Getting File Path
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Hi all, I'm trying to create an app that lets people upload their resume to my database. I've seen tutorials for doing this and they all say the same thing. Number 1 save the original name and file type of the file to be uploaded and convert the file to byte array. Number 2 upload to database. However there is a problem, they all seem to assume one thing and that is, they assume the path of the file to be uploaded is known. Just to show you what I'm talking about below is one of the methods I've found that let you upload a file to the database.
protected void InsertDoc_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Read the file and convert it to Byte Array
string filePath = Server.MapPath("APP_DATA/TestDoc.docx");
string filename = Path.GetFileName(filePath);FileStream fs = new FileStream(filePath, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read); BinaryReader br = new BinaryReader(fs); Byte\[\] bytes = br.ReadBytes((Int32)fs.Length); br.Close(); fs.Close(); //insert the file into database string strQuery = "insert into tblFiles(Name, ContentType, Data) values (@Name, @ContentType, @Data)"; SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(strQuery); cmd.Parameters.Add("@Name", SqlDbType.VarChar).Value = filename; cmd.Parameters.Add("@ContentType", SqlDbType.VarChar).Value = "application/vnd.ms-word"; cmd.Parameters.Add("@Data", SqlDbType.Binary).Value = bytes; InsertUpdateData(cmd); }The line
string filePath = Server.MapPath("APP_DATA/TestDoc.docx");
is supposed to give you the file path but it assumes you already know what it is. I tried to get around this problem by using a FileUpload control and use fileupload1.PostedFile.FileName, but it only returns the file name and extension, not the full path. I have also tried Path.GetFileName( fileupload1.FileName) with no luck. How do I get around this problem? Thanks in advance for replying.
File upload controls don'#t give you any path information (because the device originating the file may not support paths, and the path to the original file would give you information about the client machine - which is not allowed for security reasons). But that's ok, - you don't need it. You need the file name and extension - which all upload controls will give you - and you need the file content as a byte stream - which all upload controls will also give you. You don't need to read it any further to get the data you need, since you can't specific the destination location when any user uploads it anyway! This is the method I use: it's probably a bit overkill for you since it handles versioning as well, but...
/// <summary>
/// Save an upload into the database.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="fl">Control containing the download.</param>
/// <returns>Status as a string</returns>
private string SaveUpload(FileUpload fl)
{
if (fl.HasFile)
{
try
{
int version = 0;
string filename = Path.GetFileName(fl.FileName);
byte[] filedata = fl.FileBytes;
string strCon = System.Web.Configuration.WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["DownloadDatabase"].ConnectionString;
using (SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection(strCon))
{
con.Open();
// Check version - if the file exists in the DB already, then increase version number.
using (SqlCommand ver = new SqlCommand("SELECT MAX(version) FROM dlContent WHERE fileName=@FN", con))
{
ver.Parameters.AddWithValue("@FN", filename);
object o = ver.ExecuteScalar();
if (o != null && o != System.DBNull.Value)
{
// Exists already.
version = (int) o + 1;
}
}
// Stick file into database.
using (SqlCommand ins = new SqlCommand("INSERT INTO dlContent (iD, fileName, description, dataContent, version, uploadedOn) " +
"VALUES (@ID, @FN, @DS, @DT, @VS, @UD)", con))
{
ins.Parameters.AddWithValue("@ID", Guid.NewGuid());
ins.Parameters.AddWith -
File upload controls don'#t give you any path information (because the device originating the file may not support paths, and the path to the original file would give you information about the client machine - which is not allowed for security reasons). But that's ok, - you don't need it. You need the file name and extension - which all upload controls will give you - and you need the file content as a byte stream - which all upload controls will also give you. You don't need to read it any further to get the data you need, since you can't specific the destination location when any user uploads it anyway! This is the method I use: it's probably a bit overkill for you since it handles versioning as well, but...
