Connection Timeout With File_get_contents()

I am working on a script t开发者_如何学JAVAhat fetches csv files from a web server. I am using file_get_contents presently. Sometimes i get the message

Warning: file_get_contents failed to open stream: Connection timed out

I assume it can be due to website being down. Or can there be a situation where the website is fine but still this warning shows up. Also what advantage does CURL provide over this function.

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this is because the remote url is having 404 error.

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For accessing remote files, you should use cURL. You can set cURL to timeout quietly if the remote server takes too long.