How to display JPG files that are stored on the user’s computer?

I would like to do as follows:

1. The user identifies any directory on his computer.
2. I go through that directory and find all JPG files in it.
3. I display those JPG files.

This is what I know:

1: The input type “file” would let them choose any file in that
directory and send me the complete pathname (the drive, list of
directories leading to it and file name.) I then ignore the file name
at the end and I have the directory.

Is there a way for them to browse to a directory and choose just a
directory instead of a random file within that directory? This is
minor, but still I am only asking for the drive and directories part
of the pathname.

2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
opendir and readdir functions.

3: I go through the list of file names and want to use html IMG to
display the JPG file. This is the real problem. How can I specify
that the SRC is an arbitrary file on their computer? Using the
pathname (drive, directories and file name) doesn’t work.

I can get the contents of the file using the fopen and fread
functions. But how do I specify the contents as the html SRC? Do I
have to save the file contents to the server first? Then would I need
to assign it a file name e.g. “A1”, “A2” etc? And then delete it
after displaying it? And if there is a problem during that process
and it doesn’t run to completion, I have to periodically delete these
“A1” etc. file names that will not be deleted by the process that
created them. How do I tell if it is a file that is currently being
displayed and to not delete it?

Thanks,

P -

PHPBABY3 wrote:
> I would like to do as follows:
>
> 1. The user identifies any directory on his computer.
> 2. I go through that directory and find all JPG files in it.
> 3. I display those JPG files.
>
> This is what I know:
>
I don't know how you think you "know" this, because what you know is wrong.
PHP runs serverside, it cannot access directories on a user's computer.

PHPBABY3 wrote:
> I would like to do as follows:
>
> 1. The user identifies any directory on his computer.
> 2. I go through that directory and find all JPG files in it.
> 3. I display those JPG files.
>
> This is what I know:
>
> 1: The input type “file” would let them choose any file in that
> directory and send me the complete pathname (the drive, list of
> directories leading to it and file name.) I then ignore the file name
> at the end and I have the directory.

No, you will only get the filename, not the path to the file on the
users hard drive, for this you need to have a normal input (type text)
where they manually enters the path.


> 2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
> opendir and readdir functions.

No you can't, those will only work on the server, not on the client
side, if you want to do something on the client side, then you use a
client side scripting language like javascript.


> 3: I go through the list of file names and want to use html IMG to
> display the JPG file. This is the real problem. How can I specify
> that the SRC is an arbitrary file on their computer? Using the
> pathname (drive, directories and file name) doesn’t work.

file://...


> I can get the contents of the file using the fopen and fread
> functions. But how do I specify the contents as the html SRC? Do I
> have to save the file contents to the server first? Then would I need
> to assign it a file name e.g. “A1”, “A2” etc? And then delete it
> after displaying it? And if there is a problem during that process
> and it doesn’t run to completion, I have to periodically delete these
> “A1” etc. file names that will not be deleted by the process that
> created them. How do I tell if it is a file that is currently being
> displayed and to not delete it?

Uploading images to the server and then display them once is waisting
bandwidth and time. To delete the file after display you would need a
wrapper script that reads the file and then sends the data and then
deletes it when it has sent the whole file, of course if the visitor
would do a reload there wouldn't be any images to display.

There are a lot better ways to display images, just look at such
applications like gqview or kview.

--

//Aho

J.O. Aho wrote:
> PHPBABY3 wrote:
>> I would like to do as follows:
>>
>> 1. The user identifies any directory on his computer.
>> 2. I go through that directory and find all JPG files in it.
>> 3. I display those JPG files.
>>
>> This is what I know:
>>
>> 1: The input type “file” would let them choose any file in that
>> directory and send me the complete pathname (the drive, list of
>> directories leading to it and file name.) I then ignore the file name
>> at the end and I have the directory.
>
> No, you will only get the filename, not the path to the file on the
> users hard drive, for this you need to have a normal input (type text)
> where they manually enters the path.
>
>
>> 2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
>> opendir and readdir functions.
>
> No you can't, those will only work on the server, not on the client
> side, if you want to do something on the client side, then you use a
> client side scripting language like javascript.
>

Javascript won't do it, either. Security restrictions will prevent it.

>
>> 3: I go through the list of file names and want to use html IMG to
>> display the JPG file. This is the real problem. How can I specify
>> that the SRC is an arbitrary file on their computer? Using the
>> pathname (drive, directories and file name) doesn’t work.
>
> file://...
>
>
>> I can get the contents of the file using the fopen and fread
>> functions. But how do I specify the contents as the html SRC? Do I
>> have to save the file contents to the server first? Then would I need
>> to assign it a file name e.g. “A1”, “A2” etc? And then delete it
>> after displaying it? And if there is a problem during that process
>> and it doesn’t run to completion, I have to periodically delete these
>> “A1” etc. file names that will not be deleted by the process that
>> created them. How do I tell if it is a file that is currently being
>> displayed and to not delete it?
>
> Uploading images to the server and then display them once is waisting
> bandwidth and time. To delete the file after display you would need a
> wrapper script that reads the file and then sends the data and then
> deletes it when it has sent the whole file, of course if the visitor
> would do a reload there wouldn't be any images to display.
>
> There are a lot better ways to display images, just look at such
> applications like gqview or kview.
>


--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

Jerry Stuckle wrote:
> J.O. Aho wrote:
>> PHPBABY3 wrote:

>>> 2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
>>> opendir and readdir functions.
>> No you can't, those will only work on the server, not on the client
>> side, if you want to do something on the client side, then you use a
>> client side scripting language like javascript.
> Javascript won't do it, either. Security restrictions will prevent it.