/// <summary>
/// Save an upload into the database.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="fl">Control containing the download.</param>
/// <returns>Status as a string</returns>
private string SaveUpload(FileUpload fl)
{
if (fl.HasFile)
{
try
{
int version = 0;
string filename = Path.GetFileName(fl.FileName);
byte[] filedata = fl.FileBytes;
string strCon = System.Web.Configuration.WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["DownloadDatabase"].ConnectionString;
using (SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection(strCon))
{
con.Open();
// Check version - if the file exists in the DB already, then increase version number.
using (SqlCommand ver = new SqlCommand("SELECT MAX(version) FROM dlContent WHERE fileName=@FN", con))
{
ver.Parameters.AddWithValue("@FN", filename);
object o = ver.ExecuteScalar();
if (o != null && o != System.DBNull.Value)
{
// Exists already.
version = (int) o + 1;
}
}
// Stick file into database.
using (SqlCommand ins = new SqlCommand("INSERT INTO dlContent (iD, fileName, description, dataContent, version, uploadedOn) " +
"VALUES (@ID, @FN, @DS, @DT, @VS, @UD)", con))
{
ins.Parameters.AddWithValue("@ID", Guid.NewGuid());
ins.Parameters.AddWithThank you so much for replying. Can you please do me one more favor, can you show me how to retrieve the file after it is stored and display it in the browser. None of the tutorials I'm I've looked at worked, I did not get any errors using the code from the tutorials, they just don't do anything. I've been at this for days and I really need to know how to retrieve and display a word doc in the browser as soon as possible. Thanks again for your help.
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Thank you so much for replying. Can you please do me one more favor, can you show me how to retrieve the file after it is stored and display it in the browser. None of the tutorials I'm I've looked at worked, I did not get any errors using the code from the tutorials, they just don't do anything. I've been at this for days and I really need to know how to retrieve and display a word doc in the browser as soon as possible. Thanks again for your help.
The basic answer is: "You can't" The problem is that this is a Word Document - so there is no native browser support for viewing it, it requires either the appropriate version of Word, or a document converter. Think about it from a user POV: Browse to your site, press button marked "open CV". In order to view a Word document directly, it must download to his computer (not a problem, easy to do) then open Word and load the file automatically. Here we have the problem: 1) You cannot run an application of any sort directly on his computer because the antivirus will not let you (well, you can in some cases, but it's not a good idea to rely on it, as it requires Windows, IE and ActiveX support, none of which you can rely on). 2) If you can get round (1), you need to force the browser to open the file - which you can't do, again except in specific circumstances, which do not apply to most people. Again, anti virus is going to do it's best to stop you! 3) If you can get round (1) and (2), then you have a problem in that you can't guarantee that Word is loaded on all browser equipped equipment (heck, it isn't even loaded on all PCs!) so you still can't be sure that anyone can read it. 4) If you get round (1), (2) and (3) - and that is a very big "if" - then you have the problem of making sure that the Word file can be read by the version of Word on the Client! A better approach is to store the DOC / DOCX file and allow downloads, so the user can print / save / share it as necessary, but for viewing either convert it to HTML (which can be shown directly) or an image format (which can again be shown directly). You could (probably, I haven't tried) do both by installing Word on the server, and using Office Interop to load and save the data, or by using a file converter on the server.
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
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Thank you so much for replying. Can you please do me one more favor, can you show me how to retrieve the file after it is stored and display it in the browser. None of the tutorials I'm I've looked at worked, I did not get any errors using the code from the tutorials, they just don't do anything. I've been at this for days and I really need to know how to retrieve and display a word doc in the browser as soon as possible. Thanks again for your help.
One option that may work for you, there is a microsoft tool that converts documents into .docx format, can you run this on the server that the files are uploaded to. If this is an option and you can get it implemented there are serveral projects out there on the interwebs that show you how to convert a docx file into html, this allows it to be viewed in a browser. I'm not at my work PC at the moment but i have a smaple project on there that allows demonstrates docx files viewed in a web browser.
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File upload controls don'#t give you any path information (because the device originating the file may not support paths, and the path to the original file would give you information about the client machine - which is not allowed for security reasons). But that's ok, - you don't need it. You need the file name and extension - which all upload controls will give you - and you need the file content as a byte stream - which all upload controls will also give you. You don't need to read it any further to get the data you need, since you can't specific the destination location when any user uploads it anyway! This is the method I use: it's probably a bit overkill for you since it handles versioning as well, but...
