---
title: "Updates on the HTTP file upload front"
date: 2008-11-26
canonical: https://michaelshadle.com/2008/11/26/updates-on-the-http-file-upload-front
---

# Updates on the HTTP file upload front

Right now I'm happy. Why's that? Because I have a neat Google Gears-based file uploader that uses hardly any code and no special server requirements or code requirements. It is \*almost\* everything I've been trying to accomplish with my behind-the-scenes type efforts to scare up some development... and this was accomplished so quickly it was scary.

Big props to Raghava @ work. He did the legwork of putting together the base code that makes Gears work properly and enough for me to play around with. Between the two of us I think we'll be able to conquer the rest of it.

Okay, so what exactly was I hoping for?  

  
-   No special server requirements - PHP is all that is needed, data comes via POST
  
-   Not one single huge request - yes, the files are split up in memory at runtime as needed into configurable-sized chunks
  
-   Large file support - yes, as large as any component allows, at least
  
-   Multiple file support - yes, uploads happen in a serial fashion
  
-   Friendly file selection UI - yes, it uses the OS's file browser like a normal file upload
  
-   Friendly web UI - yes - since it's in JavaScript, anything can be done
  
-   Transparent HTTP/HTTPS support - have not tested it on an SSL-enabled box, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work (it's basically like an XHR request)
  
-   Retransmission on failure - no, I believe the Gears developers need to implement additional settings/capabilities into the "httprequest" class - this is the biggest gap
  
-   Pause/resume support - no, I don't think this is supported quite yet in our implementation
  
-   Persistence - being able to resume later on after power outage, browser closing, etc. - no, but possibly an option if integrated into the Gears local database
  
-   Parallel processing (not required, might be neat) - possibly with a Gears worker pool, but not really a big enough deal to bother
  

  

Right now what we've got pretty much meets most of the needs. The biggest gap here is making sure it attempts re-transmission. Without that, this is still very cool, but that will be one of the major benefits this exercise could offer.

Perhaps soon I will post some code. I'll want to ask Raghava if he cares first. Maybe some JavaScript/Gears gurus could even clean it up or add more functionality.