Recommended Form Upload Component?

March 21, 2005 7:20 AM

A client wants to enable fiile uploads via their web site. The web site is hosted outside the company and the files need to be uploaded to their FTP server which is hosted within or on-site at the company. Thus far all the components I've looked into upload to the web server. Is this simply the only option? Can anyone recommend a good component or alternate method? PHP, ASP are fine.
posted by juiceCake to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

Knowledge Tree supports LDAP, which is want you may want to use.
posted by Mean Mr. Bucket at 7:25 AM on March 21, 2005

Can you give more information about you're trying to do? I don't understand why you need to have a component on the web site to upload to the FTP server -- rather than just an ftp:// link
posted by winston at 7:28 AM on March 21, 2005

Response by poster: That's right winston. The component is usually on the web server to enable the web developer to use a file field in a form. The user clicks a button which allows them to browse their HD for a file they wish to upload to the server. Thus avoiding the entire FTP process (which some people don't care for.) It puts a friendlier face on uploading.

Web based email forms for attachements would be an example of the process from the user's point of view.
posted by juiceCake at 7:44 AM on March 21, 2005

Couldn't you just write something on the backend to store the data to the FTP server (even if you have to save it as a temporary file on the web server for a minute)? I'm not familiar with PHP or ASP but in Perl the CGI module just gives you a filehandle for the uploaded file, which you ought then to be able to do anything with.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 7:49 AM on March 21, 2005

Simple PHP Upload Script
posted by riffola at 8:24 AM on March 21, 2005

Response by poster: Couldn't you just write something on the backend to store the data to the FTP server

Yes, I thought of that, but the service provider and the client for that matter seems to have a problem with it so I'm attempting to avoid that. Probably not possible. In which case they'll havea to adjust accordingly. Nothing here or that i've seen seems to do the trick so...
posted by juiceCake at 8:46 AM on March 21, 2005

So just to be clear...You need to accept files via http (using a multi-part webform) and then the webserver needs to FTP the files to a remote (from the webserver's perspective) FTP server. Is that an accurate description of the problem?

Also, the webserver does or does not have php's ftp functions enabled?
posted by danOstuporStar at 8:57 AM on March 21, 2005

Juicecake, why not just use the script I linked to on the server hosted within their company, and link to it from their website? You could possibly just forward a subdomain to it, such as say upload.clientswebsite.com
posted by riffola at 8:59 AM on March 21, 2005

If it's been compiled with PHP on the web server (assuming it's a Linux web server) then CURL might be what you're looking for.

Depending on your level of access to the web server itself, and it's operating system, there are ActiveX components for IIS (Windows) that can also do what you're looking for but in order to use them a server admin needs to register a few .dlls. If this route is an option, let me know and I'll repost with a few product links and more information.
posted by purephase at 9:00 AM on March 21, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. Delay in working with the service provider, not to mention an entirely condescending attitude from said service provider. I think I'll go to another actually.

And riffola, I'll look further into the script you posted. Didn't find the documentation clear and I'm at hack level with PHP at the moment. Much appreciated.
posted by juiceCake at 3:30 PM on March 21, 2005