/// <summary>
/// Save an upload into the database.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="fl">Control containing the download.</param>
/// <returns>Status as a string</returns>
private string SaveUpload(FileUpload fl)
{
if (fl.HasFile)
{
try
{
int version = 0;
string filename = Path.GetFileName(fl.FileName);
byte[] filedata = fl.FileBytes;
string strCon = System.Web.Configuration.WebConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["DownloadDatabase"].ConnectionString;
using (SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection(strCon))
{
con.Open();
// Check version - if the file exists in the DB already, then increase version number.
using (SqlCommand ver = new SqlCommand("SELECT MAX(version) FROM dlContent WHERE fileName=@FN", con))
{
ver.Parameters.AddWithValue("@FN", filename);
object o = ver.ExecuteScalar();
if (o != null && o != System.DBNull.Value)
{
// Exists already.
version = (int) o + 1;
}
}
// Stick file into database.
using (SqlCommand ins = new SqlCommand("INSERT INTO dlContent (iD, fileName, description, dataContent, version, uploadedOn) " +
"VALUES (@ID, @FN, @DS, @DT, @VS, @UD)", con))
{
ins.Parameters.AddWithValue("@ID", Guid.NewGuid());
ins.Parameters.AddWithI'm afraid you have a race condition in your code. Suppose two files with the same name are being uploaded at the same time. Both could hit the version retrieval code at the same time, which will result in them both getting the same version number. The reason is because there is a delay between the get version and the update part of the code.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
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I'm afraid you have a race condition in your code. Suppose two files with the same name are being uploaded at the same time. Both could hit the version retrieval code at the same time, which will result in them both getting the same version number. The reason is because there is a delay between the get version and the update part of the code.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
:-O i did write it a long time ago... Oops! In the field where it is being used it is very unlikely to happen (because the file names are specific to the customer site), but you are absolutely right - I'll fix it in the code next time I release an update - a quick stored proc will fix that! Thanks for the head up...:thumbsup:
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
-
:-O i did write it a long time ago... Oops! In the field where it is being used it is very unlikely to happen (because the file names are specific to the customer site), but you are absolutely right - I'll fix it in the code next time I release an update - a quick stored proc will fix that! Thanks for the head up...:thumbsup:
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
No problem. I'm glad I can help.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
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Hi all, I'm trying to create an app that lets people upload their resume to my database. I've seen tutorials for doing this and they all say the same thing. Number 1 save the original name and file type of the file to be uploaded and convert the file to byte array. Number 2 upload to database. However there is a problem, they all seem to assume one thing and that is, they assume the path of the file to be uploaded is known. Just to show you what I'm talking about below is one of the methods I've found that let you upload a file to the database.
protected void InsertDoc_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Read the file and convert it to Byte Array
string filePath = Server.MapPath("APP_DATA/TestDoc.docx");
string filename = Path.GetFileName(filePath);FileStream fs = new FileStream(filePath, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read); BinaryReader br = new BinaryReader(fs); Byte\[\] bytes = br.ReadBytes((Int32)fs.Length); br.Close(); fs.Close(); //insert the file into database string strQuery = "insert into tblFiles(Name, ContentType, Data) values (@Name, @ContentType, @Data)"; SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(strQuery); cmd.Parameters.Add("@Name", SqlDbType.VarChar).Value = filename; cmd.Parameters.Add("@ContentType", SqlDbType.VarChar).Value = "application/vnd.ms-word"; cmd.Parameters.Add("@Data", SqlDbType.Binary).Value = bytes; InsertUpdateData(cmd); }The line
string filePath = Server.MapPath("APP_DATA/TestDoc.docx");
is supposed to give you the file path but it assumes you already know what it is. I tried to get around this problem by using a FileUpload control and use fileupload1.PostedFile.FileName, but it only returns the file name and extension, not the full path. I have also tried Path.GetFileName( fileupload1.FileName) with no luck. How do I get around this problem? Thanks in advance for replying.
When I do this, to avoid clashes of file and, I just use a guid as the file name on the disk. Simply store the original file name in your database along with the new name.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
-
When I do this, to avoid clashes of file and, I just use a guid as the file name on the disk. Simply store the original file name in your database along with the new name.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
-
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
I just use a guid as the file name on the disk
I read that as quid and thought :wtf: . :doh:
One of these days I'm going to think of a really clever signature.
That's because you're obsessed with money. ;P
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
-
That's because you're obsessed with money. ;P
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
-
No, it's because both my eyes and brain are getting more feeble. :(
One of these days I'm going to think of a really clever signature.
Richard MacCutchan wrote:
No, it's because both my eyes and brain are getting more feeble
The brain part isn't an issue for me - mine was always feeble. The eyes are rapidly catching up.
*pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington
"Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos
CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier
