TCPDF ERROR: Unable to create output file

Question

I'm trying to generate pdf with the combination of TCPDF and FPDI. Here is my code.

require_once('../tcpdf/tcpdf.php');
require_once('../FPDI/fpdi.php');

$fileName = '../sample.pdf';

class PDF extends FPDI {
/**
 * "Remembers" the template id of the imported page
 */
var $_tplIdx;
var $numPages = 0;

/**
 * Draw an imported PDF logo on every page
 */
function Header() {

    global $fileName;

    if (is_null($this->_tplIdx)) {
        $this->setSourceFile($fileName);
        $this->_tplIdx = $this->importPage(1);
        $this->numPages = $this->setSourceFile($fileName);
    }
    $size = $this->useTemplate($this->_tplIdx);
}

function Footer() {
    // emtpy method body
}
}

// initiate PDF
$pdf = new PDF($fileName);
$pdf->setFontSubsetting(true);

// add a page
$pdf->AddPage();

// save file
$pdf->Output('output.pdf', 'F');

Here, the last line $pdf->Output('output.pdf', 'F'); is for saving the file. But it is not working. When I was having only $pdf->Output(), it was showing the pdf in browser.

I've tried $pdf->Output('output.pdf', 'D'); for downloading and it worked fine. Seems $pdf->Output('output.pdf', 'F'); is only not working and it shown an error TCPDF ERROR: Unable to create output file: output.pdf.

Note: there is no file permission issues

Can anyone point out the issue please.

score 26 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 25 '15 at 15:26

26

Try putting ob_clean(); right above $pdf->Output('output.pdf', 'F');

ob_clean();

// save file
$pdf->Output('output.pdf', 'F');

if that dont work. Than you need to set a path like this:

$pdf->Output('yourpath/output.pdf', 'F');

if you dont know the absolute path try this:

$pdf->Output($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . 'output.pdf', 'F');

answered Mar 25 '15 at 15:26

Puya Sarmidani

319
2
7

4

prepending $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] worked for me, thanks! – plong0 Oct 21 '15 at 17:48
first check whether $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] contains trailing slash, if not than concat with '/' before filename – Michal - wereda-net Jan 13 '20 at 11:02

score 8 · Answer 2 · edited Sep 16 '15 at 14:29

8

In the 'include/tcpdf_static.php' file about 2435 line in the static function 'fopenLocal' if I delete the complete 'if statement'... works fine.

public static function fopenLocal($filename, $mode) {
    /*if (strpos($filename, '://') === false) {
        $filename = 'file://'.$filename;
    } elseif (strpos($filename, 'file://') !== 0) {
        return false;
    }*/
    return fopen($filename, $mode);
}

edited Sep 16 '15 at 14:29

Evan Frisch

1,334
5
22
40

answered Sep 16 '15 at 13:37

Atul Baraiya

141
1
2

nice find, works! – Jaxx0rr Apr 13 '23 at 11:17

Charaf JRA · Answer 3 · 2017-08-08T14:05:36.067

7

You have to put the full path instead of relative one, example of usage with__DIR__:

 $pdf->Output(__DIR__."/../invoices/invoice_".date('d-M-Y').".pdf", 'F');

edited Aug 08 '17 at 14:05

answered Aug 08 '17 at 12:07

Charaf JRA

8,249
1
34
44

score 5 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 20:59

5

this is a tip for laravel programmers who using tcpdf if you want to save pdf to your public directory, just use this:

PDF::Output(public_path('/uploads/pdf/hello_world.pdf'),'F');

answered Apr 25 '16 at 20:59

mostafaznv

958
14
24

score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Feb 26 '17 at 20:54

3

the issue is caused by file's path. I get this fixed by changing $pdf->Output('output.pdf', 'F'); to absolute path $pdf->Output('/var/www/yourdomain/output.pdf', 'F');

answered Feb 26 '17 at 20:54

harrrrrrry

13,643
2
23
28

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Oct 23 '18 at 06:23

I found that this error was also caused by too many images. I was trying to create a PDF with 186 images and got this error. I tried all the options above and still got this error. I then reducing the images (and did a test with 100 images) PDF created ok. Increase the number of images again and got the error again.

score 0 · Answer 7 · answered Aug 17 '16 at 11:18

0

Check the folder permissions as well. Because i have the same issue and i resolve it by changing the folder permissions.

answered Aug 17 '16 at 11:18

Syed Amir Bukhari

136
2
18

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Jan 10 '19 at 13:09

0

make sure that file sample.pdf is not open anywhere when you run script. if it's open somewhere else then TCPDF can't open it.

answered Jan 10 '19 at 13:09

Divyesh Jesadiya

1,105
4
30
68

Chinmay235 · Answer 9 · 2021-05-13T03:51:33.597

0

Give your directory permission where you want to store your output.pdf file

chmod -R 0777 /yourdirectory

edited May 13 '21 at 03:51

answered May 13 '21 at 03:40

Chinmay235

3,236
8
62
93

Lin · Answer 10 · 2022-05-26T09:03:19.457

0

I having the same issue, but for my case to solve this following issue was declare the system temporary directory on XAMPP.

sys_temp_dir = /Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/temp/

edited May 26 '22 at 09:03

answered May 26 '22 at 09:02

Lin

1
1
1

score 0 · Answer 11 · answered Jun 01 '22 at 17:07

0

en Output cambiar de :

 $f = TCPDF_STATIC::fopenLocal($name, 'wb');

a:

$f = fopen($name, 'wb');

answered Jun 01 '22 at 17:07

Angel Albinagorta

21
2

score -1 · Answer 12 · answered Jan 15 '22 at 07:29

-1

Maybe your file was opened by another application

answered Jan 15 '22 at 07:29

earnest ji

1

As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please [edit] to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Jan 15 '22 at 11:58
Same as https://stackoverflow.com/a/54129439/2227743 – Eric Aya Jan 15 '22 at 14:34

TCPDF ERROR: Unable to create output file

12 Answers12