[RESOLVED] store image values in db

[zzz]

Need a strategic advice.

I have a form that allows user to upload images. All in all users can upload 3 images. One of them should be a default one.

I thought of adding 4 columns to user table and name them something like:

img1
img2
img3
defaultImg

So far so good.

If a user uploads only one I can also record it as a default. If more then 1 then have radiobutton to indicate which one is default? And if they want to change image, have them first delete the one that will be replaced.

I'm not very clear how to detect where to store new images if they delete say #2 or #1. How do I know where to store new value? I also need to be able to change the default if they delete an image that's currently a default one.

Any advice is welcomed!

[sneakyimp]

you really have several issues you are dealing with

1) database

if i were you, i would think about using a table like this:

IMAGES
id - integer
user_id - integer, refers to the id field of the user table
filename - an image's filename like 'foo.gif'
is_default - either 0 or 1, depending on whether the image is default or not

if a user has 3 images, they would have 3 records in that table. one of them would have a '1' in the is_default field, the other two would have '0' there.

2) storing images
There are a number of considerations here
what if you get a bazillion images in a single directory? you might have performance problems
what if the user uploads two different images with the same exact filename? you might overwrite the first image. do you rename each image when they upload it? do you warn them if they upload two different images with the same name?

3) managing images.
If a user wants to 'replace' an image, you would have to choose which one to replace or let them do so. this means you need to design your form to display the correct info to the user. if i were you, i would not permit any user to upload another image who already has 3. i would make a form that shows their existing images with a 'delete' button next to each one. hitting 'delete' would submit to another form which would remove the image from your server and delete the corresponding record in the db.

[zzz]

Thanks, I feel confirmed in my planning.

1. I already a table with a few user details. I can just add images +default fields.

2. I use a script that creates a custom folder for each user that has images. So I'm looking at a directory with a lot of subdirectories probably, but I can't see any other way of avoiding it.

The images are never the same name, the class that I'm using changes the name on the fly to add image_1, image_2 ... image_33.

3. I guess I can run a quick check to see if the user still has any image cells left and allow new upload or make them choose which one to delete, just like you suggested.

Off to the code now!