uploading and image and resizing it before it's saved to the server

[pahikua]

Hey, does anybody know how to upload a photo and then resize it before it gets saved to the server. I have a great script that you can use to resize an image on the fly but I can't seem to get it to work with the move_uploaded_file or copy functions.

Thanks for the help

[Weedpacket]

What's the bit you're having trouble with? I don't recall any problems last time I did this (then again, I custom wrote the whole thing myself).

[pahikua]

well I have the form all set up and they can upload to the server just fine. the problem is that I don't want them uploading 2mb images. just setting the maxfilesize won't work though. most of these people will just take photos from the digital cameras and directly upload them. to make the whole process easier I would like to have them upload any size image (unless it's rediculously huge), then before it is saved to the server use PHP to resize it to a reasonable size.

The part that is getting me is the script that actually catches it while it is still in the tmp directory and resizes before it goes to it's new permanent home on the server.

Thanks for your response

Mike

[Weedpacket]

Well, you'd be using the image functions of course... imagecopyresized() or imagecopyresampled().

The important fact to consider is that while it's still sitting in the upload directory, it will be identified there by a temporary name that PHP gave it; so if you want to manipulate it before moving it around, that's the name you'll be needing to refer to it by.

In other words, the name of the file you'll be checking to see if it's too big, and resizing it if it is, will be $_FILES['userfile']['tmp_name'], where userfile is of course the form field the file was uploaded in.

When you've resized it, if you save it back into the temporary directory ($_ENV['TEMP'] if ini_get('upload_tmp_dir') returns nothing) under the same temporary name, you should be able to move it around as if it had been uploaded in the smaller size to begin with.

[pahikua]

I'm thinking that I should be able to write a function to resize the image and use it in a manner like this:

copy(resize_func($_FILES['image']['tmp_name']),$path)

my question is what does the function need to return, if anything? the first parameter of the copy function is the path to the image to be copies, so can I grab it resize it with a function like this and then save it to $path?

i'm going to play around with it and see what I can come up with

[Weedpacket]

Originally posted by pahikua
I'm thinking that I should be able to write a function to resize the image and use it in a manner like this:

copy(resize_func($_FILES['image']['tmp_name']),$path)

my question is what does the function need to return, if anything? the first parameter of the copy function is the path to the image to be copies, so can I grab it resize it with a function like this and then save it to $path?[/B]

Since the first argument to copy() needs to be the source filename, that is what resize_func() will need to return.

With that, what you have would work, but since you already have that filename, it could be considered unnecessary to go passing it back and forth.

resize_if_needed($_FILES['image']['tmp_name']);
copy($_FILES['image']['tmp_name'], $path);

- where resize_if_needed() doesn't return anything - would be equally effective, and (in my opinion at least), is a little bit clearer as to what is going on (in the other situation, someone would actually have to read resize_func() to find out what file the copy() line is copying - there's nothing to say that it's $_FILES['image']['tmp_name']).

[wannasub]

pahikua have you solved your problem yet?

If so could you provide me with the code as I need the same thing for my site yet im really a newb with no idea where to start with image resizing.

If you can help please email me at [e-mail]

Thanks

Aaron

[RGBlackmore]

if you can, use imagemagick. It's more easy for work the resize.

ps: sorry for my poor english

[pahikua]

Sorry Aaron but I never figured it out. I don't have anymore time to spend on it right now. I'm sure I'll come back to it later. I get frustrated just thinking about it! I don't like getting beat by the code!

Mike

I'll look into imagemagick Blackmore