            error: function() {
                alert('Error downloading file!');
            }
        });
    });
});

Controller:

public function getDownload()
{
    // Same code as before, but now it returns a JSON response
    return response()->json([
        'success' => true,
        'message' => 'File downloaded successfully!'
    ]);
}

Update for Laravel v5.0 :

As pointed out in the solution, you can use the response() method in Laravel v5.0 instead of the Response facade. The header structure is also slightly different, as shown below:

$headers = [
    'Content-Type' => 'application/pdf',
];

return response()->download($file, 'filename.pdf', $headers);

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