Code Samples

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Using JavaScript to Upload Large Files in Chunks as Parts and Avoid Server Limits

We know that PHP config files has the limit to upload files to server, you know that uploading large files can be a real pain. You have to find the loaded php.ini file, edit the upload_max_filesize and post_max_size settings, and hope that you never have to change servers and do all of this over again.





We will do some trick to upload very very large file to server without manipulate any configuration, does not matter how small the limit is. We actually will send files from browser chunk by chunk. Chunk can be as small as our demand. Suppose if our server accept max 1mb request limit, we will send 1mb per request and many more.





  This will include two parts (1) is to send files chunk by chunk from browser to server and the other part (2) is save file parts into single file. I will use PHP example at backend to save file into server.





So below is Javascript parts with description:


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>File Upload Chunk</title>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="form">
        <input type="file" id="file"/>
        <button type="button" id="upload">Upload</button>
    </div>
    <div class="toast">
        <div id="toast"></div>
    </div>
    <script type="text/javascript">
        document.getElementById("upload").addEventListener("click", () => {
            let files = document.getElementById("file").files;
            if (files.length === 0) {
                alert("File required");
            }
            else {
                showToast("Uploading");
                doUploadFileChunk(files[0], 1);
            }
        });

        function doUploadFileChunk(file, chunk) {
            let chunkLimit = 1024 * 50; // Limit of file chunk send to server is 50 KB for test purpose

            // Blob from position
            let fromSlice = (chunk - 1) * chunkLimit;
            // Blob to position
            let nextSlice = fromSlice + chunkLimit - 1;
            // new FormData()
            let formData = new FormData();
            formData.append("file_number", chunk);
            formData.append("file_name", file.name);
            formData.append("file_part", file.slice(fromSlice, nextSlice + 1)); // Processing small part of file

            console.log(`Sending from ${fromSlice} to ${nextSlice} KB`);

            // Sending to server
            let xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
            xhr.open("POST", "upload.php", true);
            xhr.setRequestHeader("Accept", "application/json");
            xhr.onreadystatechange = () => {
                if (xhr.readyState === 4) {
                    console.log("Status = " + xhr.status);
                    try {
                        let response = JSON.parse(xhr.responseText);
                        console.log(response);
                        if (response.uploaded) {
                            let percent = Math.floor((nextSlice / file.size) * 100);
                            if (nextSlice < file.size) {
                                showToast(`Uploading file - ${percent}% completed`);
                                setTimeout(() => {
                                    doUploadFileChunk(file, chunk + 1);
                                }, 200);
                            }
                            else {
                                showToast(`Upload completed, processing started`);
                            }
                        }
                        else {
                            alert("Failed to upload file");
                        }
                    }
                    catch (e) {
                        console.log("Complete = " + xhr.responseText);
                        console.log(e);
                        alert("Failed to upload file");
                    }
                }
            };
            xhr.send(formData);
        }

        function showToast(text) {
            document.getElementById("toast").innerHTML = text;
        }
    </script>
    <style type="text/css">
        div.form {
            padding: 20px;
        }
        div.toast {
            padding: 20px;
            background-color: green;
            color: white;
            font-size: 31px;
        }
    </style>
</body>
</html>



And respective PHP file is as below:


<?php
$output = ["uploaded" => true, "file" => $_FILES["file_part"]];

$uploadFile = sprintf("storage/%s", $_POST['file_name']);
if ($_POST["file_number"] == 1) {
    if (file_exists($uploadFile)) {
        unlink($uploadFile);
    }
}

$destination = fopen($uploadFile, "a+");
if (FALSE === $destination) die("Failed to open destination");

$handle = fopen($_FILES["file_part"]["tmp_name"], "rb");
if (FALSE === $handle) die("Failed to open blob");

$BUFFER_SIZE=1*1024*1024; // 1MB, bigger is faster
while( !feof($handle) ) {
    fwrite($destination, fread($handle, $BUFFER_SIZE) );
}
fclose($handle);
fclose($destination);

echo json_encode($output);

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Auto Grow a Textarea with Javascript | How to create auto-resize textarea using JavaScript

The idea was to make a <textarea> more like a <div> so it expands in height as much as it needs to in order to contain the current value. It’s almost weird there isn’t a simple native solution for this

The trick is that you exactly replicate the content of the <textarea> in an element that can auto expand height, and match its sizing.
  
  Instead, you exactly replicate the look, content, and position of the element in another element. You hide the replica visually (might as well leave the one that’s technically-functional visible).

You need to make sure the replicated element is exactly the same  

Same font, same padding, same margin, same border… everything. It’s an identical copy, just visually hidden with visibility: hidden;. If it’s not exactly the same, everything won’t grow together exactly right.
  
We also need white-space: pre-wrap; on the replicated text because that is how textareas behave.

Example is as below:
  HTML Part<div class="grow-wrap">
    <textarea name="text" id="text"></textarea>
</div>
CSS Part/* For grow textarea */
.grow-wrap {
    /* easy way to plop the elements on top of each other and have them both sized based on the tallest one's height */
    display: grid;
    width: 100%;
}

.grow-wrap::after {
    /* Note the weird space! Needed to preventy jumpy behavior */
    content: attr(data-replicated-value) " ";
    /* This is how textarea text behaves */
    white-space: pre-wrap;
    /* Hidden from view, clicks, and screen readers */
    visibility: hidden;
}

.grow-wrap>textarea {
    /* You could leave this, but after a user resizes, then it ruins the auto sizing */
    resize: none;
    /* Firefox shows scrollbar on growth, you can hide like this. */
    overflow: hidden;
}

.grow-wrap>textarea,
.grow-wrap::after {
    font: inherit;
    grid-area: 1 / 1 / 2 / 2;
    margin: 0 !important;
    padding-top: 10px;
    padding-bottom: 10px;
}
JavaScript Partconst growers:any = document.querySelectorAll(".grow-wrap");
growers.forEach((grower:any) => {
    const textarea = grower.querySelector("textarea");
    textarea.addEventListener("input", () => {
        grower.dataset.replicatedValue = textarea.value;
    });
});

  Live example is as below:

Text:

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Streaming HTTP response in PHP - turn long-running process into realtime UI

Streaming is not a new concept, it is a data transfer technique which allows a web server to continuously send data to a client over a single HTTP connection that remains open indefinitely. In streaming response comes in chunk rather than sending them at once. In the traditional HTTP request / response cycle, a response is not transferred to the browser until it is fully prepared which makes users wait.

Output buffering allows to have output of PHP stored into an memory (i.e. buffer) instead of immediately transmitted, it is a mechanism in which instead of sending a response immediately we buffer it in memory so that we can send it at once when whole content is ready.

Each time using echo we are basically telling PHP to send a response to the browser, but since PHP has output buffering enabled by default that content gets buffered and not sent to the client. But we will tell PHP to send output immediately then appear rather keep them wait until execution completed.

Php script will be like below which will usually send content chunk by chunk:

<?php
// Making maximum execution time unlimited
set_time_limit(0);              

// Send content immediately to the browser on every statement that produces output
ob_implicit_flush(1);           

// Deletes the topmost output buffer and outputs all of its contents
ob_end_flush();                 

sleep(1);
echo sprintf("data: %s%s", json_encode(["content" => "Stream 1"]), "\n\n");

sleep(2);
echo sprintf("data: %s%s", json_encode(["content" => "Stream 2"]), "\n\n");

sleep(3);
echo sprintf("data: %s%s", json_encode(["content" => "Stream 3"]), "\n\n");

exit;

Output buffers catch output given by the program. Each new output buffer is placed on the top of a stack of output buffers, and any output it provides will be caught by the buffer below it. The output control functions handle only the topmost buffer, so the topmost buffer must be removed in order to control the buffers below it.

✔ The ob_implicit_flush(1) enables implicit flushing which sends output directly to the browser as soon as it is produced.

