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  <refentry id="function.dbase-get-header-info">
   <refnamediv>
    <refname>dbase_get_header_info</refname>
    <refpurpose>Get the header info of a dBase database</refpurpose>
   </refnamediv>
   <refsect1>
    <title>Description</title>
     <methodsynopsis>
      <type>array</type><methodname>dbase_get_header_info</methodname>
      <methodparam><type>int</type><parameter>dbase_identifier</parameter></methodparam>
     </methodsynopsis>
    <para>
     Returns information on the column structure of the database referenced by
     <parameter>dbase_identifier</parameter>. For each column in the database,
     there is an entry in a numerically-indexed array. The array index starts
     at 0. Each array element contains an associative array of column
     information. If the database header information cannot be read, &false;
     is returned.
    </para>
    <para>
     The array elements are:
     <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
       <term>
        name
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <simpara>
         The name of the column
        </simpara>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>
        type
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <simpara>
         The human-readable name for the dbase type of the column (i.e. date,
         boolean, etc)
        </simpara>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>
        length
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <simpara>
         The number of bytes this column can hold
        </simpara>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>
        precision
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <simpara>
         The number of digits of decimal precision for the column
        </simpara>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>
        format
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <simpara>
         A suggested <function>printf</function> format specifier for the column
        </simpara>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
       <term>
        offset
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <simpara>
         The byte offset of the column from the start of the row
        </simpara>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
     </variablelist>
    </para>
    <para>
     <example>
      <title>Showing header information for a dBase database file</title>
      <programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
<?php
// Path to dbase file
$db_path = "/tmp/test.dbf";

// Open dbase file
$dbh = dbase_open($db_path)
    or die("Error! Could not open dbase database file '$db_path'.");

// Get column information
$column_info = dbase_get_header_info($dbh);

// Display information
print_r($column_info);
?>
]]>
      </programlisting>
     </example>
    </para>

   </refsect1>
  </refentry>

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