In one application built on Codeigniter framework I needed to create a special form. The form had to allow a user to both enter text data and upload an image. It was actually the first time I had any experience with programming forms that would include file upload. And I found out it is not a completely trivial task in Codeigniter. There are multiple reasons for this, but the main one is this: image validation and form data validation are done separately in Codeigniter. Not only the validation is done by two different classes, but the error messages are also independent.

So I went on to create a form that would integrate both types of validation (or rather, the error messages). On the way I had to decide on one major usability problem: what to do with image if the user submits the right image but the rest of the form does not validate (for example, forgets to enter name or email). I decided to go with the simplest option – the image is discarded, and the user is warned to not forget to attach the image again (since the file upload field cannot be repopulated, as other fields can be).

Admittedly, the image could be saved to save user the trouble of attaching it again, but in that case you have to solve another problem – what to do with the images that the user (a malicious user) submits and subsequently fails to submit the properly filled in form. I know, something could be done at the browser level using Javascript validation, but the server-side validation is still necessary… Toliau skaityti Codeigniter form with integrated data and file validation →