PHP Notepad Help Needed

[Max Payne]

I don't understand something with php.

I have this code:

<?php
if($_POST['content']){
$fff=fopen("notes.txt","w");
fwrite($fff, $_POST['content']);
}
?>
<form action='' method='POST'>
<textarea name='content' cols='90' rows='10'>
<?php
if (file_exists("notes.txt")) readfile("notes.txt");
?>
</textarea>
<br />
<input type='submit' value='Save Notes' class='inputbutton'> 
</form>

and i have the notes.txt file created, but each time i use the note pad in the code above, it always has to have a space or a character in it. It can't be blank. Why is this?

Edited December 4, 2007 by Max Payne

[Max Payne]

i'm sorry for bumping, but i need help with this.

Edited December 5, 2007 by Max Payne

[Gerard]

Bumping is bad.

I see you're writing to notes.txt if youre POSTing content, and then reading it if it exists. How do you know it "doesnt work" with an empty file? Do you get an error, or are you putting something else into the IF to test it?

Why don't you always have the file there, and just see if it's empty or not?

[Max Payne]

when you try to remove all characters/and spaces, then click Save, the text is still there. It has to have atleast one character/space in it. How can i stop that.

[Gerard]

Ah okay - I think that's that's because fopen caches what goes through it. Use the b flag when opening it (as well as w), and use clearstatcache().

Or you could just say "if the file exists, fopen it" ?

[Max Payne]

okay, thanx