where to start with image uploading?

[wannasub]

Hi guys I have written a script that adds users details to my database and their picture to my server but I have now realised that some pics are far too large file size and area wise and is messing up my pages.

How can I allow people to still upload a picture or preferably pictures to my server but get php to resize the original?

I have no idea where to start so if you can help I will be very greatfull. I have looked at some tutorials around but they dont fit my needs I need to be able to add to my original script and table in the database.

Aaron

[RGBlackmore]

if you use php in linux, you can use imagemagick (really I don't know if exists any win version).

For example, check the next command:

montage -geometry 640x480 -bordercolor black original.jpg final.jpg

In this case, the original.jpg is resized to fill 640x480, conserving the aspect ratio of the image. The rest of the space is filled with a border black.

You can modify dinamically your uploaded file with like some:

exec("montage.... $file $file");

For any extrange reason, the modification of the image with montage don't work for me.. I dont know why, the script dont update the image. Anyway, the

exec("convert -geometry 640x480 $file $file");

work fine in the php script.

PS: php 4.3.0 support native gd library (as far as I know). Check this excelent treaty function of images.

Good Luck

ps: sorry for my poor english

[wannasub]

thanks RGBlackmore but I really didnt understand any of that and it wasnt your english...if I show you the original code could you help me rewrite it for my needs?

<?PHP
						  include "common.php";
$link = mysql_connect("$server", "$username", "$password") 
or die("Could not connect"); 
mysql_select_db("$db") or die("Could not select database"); 


if ($action == "add") {

$query = "SELECT * FROM escorts WHERE user = '$user'";
$result = mysql_query($query) or die("Query failed");
while ($i = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
	if ($user == $i[user]) {
	echo "<font face=arial size=2>Username all ready in use</font>";
	die;
	}
}

if (empty($user) || $user == "") {
echo "<font face=arial size=2>Bad Username</font>";
die;
}

if (empty($pass) || $pass == "") {
echo "<font face=arial size=2>Bad Password</font>";
die;
}

if (empty($email) || $email == "") {
echo "<font face=arial size=2>Bad E-Mail</font>";
die;
}

$time = time();

if ($file1_name != "") {
		mkdir ("uploads/$time", 0777);
		copy("$file1", "uploads/$time/$file1_name");
		$pic = $url."/uploads/".$time."/".$file1_name;
		}

$query = "INSERT INTO escorts (id, user, pass, name, email, country, location, city, rates, description, height, stats, age, pic, imgname, imgtime) VALUES ('$id', '$user', '$pass', '$name', '$email', '$country', '$location', '$city', '$rates', '$description', '$height', '$stats', '$age', '$pic', '$file1_name', '$time')";		
if (!mysql_query ($query, $link) )
	{
	die (mysql_error());
	}
	echo "Thanks for submitting";

}

else{
print "<form action=add.php?page=add method=post enctype=\"multipart/form-data\">";
print "<table width=\"60%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=\"maintxt\"><tr>";
print "<td width=\"36%\">Username:</td><td width=\"64%\">";
print "<input type=text name=user value=\"$user\" maxlength=\"20\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Password:</td><td><input type=password name=pass value=\"$pass\" maxlength=\"10\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Name:</td><td><input type=text name=name value=\"$name\" maxlength=\"50\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>E-Mail:</td><td><input type=text name=email value=\"$email\" maxlength=\"70\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Country</td><td><input type=text name=country value=\"$country\" maxlength=\"99\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Location:</td><td><select name=\"location\"><option value=\"London\" selected>London</option>";
print "<option value=\"North\">North</option><option value=\"North East\">North East</option>";
print "<option value=\"North West\">North West</option><option value=\"East Midlands\">East Midlands</option>";
print "<option value=\"West Midlands\">West Midlands</option><option value=\"South\">South</option>";
print "<option value=\"South East\">South East </option><option value=\"South West\">South West</option>";
print "<option value=\"Scotland\">Scotland</option><option value=\"Wales\">Wales</option>";
print "<option value=\"Ireland\">Ireland</option><option value=\"Outside UK\">Outside UK</option></select></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>City:</td><td><input type=text name=city value=\"$city\" maxlength=\"99\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Rates:</td><td><input type=text name=rates value=\"$rates\" maxlength=\"99\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Description:</td><td><textarea cols=20 rows=4 name=description value=\"$description\"></textarea></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Height:</td><td><input type=text name=height value=\"$height\" maxlength=\"20\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Stats:</td><td><input type=text name=stats value=\"$stats\" maxlength=\"20\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Age:</td><td><input type=text name=age value=\"$age\" maxlength=\"5\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr><td>Picture:</td><td><input type=file name=file1 value=\"$file1\"></td></tr>";
print "<tr colspan=2><td><input type=hidden name=action value=\"add\"><input type=submit value=\"Make Your Page!\"></table></form>";
}  ?>

[RGBlackmore]

Ok. Look:

if ($file1_name != "") {
      mkdir ("uploads/$time", 0777);
copy("$file1", "uploads/$time/$file1_name");
$pic = $url."/uploads/".$time."/".$file1_name;
}

check some like:

if ($file1_name != "") {
        mkdir ("uploads/$time", 0777);

exec("/where/is/bin/convert -geometry 640x480 $file1 $file1");

    copy("$file1", "uploads/$time/$file1_name");
    $pic = $url."/uploads/".$time."/".$file1_name;
    }

.... if $file1 is the temporal uploaded file.

Then you have the new file resized to some like 640x480 (it can be less, cause it want to conserv the aspect ratio of the image).

the other solution is montage.. but it don't work in my script. The f****ing montage don't modify the uploaded temporal file.

PS: I recoomend you use blob in your database, for storing binaries on it. The technique for saving files in the directory structure, is.. 'not nice'. Use blob.

PS2: for imagemagick you need xfree86, svgalib, ghostcript and gsfonts (it's the name of the packages in slackware linux; any other distribution, no idea). imagemagick as you note, is a set of image tratment programs.

PS3: If you don't own the linux server, the only solution is wait for the admin to upload to php 4.3.0, and use the gd library.

from php.net:

Improvements

PHP 4.3.0 has many improvements and enhancements:

* GD library is now bundled with the distribution and it is recommended to always use the bundled version

Good Luck

[wannasub]

ok I am understanding that a little more...yes I have a linux server and ive just emailed my host to ask if it has image magic installed.

What is this BLOB thing ive seen it on my mysql database but what does it do...and should I not be uploading to my server then? Its just my database doesnt have as much space and my server...

Can anyone else offer any suggestions

and thanks again man it is good to know someone is willing to help me

[cgraz]

mysql.com
A BLOB is a binary large object that can hold a variable amount of data. The four BLOB types TINYBLOB, BLOB, MEDIUMBLOB, and LONGBLOB differ only in the maximum length of the values they can hold. . . .READ MORE

If you don't know how to upload, I suggest just storing the image name in a varchar field for example, so your field would have image1.jpg

Then if they're all in the same path

<img src="path/<? echo $image_from_db; ?>" width=500 height=500>

where $image_from_db is the variable that holds the image name pulled out of your database.

If you want to leanr how to upload, look here: http://www.php.net/manual/en/features.file-upload.php

Huge references; everything you'll need to know is there, and plenty of user comments. Read through the comments. All of your questions should be answered on that page.

Cgraz

[RGBlackmore]

Also see

Binary Data + MySQL + PHP
Or: How to store images directly in the sql database

http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/florian19991014.php3