Upload applet (JUpload) : the easiest upload !

[etienne_sf]

Author: Etienne Gauthier
Account etienne_sf (on sourceforge and coppermine forums)


The easiest and quickest way to upload files !

Works for all navigators and all OS

• Select the category
• Directly from this page, you can create or update album properties (title, description)
• Select the album (you can also create/update an album from the same page)
• Drag and drop the files you want to upload, or use the standard file chooser with file preview (use Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select several files at once)
• Enter common data for all uploaded pictures (common title, description, key words, user fields...)
  
• Preview, rotate pictures, if you wish
• Click on the upload link!
• Edit properties for all uploaded pictures on one unique page.
  

Note:

• This plugin has no link with the jupload.biz web site, which is not open source.
• This page is a follow-up of the original thread, available here: http://coppermine-gallery.net/forum/index.php?topic=35309.0.

3 June 2008 v3.1.1. Probably corrected a right management bug (to be checked by others, as I can't repeat it).
14 may 2008 v3.1.0. Uploading to the 'No category' is now possible. The applet manages 301, 302, 303 HTTP return code. when several 'forbidden' files are dropped, the user can click on cancel, instead of clicking ok for each alert box.
28 march 2008 v3.0.3c. Correction (?) for wolle1969 and possiblity to cancel the adding of files to the applet, when too many files are refused (for instance not pictures)
21 march 2008 v3.0.2. Correction to allow upload with IIS6 and IIS7.
23 feb 2008 v3.0.1. Animated gif correction: animated gif are now transmitted untransformed.
07 feb 2008 v3.0.0. Hot fix for 3.0.0rc4, and 'official' 3.0.0 release.
06 feb 2008 v3.0.0rc4 (should have been 3.0.0). Better quality upload than version from 2.6.4 to 3.0.0rc3, and better management of accents in uploaded filename.
24 jan 2008 v3.0.0 released (still release candidate, rc3). Specific session management (to be used
when standard session management doesn't wor with JUpload), restrict access to the plugin to a user group and admin, add of a graphical space quota view, allows to set common properties to all uploaded
pictures in one shot, add of new translations, compatibility with Stramm's modpack, ...
26 oct 2007 v2.6.3 released. Minor corrections + standard users now only see categories where they may upload.
26 oct 2007 v2.6.3 released. Minor corrections + standard users now only see categories where they may upload.
19 oct 2007 v2.6.2 released. Admin can now upload to its personal gallery (if any).
19 sept 2007 v2.6.1 released. IPTC and EXIF are now always transmitted.
5 sept 2007 v2.6.0 released. Ajax in user mode, to choose the category. Better storage management for big uploads. More config parameters. Better file chooser. Control applet size by config parameters.



The Coppermine plugin is available here: http://etienne.lesgauthier.fr/wiki/doku.php?id=jupload_coppermine_download_gb.
The java sources for the applet are available here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/jupload/
The last JUpload stable version is attached to this message.

You can test the plugin, by going to my test web site : http://etiennegauthier.free.fr/coppermine/

• Login: Coppermine
• Password: jupload

What's next in this doc:

1) SUMMARY
2) USER GUIDE
3) TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
4) INSTALLATION
5) CONFIGURATION
6) HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEM ?
7) SUPPORT



1) SUMMARY

This pack is a plugin for the Coppermine Picture Gallery, which allows you:

• Batch upload pictures from within the Gallery (without any exterior tool),
• Preview and rotate pictures before upload,
• Very easy selection of multiple files,
• Very simply upload process, in only two pages:
  
  
  
  • One page with basic album management, and the upload applet,
  • One page, after upload, to enter name, description, key words for all uploaded pictures.

This plugin is translated in the following languages: Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, (Bresilian) Portugese, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

In the default configuration, pictures are resized down to the gallery maximum size before upload: this make upload quicker, and allow easy upload of pictures from modern camera, even on ISP that has a too low maximum upload size.


2) USER GUIDE

Upload pictures

By using this applet, the main user improvements are:

• Uploading several pictures (no limit) in only _two_ web pages:
  
  
  
  • Page1 (click on the JUpload menu item or open jupoad.php page): choose category (for admins), select album (or create/update album), select picture files, preview and/or rotate them, upload,
  • Enter picture name, description and key words for all uploaded pictures at once.
• Upload is quicker, as pictures are resized by the applet before upload,
• The plugin allows the user to both: manage albums and upload pictures,
• Upload pictures without having to manually resize them before upload (my Canon EOS20D pictures are bigger than the upload limit of my free ISP hosting),
• It's possible to upload file of any type, provided that your current Coppermine configuration allows it. Preview works only for pictures.

