File Bsed uploads

[tya]

Has anyone seen a solution for doing a file based upload (rfc 1867) via FMPro web companion? I'm trying to avoid running another web process (IIS or similar), and would like to have this all fit into the FM paradigm...

[Vaughan]

Hmmm... <rubs chin>

Errr... <sucks in air through teeth>

Ummm... <scratches head>

I think the issue of file uploads is a regular on the Forum. Unfortunately most often they go unanswered. Most probably because the asker knows more than anybody else!

However, you've quoted a reference "rfc 1867" is it possible to take a look at this? Perhaps together we can work something out.

[tya]

I'm +90% sure the answer is "sorry charlie" but I can hope!!

the RFC which outlines this concept for any web server including (hopefully?) the web companion can be found, among other places, here:

http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1867.html

"Form-based File Upload in HTML"

(ignore the part where it says that it is 'experimental', as most web servers now support this)

(oh, also, it's pretty high level theory stuff)...

thanks..

[Vaughan]

Thank you!

[proton]

quote:

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Originally posted by Vaughan:

Thank you!

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I to am interested in this. However, are you sure most web servers support this now? I'm not certain. Also, even if they do, I wouldn't call the Web Companion a complete web server, so it's iffy that it will be supported by the WC. Just my two cents.

[yafreax]

there is actually a very touchy HTML tag that will allow a user to upload files. It supposedly works for almost any file but usually by the time the files get to you they are damaged or missing globs of data. The best solution for this tag is when users submit TEXT ONLY files. these usually make it just fine. I say usually, but what i mean is if you can get it to actually work once, then it will work. But getting it to work seems to be the problem. It's not the best idea, but you may want to experiment. Here's the syntax:

<FORM METHOD="post" ACTION="mailto:[email protected]" ENCTYPE="multipart/form-data">

Attachment: <INPUT TYPE="file" NAME="attachedfile" MAXLENGTH=50 ALLOW="text/*" >

</FORM>

If you want the full tutorial, here's the link:

http://htmlgoodies.earthweb.com/attach.html

just something to play with

yafreax

[Vaughan]

Thanks Jeremy. I just spent *all* morning playing around with this. My findings are:

1) Claris Home Page 3 does not like the <input type=file> tag completely. It either deletes it or it ignors it, so the field never appears in the browsed page. Workaround is to use a text editor.

2) Web Companion has no problems -View the page with the <input type=file> tag, and the "browse" even displays OK.

3) Web Companion did not like the encode option in the <form> tag. Kept getting errors until I removed it.

4) Web Companion does not understand the action=mailto: tag at all. It works with action=FMPro no problems though.

5) When submitted, i couldn't get an image file to load into a container field. The best I could do was upload into a text field, and then I got the full path to the image!

CONCLUSION:

I don't think file upload is possible with Web Companion and standard html or cdml tags.

[tya]

It's really about *what* the web companion will *do* with the file once it is uploaded. I was hoping for something simple like "all uploaded files will be placed in some arbitrary folder inside the .web folder and that's that."

I'd bet that the input on the web page should not cause errors like you folks have seen

Thanks for checking - didn't get time today! I've certainly put multipart tags in html and if it wasn't supported, it was just ignored.

Oh and by the way, the mailto tag is completely unrelated and neither harming nor helping anything here.

I was more curious about the action on the part of the server (web companion). Looks like it's a no-go. I'll test it when I get time.

EVERYONE complain to filemaker inc. about this, please, I'm begging you!!

[Vaughan]

Well, in my testing Web Companion didn't upload any file at all. I don't think it can.

Regarding complaints to FileMaker Inc, they can rightly say that their product isn't meant to be a full-featured web server. What I would like to see however is some facility to import into container fields, which is what most of us here seem to want and need.

[This message has been edited by Vaughan (edited November 29, 2000).]

[yafreax]

anyone using webstar??

we just picked it up the other day, and though it's apart from FM, it has a plug-in and a file upload feature that you can place on any page that will possibly do the work... I will continue to look into it, as it would be a good thing for us to have as well. It uses the <input type=File> tag as well, but rather than going through email, it runs the file first through what looks to be a CGI script (or some sort of Back-end script). Of course, b/c of that , you would have to do it outside of any filemaker forms, but that really shouldn't be an issue. Again, just something to play with if you have webstar. I'll post if i figure anything cool out.

yafreax

[Vaughan]

Jeremy

It may be possbile then to upload a file (via webstar) into a folder in one operation, then put the file name into a FMP record in another step, and use a calculation field to make a link to the image (or other file). Problems will be duplicate filenames though.

I'd still like FileMaker Inc to allow the importing/upload of compatible data directly into FMP container fields. <sigh>