Browsing for Empty Directory

OldManRiver

All,

Looking for a way to browse and get empty directory. All the examples I see are using the:

<input type='file'>

with extra button, but that means you can not browse for an empty directory.

I'm sure there are good examples of this so would appreciate a quick shot with link to some source.

Thanks!

OMR

laserlight

What exactly do you mean by "browse and get empty directory"? Who does the browsing, and where is the directory?

johanafm

You'd an activeX object or java applet. Javascript or html doesn't give you access to the harddrive, other than through input of type 'file'. Perhaps flash would allow it as well.

OldManRiver

laserlight;10962244 wrote:
What exactly do you mean by "browse and get empty directory"? Who does the browsing, and where is the directory?

Client need empty directory for download operation.

OMR

dagon

downloaded files go in to the system temp dir, from there you use move_uploaded_file to move them to where ever you want

Handling file uploads

OldManRiver

dagon;10962257 wrote:
downloaded files go in to the system temp dir, from there you use move_uploaded_file to move them to where ever you want

Handling file uploads

No they do not. They go where you tell them to go. I have text input box of:

<input type='text' name='land' size='32'>

I can use:

<input type='file' name='land' size='32'>

and I get the browse button but can not be directory and can not be empty directory.

This HTML input box requires a file to be present, whereever the user is navigating under the "Browse" button produced.

I'm not sure if it is a javascript or not but I've done this many moons ago and need source on how to do it again.

Thanks!

OMR

Krik

If the user is uploading to the server, yes, the file is held in a temp directory until your php tells it where to go. If it wasn't held in a temp directory it would not exist when php tried to move it to a directory.

Dagons link to Handling file uploads is a very good resource for file uploads.

I'm not sure if it is a javascript or not but I've done this many moons

If the user is uploading to the server it is not javascript it is PHP.

And if you did it too many "moons" ago the whole method of handling file uploads has changed. So you may be looking at having to relearn it.

dagon

The file dialogue is on the clients side, for them to select where the file they are uploading resides. The uploaded file will still go in to the systems temp dir

OldManRiver

Krik;10962276 wrote:
If the user is uploading to the server, yes, the file is held in a temp directory until your php tells it where to go. If it wasn't held in a temp directory it would not exist when php tried to move it to a directory.

Dagons link to Handling file uploads is a very good resource for file uploads.

If the user is uploading to the server it is not javascript it is PHP.

And if you did it too many "moons" ago the whole method of handling file uploads has changed. So you may be looking at having to relearn it.

Well now that we are starting to get and understanding and yes <input type='text'> is in a form, I need to be able to browse for an empty directory with a "Browse" button on the form.
I have this code:

       <input type='text' name='land' size='32'>
       <input type='button' value='Browse' onClick='GetDirectory();'>

but the javascript I found for "GetDirectory()" assumed that I would use type='file' in my first input field, and just parses off the directory from there, that method requires that there is at least one file in the directory to select.

There is a way, in javascript, and also in PHP to actually create/call a popup "Browse" window that just looks for a directory, which is what is needed when the directory you are searching for is empty.

That is my problem. Slept since I did this about ten years ago, and forgot.

Thanks!

OMR

Krik

The user has to browse for an empty directory on the server?

Your going to have to retrieve the directory structure for this look at [man]dir[/man] also you may find [man]filesystem[/man] useful.

To create the popup you will have to use javascript. But it will have to use the data that php provides it.

NogDog

Krik;10962279 wrote:
The user has to browse for an empty directory on the server?

Your going to have to retrieve the directory structure for this look at [man]dir[/man] also you may find [man]filesystem[/man] useful.

To create the popup you will have to use javascript. But it will have to use the data that php provides it.

Or maybe just create a <select> element with the possible directories in it as part of the form?

Krik

That would be the easy way but

I need to be able to browse for an empty directory with a "Browse" button on the form

I would assume once he uploads a file the directory is no longer empty. Over time all the directories will fill up and he will have to add more directories and then he has to change the static values. So I gave him links to info on generating new list dynamically.

Of course we are just seeing one millimeter of a 20 foot picture, that is his project, so maybe that would work.

PradeepKr

Lets make it clear, are you searching for empty directory on the server ot on the client's (user) machine?