The applet allows the user, before upload, to:

• Select multiple files on his hard drive, in a much easier way than the standard Coppermine upload form,
• Drag'n drop files from your favorite picture editing tool,
• Preview pictures,
• Display a full screen picture (by clicking on the previewed picture),
• Rotate the picture right or left,
• Download pictures and select the upload album on the same web page,
• Upload all pictures/files in one click,
• Not wait for each picture upload : if the session times out after upload, all pictures are still correctly stored in the selected album,
• Edit all picture properties in one page (the property page for the uploaded pictures is automatically opened after a successfull upload).

3) TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

Java Part

All informations about the applet itself is available here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/jupload/

Note:

• The applet retrieves the session from the navigator, to upload files within the same user session (it reads cookies from the navigtor, and the current server protocol back from the server, in an applet parameter: not nice, but I didn't find any other way),
• The applet is signed. The user is then prompt to accept or not the applet certificate. Accepting it is mandatory, to let the applet access to the files stored on the local computer,
• It resizes picture to the maximum coppermine size _before_ upload : the network traffic is smaller/quicker, and the load on the server is smaller. This resizing functionnality is especially useful for pictures made by modern camera: their pictures are often too big for the maximum upload size allowed on servers.

PHP Part

• Files are stored in the /plugins/jupload/* directories:
  
  
  
  • Main files are in this directory.
  • The /plugins/jupload/include/ contains files common to several files for the plugin. It also contains refactoring of includes coming from Coppermine, so that they can be reused here.
  • The /plugins/jupload/lang/ contains the translation text for the plugin.
  • The /plugins/jupload/page/ contains one php file for each page that the user can see.
  • The /plugins/jupload/user/ contains any user specific include. It contains the config.inc.php file that contains the jupload configuration, if the gallery admin save any configuration from the plugin management page.
• No special coppermine configuration.

To access to the plugin, one of these conditions must be met:

• The user may upload files,
• The gallery is in admin mode,
• The galery is in user admin mode.

4) INSTALLATION / UPDATE

Version prior to 2.1.0

• Until 2.0.0, JUpload was not a plugin.
• 2.0.0 is a first, unsuccessfull, attempt to construct a plugin.

All users

should migrate to a most recent version to use JUpload as a Coppermine plugin.

With the plugin management page

This work since JUpload version 2.1.0.

To use this pack, you just have to go the plugin management page, from the first section of the Gallery configuration page. Just use the upload button on the plugin management page, to upload it, then click on the 'i' to install it.

A JUpload link will be available for use who may upload pictures.

Any existing JUpload configuration is keeped, when installing a new version: see below, the Configuration section.

With FTP upload

On some configuration, the previous way doesn't work. For instance, the web server need write access on the plugins directory, and the php zip extension must be activated.

In this case, you'll have to:

• Unzip the jupload package on your local computer,
• Transfer the jupload directory under the /plugins/ directory, with FTP for instance.

The resulting directory tree should look like this :

...
\coppermine\plugins
\coppermine\plugins\jupload
\coppermine\plugins\jupload\lang
\coppermine\plugins\jupload\include
\coppermine\plugins\jupload\user
\coppermine\plugins\jupload\page
...

If it was not already before, you'll then have to go the plugin management page, from the first section of the Gallery configuration page and click on the 'i' (on the right of the JUpload line) to install it.


5) CONFIGURATION

This plugin has configuration parameters. Before 2.6.0, these parameters are stored in the plugins/jupload/user/config.inc.php file. This file is not packaged in JUpload releases. So ugrading JUpload plugin won't erase your current configuration.
Since 2.6.0, the JUpload configuration is saved in the Coppermine config table.

You can update the JUpload configuration this way:
1) Connect as an admin
2) Go to the Coppermine ''Configuration'' page
3) Click on 'General parameters'
4) Click on 'Plugin management'
5) If the Jupload plugin is not installed, install it
6) Click on ''JUpload configuration''.

