zip_entry_open()

⚠️ Deprecation Notice: The zip_entry_open() function belongs to the legacy zip extension, which was deprecated in PHP 7.4 and removed in PHP 8.0. The examples below are provided for historical reference only. For modern PHP applications, use the ZipArchive class instead.

zip_entry_open() prepares a single entry (file) inside an opened zip archive so that its contents can be read. It works hand in hand with zip_open(), zip_read(), and zip_entry_read(): you open the archive, iterate to an entry, open that entry, then read from it. Without calling zip_entry_open() first, a call to zip_entry_read() has nothing to read from.

This page covers the function's signature, its parameters and return value, a complete read-an-entry example, and — most importantly — the modern ZipArchive replacement you should use today.

Syntax

resource zip_entry_open(resource $zip, resource $zip_entry, string $mode = "r")

Parameters

The fourth $password argument seen in some old references was never functional in the bundled zip extension; it is ignored.

Return value

Returns true on success or false on failure. Despite the historical resource type hint, you do not get a new handle back — you keep passing the same $zip_entry handle to zip_entry_read().

Usage Example

Example: Reading a file from a zip archive

Open the archive, walk to an entry, open that entry, read it, and clean up:

$zip = zip_open("example.zip");

if (is_resource($zip)) {
    while ($zip_entry = zip_read($zip)) {
        // Prepare this entry for reading
        if (zip_entry_open($zip, $zip_entry, "r")) {
            $name     = zip_entry_name($zip_entry);
            $contents = zip_entry_read($zip_entry, zip_entry_filesize($zip_entry));

            echo "$name: $contents\n";

            zip_entry_close($zip_entry);
        }
    }
    zip_close($zip);
}

Here zip_open() opens the archive, zip_read() advances to each entry in turn, zip_entry_open() makes the current entry readable, and zip_entry_read() returns its bytes. Always pair every successful open with zip_entry_close(), and close the archive with zip_close() when you are done.

Modern Alternative: ZipArchive Class

To achieve the same result in PHP 8.0+, use the built-in ZipArchive class:

$zip = new ZipArchive;

if ($zip->open('example.zip') === true) {
    // Loop over every entry by index
    for ($i = 0; $i < $zip->numFiles; $i++) {
        $name     = $zip->getNameIndex($i);
        $contents = $zip->getFromIndex($i);

        echo "$name: $contents\n";
    }
    $zip->close();
}

ZipArchive needs no separate "open the entry" step: getFromIndex() (or getFromName()) reads an entry's contents directly, and it works in every modern PHP version.

Conclusion

In this article, we've discussed the PHP zip_entry_open() function and how it can be used to open a file in a zip archive. We've explained what the function does, its syntax, and provided an example of how it can be used in a practical scenario. Note that zip_entry_open() is deprecated and removed in PHP 8.0; for modern projects, use the ZipArchive class to open and read files in a zip archive.

Practice