You are right, must been thinking of trusted java applet that can get
some local file system access, even so, I don't believe it would be a
good solution.



--

//Aho

On May 4, 10:46*am, "J.O. Aho" <u...@example.net> wrote:
> Jerry Stuckle wrote:
> > J.O. Aho wrote:
> >> PHPBABY3 wrote:
> >>> 2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
> >>> opendir and readdir functions.
> >> No you can't, those will only work on the server, not on the client
> >> side, if you want to do something on the client side, then you use a
> >> client side scripting language like javascript.
> > Javascript won't do it, either. *Security restrictions will prevent it..
>
> You are right, must been thinking of trusted java applet that can get
> some local file system access, even so, I don't believe it would be a
> good solution.
>
> --
>
> * *//Aho

Can anyone give me a straight answer as to how I can do what I
describe? I could even pay money for an answer.

P -

PHPBABY3 wrote:
> On May 4, 10:46 am, "J.O. Aho" <u...@example.net> wrote:
>> Jerry Stuckle wrote:
>>> J.O. Aho wrote:
>>>> PHPBABY3 wrote:
>>>>> 2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
>>>>> opendir and readdir functions.
>>>> No you can't, those will only work on the server, not on the client
>>>> side, if you want to do something on the client side, then you use a
>>>> client side scripting language like javascript.
>>> Javascript won't do it, either. Security restrictions will prevent it.
>> You are right, must been thinking of trusted java applet that can get
>> some local file system access, even so, I don't believe it would be a
>> good solution.
>>
>> --
>>
>> //Aho
>
> Can anyone give me a straight answer as to how I can do what I
> describe? I could even pay money for an answer.
>
> P -
>

You can't. PHP runs on the server and you are looking for something on
the client. Additionally, nothing loaded from the server can access
data on the client. The only exception would be a FILE type field,
which can pass along a file name.

To enable what you want to do would create a huge security hole in the
internet, allowing all kinds of hackers access to your computer.

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

PHPBABY3 wrote:
> On May 4, 10:46 am, "J.O. Aho" <u...@example.net> wrote:
>> Jerry Stuckle wrote:
>>> J.O. Aho wrote:
>>>> PHPBABY3 wrote:
>>>>> 2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
>>>>> opendir and readdir functions.
>>>> No you can't, those will only work on the server, not on the client
>>>> side, if you want to do something on the client side, then you use a
>>>> client side scripting language like javascript.
>>> Javascript won't do it, either. Security restrictions will prevent it.
>> You are right, must been thinking of trusted java applet that can get
>> some local file system access, even so, I don't believe it would be a
>> good solution.
Can anyone give me a straight answer as to how I can do what I
> describe? I could even pay money for an answer.

I thought we had given you a straight answer

1. You can't make it with php, or any other server side script language.
2. You can't do it with client side script language.
3. You better use a stand alone application run on the users computer,
pick one you like from the following page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari..._image_viewers


--

//Aho

PHPBABY3 wrote:
> On May 4, 10:46 am, "J.O. Aho" <u...@example.net> wrote:
>> Jerry Stuckle wrote:
>> > J.O. Aho wrote:
>> >> PHPBABY3 wrote:
>> >>> 2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
>> >>> opendir and readdir functions.
>> >> No you can't, those will only work on the server, not on the
>> >> client side, if you want to do something on the client side, then
>> >> you use a client side scripting language like javascript.
>> > Javascript won't do it, either. Security restrictions will prevent
>> > it.
>>
>> You are right, must been thinking of trusted java applet that can get
>> some local file system access, even so, I don't believe it would be a
>> good solution.
>>
>> --
>>
>> //Aho
>
> Can anyone give me a straight answer as to how I can do what I
> describe? I could even pay money for an answer.
>
> P -

You have had lots of straight answers. I tell you again, what you say you
know is all wrong. You cannot do it. Period!

On May 4, 9:28 am, PHPBABY3 <shymath...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I would like to do as follows:
>
> 1. The user identifies any directory on his computer.
> 2. I go through that directory and find all JPG files in it.
> 3. I display those JPG files.
>
> This is what I know:
>
> 1: The input type “file” would let them choose any file in that
> directory and send me the complete pathname (the drive, list of
> directories leading to it and file name.) I then ignore the file name
> at the end and I have the directory.
>
> Is there a way for them to browse to a directory and choose just a
> directory instead of a random file within that directory? This is
> minor, but still I am only asking for the drive and directories part
> of the pathname.
>
> 2: I can get a list of the file names in that directory using the
> opendir and readdir functions.
>
> 3: I go through the list of file names and want to use html IMG to
> display the JPG file. This is the real problem. How can I specify
> that the SRC is an arbitrary file on their computer? Using the
> pathname (drive, directories and file name) doesn’t work.
>
> I can get the contents of the file using the fopen and fread
> functions. But how do I specify the contents as the html SRC? Do I
> have to save the file contents to the server first? Then would I need
> to assign it a file name e.g. “A1”, “A2” etc? And then delete it
> after displaying it? And if there is a problem during that process
> and it doesn’t run to completion, I have to periodically delete these
> “A1” etc. file names that will not be deleted by the process that
> created them. How do I tell if it is a file that is currently being
> displayed and to not delete it?
>
> Thanks,
>
> P -

PHPBABY,

Are you attempting to write a client-side application using PHP do
what you are asking? (ie. are you writing PHP-GTK to achieve this?)

Steve