You'll find below the list of available paramaters. All details about the JUpload configuration, and each parameter are given in the config file and on the config page:
Parameter that has no link with upload:
  - albumShowEditFields: allows to hide the album name and description on the upload page. Useful if standard users may only upload to existing albums (not create or update albums).
  - alwaysVisible: 1 if the JUpload link is always visible. If 0, the JUpload link is only visible to users that may upload pictures. If the link is visible, a user who may not upload pictures (or is not logged in) will be redirected to a connection page. [Since 3.0.0] This parameter also allows you to restrict access to the plugin to both administrators and a given user group.
  - appletHeight and appletWidth (since 2.6.0): allows control on the size of the applet on the upload page.
  - basicHttpAuthentication (since 2.5.3): allows upload to an URL protected by a basic authentication.
  - fileChooserIconFromFileContent (since 2.6.0): if set to true, the icon of the files in the file chooser are calculated from the image content. Otherwise: system default.
  - fileChooserIconSize (since 2.6.0): Size of the icon described here above.
  - generateDefaultPictureTitle: Controls whether the plugin will define a default picture title for the uploaded file. This default title will be based on the filename. 
  - highQualityPreview: Indicate whether the pictures displayed on the applet are high or low (less CPU) quality. Of course, all uploaded pictures are treated in high quality.
  - jarPath: allows the applet to be integrated in Coppermine, even when Coppermine is itself a plugin of another tool. It controls the path where the jupload.jar file is.
  - linkComment (since 2.5.5): Allows the admin to change the explanation that is displayed, when the user put his mouse over the JUpload link.
  - linkKeepStandardUpload (since 2.5.6): Allows the admin to change the explanation that is displayed, when the user put his mouse over the JUpload link.
  - linkTitle (since 2.5.5): allows the admin to change the text of the JUpload link.
  - sessionManagement (since 3.0.0): allows to use internal JUpload session management. Make the plugin work with some specific bridge configuration, where standard session management lead to a 'no permission' error.


Parameters to control the upload itself:
  - maxChunkSize: Define the maximum number of bytes that may be uploaded at once. A file bigger will bu splitted in chunks. The whole file will be re-created on the serve, once all chunks have been sent.
  - maxFileSize. Maximum file size for an uploaded file. It can be bigger than the maxChunkSize. This parameter overrides your Coppermine configuration for JUpload.
  - maxNonTransformedPictureSize. This parameter is important to control who of the applet or the server resizes pictures bigger than the maximum picture size (in pixels) you've defined in your Coppermine configuration.
  - pictureCompressionQuality: controls the jpeg compression. Default is 0.8. It creates pictures of the same weight as the native Coppermine.
  - pictureTransmitMetadata (since 2.6.3): Controls whether the applet transmit metadata (IPTC, EXIF) to the server or not. Caution: this currently controls only metadata for picture resized or rotated by the applet. Picture transmitted as is (small enough, and not rotated) remain unchanged.



6) HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEMS ?



A little FAQ


  * You're using Firefox on mac
    * Seems like the bridge between Firefox and Java doesn't exit on mac! This bridge is mandatory for the applet.
    * This tool should allow you to use the applet (please confirm it to me):
      * http://javaplugin.sourceforge.net
  * You're using IE7 on Vista
    *  Crash was reported. To be confirmed.
  * You get a PHP error
    * Check your PHP version. The plugin can't work for PHP earlier than 4.3.0.
  * You don't see the whole applet.
    * Take a look to the configuration parmeters appletWidth and appletHeight.
  * Your Coppermine installation is a plugin (bridge ?) in another tool, and the applet i not displayed
    * Take a look to the jarPath plugin.
  * When uploading through the applet, ou get a 'no permission error', or any other message indicating that you're not connected.  Seems to occur sometimes, when your Coppermine installation is a plugin (bridge mode).
    * Take a look at the sessionManagement configuration parameter, since 3.0.0.
  * You want to restrict access to the plugin.
    * Take a look at the alwaysVisible configuration parameter, especially since 3.0.0.
  * Picture is transformed (picture file is smaller, for instance), but I don't want it !
    * Take a look at the explanation going with the pictureTransmitMetadata configuration parameter.
  * What else ?
    * Get the debug output (see below)

How to get the debug output ?


Before asking for support, you should :

• Check that standard upload works with the same login.
• Put the debug on. To do this, you can set the applet debugLevel parameter to 100, in the plugins/jupload/upload_page.php script, or, while using the applet, do a CTRL + right-click on the status area or the file list of the applet, and select the 'debug on' entry in the popup menu that should appear.

