Image/Gif/Base64_Decode?

Tracer

I have a base64 encrypted stream in an xml file which I am parsing.

How do it decode and display this image to the screen? Do i need to save it to a file first?

I was hoping that

$new_image=base64_decode($gif_encoded);

echo "<img src=$new_image>";

would work... Guess not....

Mordecai

Whenever you use the <img> tag, you are specifing the location of a file, not the actual image content.
You won't be able to use <img> unless you save it to a file. Vice versa, you won't be able to output the image unless you display nothing else.
First, base64_decode the image:
$image = base64_decode($image);

Now, you have two choices: do you want to save it to a file and <img> it, or do you want to output it to the browser?

Saving it to a file:
$imfp = fopen("file.gif","w+b");
fputs($image);
fclose($imfp);
echo("<img src=\"file.gif\">");

Output it:
header("Content-type: image/gif");
echo($image);

Hope this helps.

Sxooter

Ok, if you're creating a page with all kinds of stuff in it, then you probably want to have another script that does nothing but display the gif for you.

It will be something simple like:

<?php
header ("content-type: image/gif");
$gif = magic_function_to_return_gif($var);
print base64_decode($gif);
?>

You can theoretically "inline" gif images in an html document, but it's more difficult to do, and harder to troubleshoot problems. Basically you build a multi-part mime message and let the browser decode it. Ugly stuff, and I'd only do it for something like a cell phone or palm pilot or whatnot.