I need help handling form posting

Hi all:

In my quest to make things seem easier for the user to understand, I'm trying to retrieve the time that I start posting a very large file via a form post. The form action sends it back to itself, which is fine. It took me some time to figure out that NOTHING happens on the client until the form has been completely transmitted to the server. In my particular case, this can be a long time, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. I'd like to be able to notify the user of when the file upload actually began.

Is there a way that I can intercept the click of the "Upload" button, have it update a field (probably a hidden one) with a date/time stamp, and then have that value included in the $_POSTed values? I'm thinking (fearing, rather) that this is probably all off-topic and probably is best addressed with some type of JavaScript solution, but it's late, I'm not thinking clearly, and I've been doing data conversions all day, which is a sure-fire way to get me emulating some Romero zombies.

Any help you can spare will be greatly appreciated.

Jon

Jon Westcot wrote:

> Is there a way that I can intercept the click of the "Upload"
> button, have it update a field (probably a hidden one) with a
> date/time stamp, and then have that value included in the $_POSTed
> values?

Sure, javascript is the answer.


/Per Jessen, Zürich

Per Jessen wrote:

> Jon Westcot wrote:
>
>> Is there a way that I can intercept the click of the "Upload"
>> button, have it update a field (probably a hidden one) with a
>> date/time stamp, and then have that value included in the $_POSTed
>> values?
>
> Sure, javascript is the answer.
>

pseudocode:

onclick="javascript:nnnnn(this)"

update field with local timestamp
submit form.


/Per Jessen, Zürich

> Jon Westcot wrote:
>
> > Is there a way that I can intercept the click of the "Upload"
> > button, have it update a field (probably a hidden one) with a
> > date/time stamp, and then have that value included in the $_POSTed
> > values?
>
> Sure, javascript is the answer.

But don't forget to send a server timestamp within the form. Just for the case
that server time and client time may differ in some minutes (or even timezone).

So on clientside, you just ADD the amount of time between initial display and submit.

Or am I wrong?!


so far
Rob

>
>
> /Per Jessen, Zürich

Robert.Degen@rwth-aachen.de wrote:

> But don't forget to send a server timestamp within the form. Just for
> the case that server time and client time may differ in some minutes
> (or even timezone).

The OP said "I'd like to be able to notify the user of when the file
upload actually began.", so the timestamp from the local machine is
probably the best choice.



/Per Jessen, Zürich

On Nov 15, 2007 12:14 PM, <admin@buskirkgraphics.com> wrote:
> FOR GODS SAKE DON'T comment on syntax or design. I DO NOT CARE this is a
> example ONLY!!!!!!!
> OF COURSE I LEFT OUT CODE. OF COURSE THIS IS NOT A COPY PASTE AND IT WILL
> RUN!!

There should be an apostrophe in "GODS" and your sentence should
read "this is an example", not "a example".

Overall: B+

--
Daniel P. Brown
[office] (570-) 587-7080 Ext. 272
[mobile] (570-) 766-8107

If at first you don't succeed, stick to what you know best so that you
can make enough money to pay someone else to do it for you.

I do this

Example:
<?
switch($_REQUEST['req'])
{
default:
$click_stamp =date('is');
echo "<form action=? method=post><input type=hidden name=clicks
value=$click_stamp>
<input type=file name=upfile tabindex=1 size=35>
<input type=submit value=upload name=req></form>";
break;

case "upload":

//Upload function here

$dispay_time = date('is') - $_POST['$click_stamp'];
Echo "<CENTER>File took $dispay_time to upload";
//Time stamp it anyway you want EXAMPLE ONLY!!!!!!
break;
}
?>

FOR GODS SAKE DON'T comment on syntax or design. I DO NOT CARE this is a
example ONLY!!!!!!!
OF COURSE I LEFT OUT CODE. OF COURSE THIS IS NOT A COPY PASTE AND IT WILL
RUN!!




-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Westcot [mailto:jon@westcot.net]
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 4:17 AM
To: PHP General
Subject: [php] I need help handling form posting

Hi all:

In my quest to make things seem easier for the user to understand, I'm
trying to retrieve the time that I start posting a very large file via a
form post. The form action sends it back to itself, which is fine. It took
me some time to figure out that NOTHING happens on the client until the form
has been completely transmitted to the server. In my particular case, this
can be a long time, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. I'd like to be able to
notify the user of when the file upload actually began.

Is there a way that I can intercept the click of the "Upload" button,
have it update a field (probably a hidden one) with a date/time stamp, and
then have that value included in the $_POSTed values? I'm thinking
(fearing, rather) that this is probably all off-topic and probably is best
addressed with some type of JavaScript solution, but it's late, I'm not
thinking clearly, and I've been doing data conversions all day, which is a
sure-fire way to get me emulating some Romero zombies.

Any help you can spare will be greatly appreciated.

Jon