[Resolved] Retain selection of file when form submission errors?

[bunner_bob]

I've asked this before, but you never know when some bright soul is going to come up with the answer, so...

I've got a form where you select an image to upload, put in some text, enter a sort order (number), couple of other things. When there's an error, the form reappears with error messages and the content still in it - except the selected file. Is there any way to get that selected file to echo in the file field? I was thinking you might be able to echo $_FILES['file']['tmp_name'], but that ain't it.

I think the issue is, when you select a file, you're simply creating a pointer to the file on your computer. When you upload it, the form then sucks up the file and sends it to the server. So you'd have to echo the pointer to the file on your drive.

Unless there was a way to download the file back to the computer, capture the path to where the file was placed, and then upload the file again with the next submit.

It's not so bad with single-image forms, but I've got some batch uploaders that take four images at a time. If one of 'em has a bad filename, you have to select all four again.

Any magic answers? Or am I just gonna have to live with it?

• Bob

[pingu]

No way. Be bear in mind otherwise you could initialize it with whatever you want (e.g. /etc/passwd for a Unix-like machine).

But there are other solutions possible. For example remember the already uploaded file on the server (create an ID) and within the "re-submit-form" presented to the user replace the complete file-input just with the name of the already uploaded file and a hidden-input with the ID. That gives the hint to the user that the file is already uploaded successfully and he has to adjust only some other stuff that he didn't filled out correctly.
Maybe alternatively you give the user the chance to upload a different file instead. That means present two radio buttons. One labeled "keep file" or something similar and the other one labeled "replace with this" or something similar and a file-input following the second radio button.

Pingu

[bunner_bob]

Not a bad idea. Only problem is if they bail out after their error without 'completing' the correct upload, there's an orphaned file on the server. Suppose I could write a cleanup script that would ditch such orphans every so often - maybe when I get really bored I'll try it...for now I'll just make 'em re-select their file.

• Bob