Drag and drop browser file upload?

I dont think so directly. You might have to use an applet or activex control to accomplish this.

Normally you would insert an <input type="file ...> to allow upload, but this tag does not allow scripting to specify the source file due to obvious security reasons.

So, even if I can get the file location, I can't even update the form element to allow it to be uploaded?! I didn't know that. Oh dear, it really does look like my hands are tied on this one.

Do you know anything about signed JavaScripts? Perhaps it could be done that way. I know Netscape supports them, but maybe IE doesn't.

The only problem with using applets is that, apparently, drag and drop uploading is only supported in later versions of the JRE. Hence, I'd have to have my users download the latest plug-in; not an option, as I need to avoid big downloads.

ActiveX is another possibility as you say, but that would exclude netscape users.

What a nightmare! Any further thoughts?

Thanks,

Rob

An FTP client. THat works exactly the way you want -- the user connects, finds the file using a Windows Explorer type interface, drags the file to the remote computer, and it's uploaded.

Or, if your server is set up correctly and they've got the right version of Windows, they can use Web Folders/Network Places to connect, which is EXACTLY like any other file move/copy in Windows.

You don't need a browser, ActiveX, etc. If they use Web Folders/Network Places, it's built in, and FTP clients are cheap/free.

you can also do it through the browser with a single line if that is what your client or whoever feels comfortable with.

e.g.

 ftp://username:password@whatever.com:port/directory/subdirectory/

  then it will look like a directory on their PC...  (this is for windows, I don't know if that will work in unix based systems)

Thanks for your comments guys. FTP is an option. However, I need to be able to contain the drag and drop functionality within a frame based interface.

Unfortunately, as I understand it, dragging and dropping is not supported for a framed FTP session...

It it possible to open a remote FTP session in a frameset using the URL format suggested by SouthFlorida - and you can drag files in and drop them to upload, or drag files out to drop on the desktop or wherever to download
...
but as soon as you doube-click on a folderit makes the browsing frame the top, i.e. you lose the frameset, which probably defeats the object
...
we've used this approach, but just opened the FTP browser in a new window whcih the user can use until finished then close - not the nicest solution, so I'm waiting with bated breath on this one
...
or of course you could develop/but java/activex components

At the moment, the ONLY ways to go this through a browser are:
1) to use Web Folders (WebWoman said that first)
2) use Explorer FTP (SouthFlorida 1st)
3) Java/ActiveX compoent (robbiemorgan - the asker)

It's up to robbiemorgan how to close it. It's probably fair that points are refunded as he hasn't really had the answer he's looking for.