✔ If you need more fine grained control then use flush() function. To send data even when buffers are not full and PHP code execution is not finished we can use ob_flush and flush. The flush() function requests the server to send it's currently buffered output to the browser

How to get and process the response in javascript

There is a simple example how we can do it with traditional xhr ( XMLHTTPRequest ) request

function doCallXHR() {
    let lastResponseLength = 0;
    let xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
    xhr.open("POST", "/do", true);
    xhr.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
    xhr.setRequestHeader("Accept", "application/json");
    xhr.onprogress = (e:any) => {
        let response = e.currentTarget.response;
        let progressResponse = lastResponseLength > 0 ? response.substring(lastResponseLength) : response;
        lastResponseLength = response.length;
        console.log(new Date().toUTCString());
        progressResponse.split(/\n\n/g).filter((t) => t.trim().length > 0).forEach((line) => {
            console.log(JSON.parse(line.substring(6)));
        });
    };
    xhr.onreadystatechange = () => {
        if (xhr.readyState == 4) {
            console.log("Status = " + xhr.status);
            console.log("Complete = " + xhr.responseText);
        }
    };
    xhr.send();
}
doCallXHR();

Output is as below from browser console:

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:33:36 GMT
{content: 'Stream 1'}
Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:33:38 GMT
{content: 'Stream 2'}
Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:33:41 GMT
{content: 'Stream 3'}

Status=200
Complete=data: {"content":"Stream 1"}

data: {"content":"Stream 2"}

data: {"content":"Stream 3"}

xhr.onprogress: is the function called periodically with information until the XMLHttpRequest completely finishes

Few points to note​

✅ we are sending chunk response from server and in xhr onprogress getting every new response part merged with the previously received part.

✅ it is possible to load the response one at a time as server response is multiple parts & in a format one after another. We can do it by substracting previoud response string length and parsing with JSON.parse

What if any error / exception occur! how to react to that?​

That's easy.. catch the error & respond with a status that the front-end js script can react to

<?php
try {
    $response = $this->expensiveProcessing();
} catch(\Exception $e) {
    // Handle the exception
    echo json_encode([
        'success' => false, 
        'message' => $e->getCode() . ' - '. $e->getMessage(), 
        'progress' => 100
    ]);

    ob_end_flush();
    exit;
}

Configuration for Nginx​

You need to do few tweaking with nginx server before working with output buffering.

fastcgi_buffering off;

proxy_buffering off;

gzip off;
    
For whichever reason if you don't have access to nginx server configuration then from PHP code you can also achieve the same result via HTTP header
    
header('X-Accel-Buffering: no');

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Mysql trigger for checking duplicate record in Table before insert using trigger

I am to creating a trigger for my table User which checks for duplicates (Mobile number) in the User table before inserting a new row.
  
Assume we do not have any unique index added hence we have to manage uniqueness by programatically.

The insert trigger executes prior to the insertion process. Only if the code succeeds, will the insert take place. To prevent the row from being inserted, an error must be generated.
  
Below is the trigger

DROP TRIGGER if EXISTS before_user_insert;

DELIMITER $$

CREATE TRIGGER before_user_insert BEFORE INSERT ON users FOR EACH ROW
  BEGIN
    DECLARE v1 BIGINT(20);
    DECLARE m1 VARCHAR(400);
    SELECT id INTO v1 FROM users WHERE id<>NEW.id AND `mobile`=NEW.`mobile`;
    IF (v1 IS NOT NULL) THEN
      SELECT CONCAT('Duplicate mobile number at record - ', v1) INTO m1;
      SIGNAL SQLSTATE VALUE '45000' SET MESSAGE_TEXT = m1;
    END IF;
  END$$

DELIMITER ;

Which will output as below:

  SQLSTATE[45000]: <>: 1644 Duplicate mobile number at record - 43

Thursday, October 19, 2023

How to fix the MySQL error: Illegal mix of collations for operation union

Well, you probably have different collations in some MySQL views or stored procedures, try to force collation like this:

