ZEND - Issue with download file (encoding, not able to open downloaded file) - zend-framework

Question

I made a download form in my project, but problem is when i download the file and im trying to open it, Zend renderer is adding to it my layout html code... I read that i have to disable renderer and layout. But the problem is tjat i have to do this in my own helper, not in controller file, cause i need to have download in that helper file.
My download function is something like this:
<?php
class Zend_View_Helper_EditArticles extends Zend_View_Helper_Abstract
{
public function EditArticles()
{
//some code here, getting data from db table
//and now the download
if (isset($_POST['downloadarticle' . $i])) {
//this is probably bad and its not working as it should
//(?)Zend_Controller_Action_HelperBroker::getStaticHelper('viewRenderer')->setNoRender(true);
//(?)Zend_Controller_Action_HelperBroker::getStaticHelper('layout')->disableLayout();
$targetPath = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/articles/';
$file = $articles->GetArticleToDownload($_POST['art_id' . $i]);
$name = $file['name'];
$path = $file['path'];
$getfile = str_replace('//', '/', $targetPath) . $path . '.pdf';
$size = $file['size'];
header('Content-Description: File Transfer');
header('Content-Type: application/octet-stream');
header("Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=$name.pdf");
header("Content-length: $size");
header('Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary');
readfile($getfile);
break;
}
}
echo $this->view->partial('/index/index.phtml','EditArticles');
And when I download the PDF, Adobe Reader can't open it (when I download other files they can't be opened either). I opened them with notepad and before the PDF content there was a lot of HTML layout code... What am I doing wrong?
In Adobe Reader I get this message:
Adobe Reader could not open 'filename.pdf' because it is either not a supported file type or because the file has been damaged for example, it was sent as an email attachment and wasn't correctly decoded).

Answer 1

That code does not belong in a view helper. It belongs in the controller or maybe an action helper.
Something like this in your controller should work:
$this->_helper->layout()->disableLayout();
$this->_helper->viewRenderer->setNoRender(true);
// ...
$this->getResponse()
->setHeader('Content-Description', 'File Transfer', true)
->setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/pdf', true) // change to application/pdf
->setHeader('Content-Disposition', "attachment; filename={$name}.pdf", true)
->setHeader('Content-length', $size, true)
->setHeader('Content-Transfer-Encoding', 'binary', true)
->appendBody(readfile($getfile));

Answer 2

The following 2 lines of code should accomplish what you need and do it in a fashion that works from anywhere in your Zend application.
Zend_Layout::getMvcInstance()->disableLayout();
Zend_Controller_Front::getInstance()->setParam('noViewRenderer', true);