Usually, problems occur during upload, so check the debug output, to see what the server answered. To do this:[/li][/list]

• Debug must be on
• Select all in the status area (click into it, then CTRL-A to select the whole text)
• Copy it into a text editor, and try to read it.
• The server response is written between the lines containing '-------- Server Output Start --------' and '--------- Server Output End ---------'.

What you should see:

• First line MUST contain '200 OK' (e.g. full line should look like 'HTTP/1.1 200 OK'). If you get any other number, you have a problem that is local to your installation. Check this page to know what means this return code: http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616-sec10.html
• If you get 200 OK, that means that you get a 'normal' response from the server, that is from coppermine. But this response can be a message explaining an error to you. So, check the first empty line. The real response from coppermine comes after.
• This response should be a simple line containing 'SUCCESS'. If so, upload was Ok. Any problem you have is after.
• If not, the result can be a simple error message or a full HTML page.
  
  
  
  • If it is a simple error message, see if you can correct it.
  • If it is a full HTML page, you can copy the full server response (between the empty line and the line containing '--------- Server Output End ---------'), save it into a file named 'err.html', and open it with your navigator. You'll be able to see the coppermine response. You can then understand, and try to correct the problem.

7) SUPPORT

• To get support about the coppermine plugin: the best way is to post a message into the coppermine upload mods forum, for this applet. I'll receive a notice in my personal mailbox.
  
  
  
  • The historical thread is: http://coppermine-gallery.net/forum/index.php?topic=35309.0. This thread is (or will be soon) closed.
  • You should go to this thread, now: http://coppermine-gallery.net/forum/index.php?topic=43432.0
    
• To get support about the applet itself, the best way is to post a message into the sourceforge forums. Here again, I'll receive a notice in my personnal mailbox.
  
  
  
  • Link is: http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=199107

Edit GauGau 2008-06-08:
There is a new sub-board dedicated to JUpload. All questions regarding JUpload should be posted in that sub-board from now on. To make sure that people stop replying to this thread I'm locking it.

forum.coppermine-gallery.net > Support > cpg1.4.x Support > cpg1.4 plugins > cpg1.4 JUpload by etienne_sf

[Edit GauGau 2008-06-10]
Removed attachment as per request. Everyone please review the new board and look for updated JUpload versions there
[/Edit]

[skidpics]

The Coppermine plugin is available here: http://etienne.lesgauthier.fr/wiki/doku.php?id=jupload_coppermine_download_gb.


The site never loads - is there another place the plugin is loaded, or can you attach a zip file to this thread?

-- Skidpics

[etienne_sf]

The site never loads - is there another place the plugin is loaded, or can you attach a zip file to this thread?

1) I've attached the last stable JUpload to the first message of this thread
2) I've rebooted my server. It's its second problem of this kind. I'll have to find out what happens. I'll add a daily reboot.

Etienne

[bgarland]

I have installed Jupload and now have it in the main menu. But when I click on it, nothing happens (other than returning me to the home page). I am running Coppermine bridged in Joomla using CoppermineVis. Could this be causing a problem with your plugin?

[choupette549]

Hi guys, Hi Etienne,

Can you say me where I can modify the message
that appears when the upload of the pictures ends and is ok
or correct the two faults in the french translation ?

Because I don't find it. The two errors are :

Les images ont été chargées sur le serveur dans l'album sélectionné.
Cliquez sur Ok pour mettre des noms et des commentaires à ces images. [...]

Thanks a lot.

[etienne_sf]

Can you say me where I can modify the message
that appears when the upload of the pictures ends and is ok
or correct the two faults in the french translation ?

Are yous suggesting that I've some mistakes in my own language ?   

  I've seen this message so many times, that I don't event read it. I was about to release a 2.4.1 version. I'll correct it inot this version.

  In the meantime, you can update the ./plugins/jupload/lang/french.php file

Etienne

[etienne_sf]

I have installed Jupload and now have it in the main menu. But when I click on it, nothing happens (other than returning me to the home page). I am running Coppermine bridged in Joomla using CoppermineVis. Could this be causing a problem with your plugin?

Hum, hum,

  Its the first report of this kind. 

Can you send me a quick description of your installation, and the URL to download the tools you're using ?  I'll install it on my computer, and test it.

Etienne

[choupette549]

Are yous suggesting that I've some mistakes in my own language ?   

  I've seen this message so many times, that I don't event read it. I was about to release a 2.4.1 version. I'll correct it inot this version.