SET character_set_client = 'utf8mb4'; 
SET character_set_connection = 'utf8mb4'; 
SET collation_connection = 'utf8mb4_unicode_ci'; 
drop view if exists myviewwithproblem; 
create view myviewwithproblem as … da da etc etc

Another solution might be:

I ran into this recently as well. In my case the relevant columns were utf8mb4_unicode_ci, but I found out that the session was utf8mb4_general_ci. You can see this from the collation_connection variable:
CODE: SELECT ALL

SHOW VARIABLES LIKE '%collat%';

I found that this came from the connection string including "Character Set=utf8mb4". This caused a "SET NAMES UTF8MB4;" query to be run on every connection, which causes MySQL to take the default collation for this character set, which is utf8mb4_general_ci.

Updating the server's character set and collation to match the data (setting character-set-server and collation-server in the server config) and then using "Character Set=Auto" caused the connection to have the correct collation, and the issue was fixed. Manually running something like "SET NAMES UTF8MB4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci" should fix it, too.

Sunday, October 8, 2023

PHP image output and browser caching

This post is for return image from server by PHP script and cache in browser to save on our bandwidth.




Below code will return image using PHP script

<?php

function image_function_cache($file_name) {
    $file = "WWW_ROOT/public/img/$file_name";
    if (!file_exists($file) || !is_file($file)) {
        echo "";
        exit;
    }

    $fileTime = filemtime($file);
    $headerTime = IfModifiedSince();

    // Will return 304 when image source not changed
    if (!is_null($headerTime) && (strtotime($headerTime) == $fileTime)) {
        header('Last-Modified: '.gmdate('D, d M Y H:i:s', $fileTime).' GMT', true, 304);
        exit;
    }
    session_cache_limiter('none');

    $type = 'image/png';
    header('Content-Type:'.$type);
    header('Content-Length: ' . filesize($file));
    header('Cache-control: max-age='.(60*60*24*365));
    header('Expires: '.gmdate(DATE_RFC1123,time()+60*60*24*365));
    header('Last-Modified: '.gmdate('D, d M Y H:i:s', $fileTime).' GMT', true, 200);
    readfile($file);
    exit;
}

function IfModifiedSince() {
    if (function_exists("apache_request_headers")) {
        if ($headers = apache_request_headers()) {
            if (isset($headers['If-Modified-Since'])) {
                return $headers['If-Modified-Since'];
            }
        }
    }
    if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE'])) {
        return $_SERVER['HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE'];
    }
    return null;
}



Check below image, there are two request for an image, first request status is 200 and image returned, but 2nd call if you see Size column image returned from cache. All happened for above functionality:

How to Send files via POST with cURL and PHP (Example)

In this process cURL send file to any web server along with other params. Check it out below code:




  
Assuming that you're using PHP 5.5+, you need to use CURLFile for uploading your file:


<?php

$headers = array(
    'Authorization: Bearer Token Value',
    'Content-type: multipart/form-data'
);

$url = "https://example.com/api/v1/import/uploadfile";

$post_data = array(
    "file1" => new CURLFile("/var/www/files/file1.csv", 'text/csv', 'File1.csv'),
    "file2" => new CURLFile("/var/www/files/file1.pdf", 'application.pdf', 'File1.pdf'),
    "param1" => "Test"
);

$curl = curl_init();
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_VERBOSE, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HEADER, false);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $post_data);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, $headers);
$response = curl_exec($curl);
$status = curl_getinfo($curl, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
curl_close($curl); 

Pages

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Using JavaScript to Upload Large Files in Chunks as Parts and Avoid Server Limits

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Auto Grow a Textarea with Javascript | How to create auto-resize textarea using JavaScript

HTML Part

CSS Part

JavaScript Part

Live example is as below:

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Streaming HTTP response in PHP - turn long-running process into realtime UI

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Mysql trigger for checking duplicate record in Table before insert using trigger

Thursday, October 19, 2023

How to fix the MySQL error: Illegal mix of collations for operation union

Sunday, October 8, 2023

PHP image output and browser caching

How to Send files via POST with cURL and PHP (Example)