store the image as binary or not?

Anon

hi.

which is better between storing the image as binary into the database and storing the image into the filesystems on the server?

If i choose the first choice, can i update the pic on the database?

thanx
Angela

desenhistas

Depends on your needs.. If you have many users uploading images, the database is better for it will never have duplicata filenames ´cause you will have the id colum... As any other kind of data, you can update the data at any time..
But if you have only a couple users uploading images, a strict rules on file naming, you coulde use a directory with no problem...

Anon

thanks
I can insert the image as binary into the database. But i can't update the binary field on the database. the other fields are fine. only binary field.

Notice: i just change the insert query to the update query. it never works.

cheers
Angela

brandonschnell

i just finished a project storing images in the database and i know is possible.

you should be able to update the image in the database like any other columns. start out by uploading a very small text file (images show up as a bunch of gibberish when you're looking at the raw table contents) to the binary column, output whats there (from mysql client: SELECT * FROM table_name; ), upload another small text file and see if the contents actually changed in the database. if the didn't then its an issue with the sql update syntax, post some code that you're using so that we can look at it.

if the contents do change then your browser isn't loading the new image. this is a big problem that i had and to fix it toss in some gibberish in the url (like www.yoursite.com/php_page.php?image=yahoo&random_gibberish=124124123 ) and use some metatags to force the image to expire from the browsers cache.

Anon

thanks. my UPDATE query is ok. it works fine in my friends' machine but not mine!!
I think as you said my problem is the contents do change but my browser isn't loading the new image.
I think you can fix it.

cheers
Angela