multiple files upload

[andrei]

Hi Group,

In my program, the user has to be able to add one or more documents (as
files) for one product from the database.
The number of files to be uploaded can vary from 1 to maybe 30-40 and each
one will receive a number in a sort order,
I understand that there is no way to let the user dynamically choose
multiple files and submit them all at once (like for example as full paths
in a listbox), so I have to put a <input type=file...> for each file to be
uploaded.

Though, what I would like to do is to be able to modify the number of
displayed <input type=file...> controls on the page, so that I do not have
to always display the maximum number of controls (and this might not work
for some situations - what if the user wants to upload 41 files instead of a
maximum, let's say, of 40 ?)

What do you think ? Is this a good approach ? Can it be handled other ways ?

Thank you for any suggestions,

Andrei.

[Kevin Spencer]

I thnk it's a great approach. Let your user pick the number of controls to
add, and then do a PostBack and add the controls to the page. On the Server
Side, Request.Files is already a single Collection, and all you have to do
is loop through it to get all the files; no need to know how many there are.

HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
Internet Developer
[url]http://www.takempis.com[/url]
Big things are made up of
lots of Little things.

"andrei" <andrei.toma@era-environmental.com> wrote in message
news:%23H1ijmzODHA.2284@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

> Hi Group,
>
> In my program, the user has to be able to add one or more documents (as
> files) for one product from the database.
> The number of files to be uploaded can vary from 1 to maybe 30-40 and each
> one will receive a number in a sort order,
> I understand that there is no way to let the user dynamically choose
> multiple files and submit them all at once (like for example as full paths
> in a listbox), so I have to put a <input type=file...> for each file to be
> uploaded.
>
> Though, what I would like to do is to be able to modify the number of
> displayed <input type=file...> controls on the page, so that I do not have
> to always display the maximum number of controls (and this might not work
> for some situations - what if the user wants to upload 41 files instead of

a

> maximum, let's say, of 40 ?)
>
> What do you think ? Is this a good approach ? Can it be handled other ways

?

>
> Thank you for any suggestions,
>
> Andrei.
>
>

[Sankalp]

Hi,
Why not use client script to add an additional "file" control at the click
of a button. This way a new file control would be shown to the client
without a postback.
The control name too can be arrived at dynamically using some name-number
combination.
When a post-back does occur, you could probably loop through all the file
controls and extract the file contents.

Have not tried this, but should to possible to implement.

Hope this helps,
Sankalp



"andrei" <andrei.toma@era-environmental.com> wrote in message
news:%23H1ijmzODHA.2284@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

> Hi Group,
>
> In my program, the user has to be able to add one or more documents (as
> files) for one product from the database.
> The number of files to be uploaded can vary from 1 to maybe 30-40 and each
> one will receive a number in a sort order,
> I understand that there is no way to let the user dynamically choose
> multiple files and submit them all at once (like for example as full paths
> in a listbox), so I have to put a <input type=file...> for each file to be
> uploaded.
>
> Though, what I would like to do is to be able to modify the number of
> displayed <input type=file...> controls on the page, so that I do not have
> to always display the maximum number of controls (and this might not work
> for some situations - what if the user wants to upload 41 files instead of

a

> maximum, let's say, of 40 ?)
>
> What do you think ? Is this a good approach ? Can it be handled other ways

?

>
> Thank you for any suggestions,
>
> Andrei.
>
>

[Kevin Spencer]

The only PostBack would be the one that adds the "input type=file" elements
to the page. At that point, the user inputs the files, and submits the form.
No additional PostBacks necessary. On the server side, you just grab the
Request.Files Collection. You don't even need to know how many inputs were
added; the number will be Request.Files.Count.

HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
Internet Developer
[url]http://www.takempis.com[/url]
Big things are made up of
lots of Little things.

"andrei" <andrei.toma@era-environmental.com> wrote in message
news:%238oq79APDHA.4024@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

> Thank you, Kevin and Sankalp, for your feedback.
>
> I tried both options (client side only vs. round trip to the server to add
> controls there)
> Although the client side solution looked better (faster), what if there is

a

> need for a postback before actually uploading the files ? I will loose all
> the dynamically added controls after a reload of the hmtl...
>
> So the solution is to show at the beginning a reasonable number of file
> controls (10, for ex.). If the users need more, they will provide the

number

> and click a button, so another "n" controls will be added from the
> code-behind.
>
> Andrei.
>
>