  In the meantime, you can update the ./plugins/jupload/lang/french.php file

Etienne

I post this message so that you can correct this little fault but also because this message isn't in french.php
and I don't find it in the other files of your plugin.

Have a nice weekend

[will]

Thanks for this great plugin, 1 thing tho, is there a way of replacing the _ with spaces in the modification screen so its easier for myself and members

Thanks

[etienne_sf]

I post this message so that you can correct this little fault but also because this message isn't in french.php
and I don't find it in the other files of your plugin.

You're right twice:
1) This text is in the applet itself (in the java code)
2) The French text contains error...   

  It will be corrected in the next version.

Etienne

[etienne_sf]

Thanks for this great plugin, 1 thing tho, is there a way of replacing the _ with spaces in the modification screen so its easier for myself and members

Thanks 

  Do you mean replacing the _ by spaces in the picture titles ?

Etienne

[will]

The one thing I like about this plugin is that it adds the picture title for you so less modification is needed.

For example:

DJ_Pocholo_-_Que_Dios_Salve_A_Las_Vacas_Y_A_To2_Nosotros_Cd1_(Back)

What I want is:

DJ Pocholo - Que Dios Salve A Las Vacas Y A To2 Nosotros Cd1 (Back)

Hope this helps

Thanks

[etienne_sf]

DJ_Pocholo_-_Que_Dios_Salve_A_Las_Vacas_Y_A_To2_Nosotros_Cd1_(Back)
What I want is:
DJ Pocholo - Que Dios Salve A Las Vacas Y A To2 Nosotros Cd1 (Back)

It's clear.

  I'll add it to the next release.

Etienne

[will]

Also is there a way of only making the JUpload available to admin, as I prefer to let myself and my admin use it and let my members use the old upload feature

Thanks

[Shane]

Etienne,

I am using coppermine in a joomla site using the copperminevis component from joombla.com.  I have installed the JUpload plugin, but when I click on the JUpload link I get 2 java error messages.

I've attached screen shots of both errors and the Internet Explorer error message.

I have also checked my java runtime environment on my computer and it is up to date.

Can you give me any idea of what I need to add?
site:  http://troop445.org/cms

Thanks!
Shane

[etienne_sf]

I am using coppermine in a joomla site using the copperminevis component from joombla.com.  I have installed the JUpload plugin, but when I click on the JUpload link I get 2 java error messages.

Hi,

  Seems like the JVM can't download the jar file from the server.

Can you check that you can download the wjhk.jupload.jar, that should be in the plugins/jupload directory. You can do this by typing the URL in IE.
I could not test it, as I could not find the plugins directory of your site, by trying both:
http://troop445.org/cms/plugins/jupload/jupload.php
http://troop445.org/cms/coppermine/plugins/jupload/jupload.php

Etienne

[Shane]

Etienne,

Can you check that you can download the wjhk.jupload.jar, that should be in the plugins/jupload directory. You can do this by typing the URL in IE.

The file wjhk.jupload.jar is on my server.  I typed the url (http://troop445.org/cms/components/com_copperminevis/cpg/plugins/jupload/wjhk.jupload.jar) into IE, hit ENTER, and was asked if I wanted to save the .zip file (I don't know if this is right or not - java idiot).

I did save the file, and extracted just to see what was there.  I haven't moved any of these files back to the server.  Should I?

Is there something in IE that is keeping the .jar file from loading when the JUpload page loads?

I appreciate your time and knowledge on this!
Shane

[etienne_sf]

The file wjhk.jupload.jar is on my server.  I typed the url (http://troop445.org/cms/components/com_copperminevis/cpg/plugins/jupload/wjhk.jupload.jar) into IE, hit ENTER, and was asked if I wanted to save the .zip file (I don't know if this is right or not - java idiot).

  My question was just to try to download the file, and check that is it possible. So, from your test, this point is Ok.

As I don't have any login/password (which is quite logical), I can't test it. Does it work, when you use the following URL ?
http://troop445.org/cms/components/com_copperminevis/cpg/index.php?file=jupload/jupload

Etienne

[Shane]

Etienne,

PM'd you a test account.

I cannot test at work - old Java environment and they will not update...

I'll try this evening.
Shane

Thanks!

[Shane]

Etienne,

Could it be a simple URL issue?  Since the coppermine and the applet is embedded in Joomla, the url to pull the .jar file might be wrong.

The direction to call the .jar is now under "index.php?option=com_copperminevis"

Where in the code would I change the URL to allow the applet to call up and load the .jar file?

Shane