Downloadable .txt file shows as web content

Struggling with this for a while now, the nature of the problem makes it really tough to search on keywords so if this is out there please redirect me....

Ive got a downloadable product, its a .txt file. Ive created the attribute name and values.

When I go through checkout (or back in to the product through MY ACCOUNT) and click the download button, I get the tab delimited text file as a populated web page instead of a download that gets saved to disk.

Previously I would get a 404 error, after reading through some issues here ont he forums I found a comment about the .htaccess file in /pub. I found I had to add "txt" to allowable files but then the files started appearing as full web pages.

What am I doing wrong or not doing?

Make sure that you fixed both .htaccess files in:
/download
/pub

I did that, no change. I tried it on Chrome and Firefox to make sure it wasnt a browser thing.

I dont even know what else to describe the issue with other than the .txt file opens like you might see a pdf file viewed by the browser.

Try adding this to the .htaccess file AddType application/octet-stream .txt

Both in the /pub and the /download directories? Does it matter where in the file?

Badarac - you da man! Unless you are a wo-man! Thanks, that did it. Which .htaccess file do you think made it work right?

creff:

Which .htaccess file do you think made it work right?
Depends on which mode you have your store set for distributing files with. Nothing wrong with setting it in both, in case you change your download delivery method. (See FAQs area for download delivery methods explanations)

creff:

Badarac - you da man! Unless you are a wo-man! Thanks, that did it. Which .htaccess file do you think made it work right?
Glad that worked for you. I am a man, I don't know about da-man. ;-)