# Flash Upload and Ruby **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [November 15, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-upload-and-ruby/48189 "2005-11-15T17:33:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![heavysixer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@heavysixer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/heavysixer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-upload-and-ruby/48189/1 "2005-11-15T17:33:20Z")
* * * ## Please forgive me if you get this twice, I sent it yesterday but never saw it appear on the list. Hi Rubiests, This is my first posting to the rails group so please forgive me if this is a well-covered question (though I did check the wiki and the faqs on the site). I am trying to create a Flash-based bulk uploader for my first Ruby project. You can see an example of the uploader running in a PHP script here: [http://www.flavoredthunder.com/dev/flash/flashUploader/](http://www.flavoredthunder.com/dev/flash/flashUploader/) This works swimmingly in php but there is no joy in Ruby. I am using version “0.14.3” of Rails and “1.8.2” of Ruby on a Mac OS X "10.3 " The webbrick spits out a very unceremonious error when I try to call my “admin/flash\_create” action: [14/Nov/2005:23:10:01 PST] “POST /admin/flash\_create HTTP/1.1” 500 8175 - → /admin/flash\_create When doing some research on the problem I found a bug report on the rails site: [http://dev.rubyonrails.org/ticket/2277](http://dev.rubyonrails.org/ticket/2277) They suggested installing the flash-fix plugin. I have installed the flash-fix plugin into my vender/plugin directory but was unsure what to do past that. My very basic method in the admin\_controller is: def flash\_create @params[‘Filedata’][‘content _name’] = File.basename(@params[‘Filedata’][‘tmp\_name’].original\_filename).gsub(/[^a-zA-Z0-9.]/, '_’) @params[‘Filedata’][‘content\_type’] = @params[‘Filedata’][‘tmp\_name’].content\_type.chomp @params[‘Filedata’][‘data’] = @params[‘Filedata’][‘tmp\_name’].read @params[‘Filedata’].delete(‘tmp\_name’) @photo = Photo.new(@params[‘Filedata’]) @photo.save end “Filedata” is the field that Macromedia specifies for their multipart file transfers Any help is greatly appreciated! thanks, Mark ---
**Author:** ![heavysixer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@heavysixer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/heavysixer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-upload-and-ruby/48189/2 "2005-11-15T17:51:24Z")
Hi, take a look at this: [http://weblog.bubbleshare.com/articles/2005/10/20/flash-8-file-upload-](http://weblog.bubbleshare.com/articles/2005/10/20/flash-8-file-upload-) headaches Hoipe it helps, Ettore Il giorno 15/nov/05, alle ore 17:32, M Daggett ha scritto: ---
**Author:** ![heavysixer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@heavysixer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/heavysixer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-upload-and-ruby/48189/3 "2005-11-15T18:39:34Z")
Yes, I think he is the one that wrote the plugin. I did incorporate it into my rails app but no joy. ---
**Author:** ![heavysixer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@heavysixer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/heavysixer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/flash-upload-and-ruby/48189/4 "2005-11-16T04:27:29Z")
Update! I was able to get the Flash Ruby synergy all dialed in (sorta). I updated my blog with the code and details: > **[CollColl.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=collcoll.com)** > > Painless, quick delivery of your domain name. Fast and professional service. I am able to get uploads that store the files on the physical drive as opposed to as a blob in the database. At first I was a bit confused why this was but then it dawned on me that I was creating the object in the first method. def new @picture = Picture.new … show the upload page end then when flash was called to submit to the page I got an error because my picture object was nil. I can only assume this is because the ruby and flash upload happens outside of the scope of ruby’s session object. When the file was submitted ruby would have no context in which to view the request. This brings up an interesting question. I originally inteded on doing some sort of lock/key system whereby my first method would define a variable and then pass it along to flash so that it could be embeded into the post (and authenticated by ruby). This would keep simultanious users from clobbering each other and prevent people from subverting my upload process. Here is another problem related to the first. Presently my app authenticates the user before the URL filter. If the user is not authenticated then it redirects them to the login. Knowing that I cannot append anything side the actual post object I guess I am left with only one option which is to append it to the url string. Is this wise, does anyone have a better idea? Thanks, Mark On 11/15/05, M Daggett [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > This is my first posting to the rails group so please forgive me if this > > site: > > > def flash\_create > > @photo.save > > Mark > > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > > ## – > > I am Mark Daggett and I approve this message. –