# SplFileObject::fread

(PHP 5 >= 5.5.11, PHP 7)

SplFileObject::fread — Read from file

### Description

public SplFileObject::fread ( int `$length` ) : string|false

Reads the given number of bytes from the file.

### Parameters

`length`

  The number of bytes to read.

### Return Values

Returns the string read from the file or `FALSE` on failure.

### Examples

Example #1 SplFileObject::fread() example

`<?php
// Get contents of a file into a string
$filename = "/usr/local/something.txt";
$file = new SplFileObject($filename, "r");
$contents = $file->fread($file->getSize());
?>`

### Notes

> Note:

> Note that SplFileObject::fread() reads from the current position of the file pointer. Use SplFileObject::ftell() to find the current position of the pointer and SplFileObject::rewind() (or SplFileObject::fseek()) to rewind the pointer position.

### See Also

- fread() - Binary-safe file read