How to make PHP generate Chunked response

A PHP response will always be chunked if you don't specify a content-length header, and a flush occurs. (which will happen automatically after x bytes, just don't know exactly how much).

This is a weird thing to care about. Is this some kind of academic/learning exercise or is there a real world problem you're trying to solve?


This has gotten a little vauge... if you don't mind big assed chunks, (0x1000 octets or so), then yes, PHP will make them.

<?php

while (true) {
    # output data
    flush()
    usleep(pow(2,18));
}
?>

PHP will generated the numbered sections, etc.

If you want to send tiny little chunks, as you might do with an AJAX client... well, I've combined the OPs question, with some research on PHP.NET, and it does look like he was on to a good thing.

$ echo -en "GET /chunked/ HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: ec\r\n\r\n" | nc localhost 80

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 13:03:01 GMT
Server: Apache/2.2.9 (Debian) PHP/5.3.5-1 with Suhosin-Patch mod_ssl/2.2.9 OpenSSL/0.9.8o
X-Powered-By: PHP/5.3.5-1
Transfer-encoding: chunked
Content-Type: text/html

14
Teachers have class.
50
We secure our friends not by accepting favors but by doing them.
            -- Thucydides
48
Vulcans never bluff.
            -- Spock, "The Doomsday Machine", stardate 4202.1
31
All kings is mostly rapscallions.
            -- Mark Twain
41
Reappraisal, n.:
    An abrupt change of mind after being found out.
49
He who knows, does not speak.  He who speaks, does not know.
            -- Lao Tsu

Whether or not it will eventually squeeze out it out's own (incorrect) chunk count, remains to be seen... but I saw no sign of it.

<?php
header("Transfer-encoding: chunked");
@apache_setenv('no-gzip', 1);
@ini_set('zlib.output_compression', 0);
@ini_set('implicit_flush', 1);
for ($i = 0; $i < ob_get_level(); $i++)  ob_end_flush();
ob_implicit_flush(1); flush();

function dump_chunk($chunk)
{
  printf("%x\r\n%s\r\n", strlen($chunk), $chunk);
  flush();
}

for (;;) {
  $output = array();
  exec("/usr/games/fortune", $output);
  dump_chunk(implode("\n", $output));
  usleep(pow(2,18));
}
?>