Keeping File Date on Upload?

midol

Here is my situation...
I designed a picture viewing script to allow family to browse through thumbnails/lists of pictures, and then download the full size pictures. All of the pictures were taken with a digital camera. The only way that camera can put a date on the picture is in the file creation date.
I would like to have the script display the orig creation date, but when I upload the picture to my webserver the file create/modify date on the server becomes the time I uploaded it, instead of the time I took the picture.

Is there anyway I can preserve that date? Can yal think of ANY way to set something up that allows me to display the orig. creation date?
I'm at a loss for ideas on this one, so I'm hoping some1 has fought and won this battle already and can give me a pointer.
Thanks a bunch..

mmilano

are you using a database at all to keep track of the files?

a simple table with a "date_created" field and a "picture_id" field is probably the best answer for you.

mysql is great for that.

Anon

That wasn't what he was after I don't think. He want's to preserve the original file creation date of the uploaded file and save the server version with the same creation date. Otherwise they'll all be recorded as having been created on the day of upload.

Unfortunately off the top of my head I don't know how to do it though.

midol

Well, I do use mysql for some of the sorting features. I was hoping that it wouldn't come down to me manually putting in the date for every picture... It gets to be a bore with over 200. But thanks for the ideas, Im glad to see that I'm not the only one who drew a blank on this one.

midol

ok, well I've been thinking... would there be any way to upload the file via PHP, and get the file date off my computer? I would then have the upload script add it to a database. But I don't have any experience with uploading using PHP so I don't know if that is possible.
Thanks

midol

Thanks for all the input, one of my family members for looking at them and noticed that a picture with filename "P7190114" was taken on 7/19. So with some simple use of substr I now have it showing the correct date. 🙂