Uploading with a Form

Using JFile's FormName parameter, you can submit a form with your upload. We will script an upload with form elements. Using the parameter UseAppletInBrowser, we will embed the JFile UploadClient within the form. The script posts the upload to a server-side ASP (Active Server Pages) script that uses SoftArtisans FileUp to process the upload.

JFile Applet with Form Fields

Exercise 6: Uploading with a Form

1. If you created the physical and virtual JFileScripts directories in a previous lesson, go to Step 4. If you did not create the directories, go to Step 2.
   
   
2. Create a directory called JFileScripts.
   
   
3. Create a virtual directory called JFileScripts and map it to the physical JFileScripts you created in Step 2:
   
   
   1. Open the Internet Information Services (IIS) explorer.
   2. Right-click Default Web Site.
   3. Select New -> Virtual Directory.
   4. For Alias, enter JFileScripts.
   5. Browse to the JFileScripts directory you created in step 1.
   6. Check "Read" and "Run scripts."
   7. Click "Finish."
   
   
4. Copy filetransfer.jar (for Netscape) and/or filetransfer.cab (for Internet Explorer) to the directory JFileScripts. These files are in JFile's installation directory (by default, C:\Program Files\SoftArtisans\JFile).
   
   
5. Copy formresp.asp to the directory JFileScripts. Formresp.asp is a server-side upload processing script that you will find in JFile's Samples\Upload\Simple directory (installed by default at C:\Program Files\SoftArtisans\JFile). Formresp.asp uses SoftArtisans FileUp to process the upload.
   
   
6. Create an HTML script containing the following lines. Name it formupload.htm and save it in the directory JFileScripts.

   <FORM name="JFileForm">
   <TABLE>
   <tr>
   	<td align="right">JFile Applet</td>
   	<td>
   	<APPLET codebase="/JFileScripts" code="softartisans.filetransfer.UploadClient.class" 
   	height="235" width="215" mayscript archive="filetransfer.jar" name="fileupload">
   	
   		<!-- The Cabbase parameter specifies the cab file containing the applet. -->
   		<PARAM name="cabbase" value="filetransfer.cab">
   
   		<!-- The PostURL parameter specifies the URL to which the file will be posted. -->
   		<PARAM name="PostURL" value="http://localhost/jfilescripts/formresp.asp">
   	
   		<!-- The FileName# parameter specifies a file to transfer.  When uploading more than one file, use 
   		"FileName1," "FileName2," etc. -->
   		<PARAM name="FileName1" value="c:\boot.ini">
   	
   		<!-- When the parameter UseAppletInBrowser is set to 1, JFile will display the applet within the 
   		browser window, rather than in a pop-up window. -->
   		<PARAM name="UseAppletInBrowser" value="1">
   	
   		<!-- JFile will transfer the form assigned to the FormName parameter. -->
   		<PARAM name="FormName" value="JFileForm">
   	
   	</APPLET>
   	</td>
   </tr>
   
   <tr>
   	<td align="right">First Name</td>
   	<td align="left"><input type="text" name="firstname" size="10"></td>
   </tr>
   
   <tr>
   	<td align="right">Last Name</td>
   	<td align="left"><input type=vtext" name="lastname" size="10"></td>
   </tr>
   </TABLE>
   </FORM>

7. To run the script, open the browser, and enter the URL http://localhost/jfilescripts/formupload.htm.

Understanding the Script

• The APPLET tag adds JFile's UploadClient applet to your web page. We assigned values to several APPLET attributes:
  
  
  • Codebase
    Specifies the directory containing the UploadClient's Java class. If the Java class is in the same directory as the script referencing it - as it is in this exercise - Codebase is optional. When the Java class is in a different directory, specify the complete relative path or URL.
    
    
  • Code
    Specifies the name of the applet's Java class. UploadClient is JFile's upload applet. Java class names are case-sensitive.
    
    
  • Height and Width
    Specify the height and width, in pixels, of a browser-embedded applet. If you display the applet in a separate window, set Height and Width to 0.
    
    
  • Mayscript
    Specifies that the applet can be manipulated in script.
    
    
  • Archive
    Specifies the archive file containing the Java applet. Filetransfer.jar contains JFile's Java class files for Netscape Navigator.
    
    
  • Name
    Specifies a variable name for this instance of the UploadClient applet. You can assign any name to Name. Use the name you assign to reference the UploadClient applet in script.
    
    
• The Cabbase parameter specifies the cab file containing the Java applet. Filetransfer.cab contains JFile's Java class files for Internet Explorer.
  
  
• The PostURL parameter specifies the URL to which the file will be posted, http://localhost/jfilescripts/formresp.asp. Formresp.asp uses SoftArtisans FileUp to process the upload.
  
  
• The FileNameN parameter specifies a file to transfer. When uploading more than one file, use "FileName1," "FileName2," etc.
  
  
• Set UseAppletInBrowser to 1 to embed the applet in the browser window. By default, the JFile applet is displayed in a pop-up window.
  
  
• The FormName parameter specifies a form to submit to the server with the upload.