Binary Data in mysql - Downloading

biggoofybj

I know how it would be possible to upload binary data, such as a picture to a database and view it from the web. But, would it be possible to download an uploaded NES Rom file from a database ?

jordan

Images and ROM files are bother binaries, and the process is identical in every way. If you're having trouble, you might need to play with your mime types, though.

biggoofybj

yeah I know, for displaying images on the web, i use this:

@MYSQL_CONNECT("localhost","username","password");

@mysql_select_db("database");

$query = "select pic, filetype from table where id=$id";
$result = @MYSQL_QUERY($query);

$data = @MYSQL_RESULT($result,0,"pic");
$type = @MYSQL_RESULT($result,0,"filetype");

Header( "Content-type: $type");
echo $data;

How would I make a rom downloadable, a link to this file?

junebug

i don't see why not. just make sure you send the browser the right headers to let it know what you are doing. look at these links:

http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616-sec14.html
http://www.phpbuilder.com/forum/read.php3?num=2&id=133339&loc=0&thread=133339
http://www.phpbuilder.com/search/?sort=Score&method=and&config=forum&restrict=&exclude=&words=download+headers

jordan

Like I said, BJ, there's no difference between a browser downloading an image and a user downloading a file, and the code you posted is perfect. Put that code in a script and as long as your "$type" is correct, it should download the returned file flawlessly. Take a look at chris's post for info on figuring out the right mime type. If you want the file to have an extension other than .php, though, it'll take a little trickery -- if you're using Apache, just give the PHP script the extension you want and use .htaccess's ForceType directive to make sure it's parsed as PHP. Check out httpd.apache.org for more info in that department.