file_put_contents('file.txt', 'bar');
echo file_get_contents('file.txt'); // bar
file_put_contents('file.txt', 'foo');
echo file_get_contents('file.txt'); // foo
Alternatively, if you're stuck with fopen() you can use the w or w+ modes:
'w' Open for writing only; place the file pointer at the beginning of the file and truncate the file to zero length. If the file does not exist, attempt to create it.
'w+' Open for reading and writing; place the file pointer at the beginning of the file and truncate the file to zero length. If the file does not exist, attempt to create it.