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-   -   How to Properly Upload Images and Attach Files to This Site (https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/news/1529-how-properly-upload.html)

admin 08-12-2009 04:37 AM

How to Properly Upload Images and Attach Files to This Site
 
1. How to View Images and Download Files

In order to view images or download attachments, you must be logged in as a Free Member or Premium Member.

This is done to conserve bandwidth, discourage hotlinking, and provide the best service to our members. Thanks for understanding. :)

Remember that your support -- either by donating a few dollars or upgrading to Premium Member -- is how we're able to provide and archive the information found on The Digital FAQ forum.


2. How to Attach Non-Image Files

Just attach the file in the attachment manager -- as shown in section 3 below -- and submit the post. That's it. Note that there needs to be some text in the post, it can't be blank with an attachment.

For files less than 99mb:

You may attach it to posts.

Standard file types like .avi, .mpg, .wav, .pdf, and others are allowed. See also: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/news...rmissions.html. If your file format is not allowed, simply stick it inside of a RAR or ZIP. We'll add new file formats as needed.

Note: In order to upload 99mb within the 10 minutes allowed by the server, you need at least a 1.5mbit upload with your ISP. Slower connections will need to attach smaller files.

For files more than 99mb:

While the dedicated server that runs The Digital FAQ has a decently size hard drive (with SSD for the database!), it doesn't have a bottomless hard drive. We don't need you to fill it up with large video files. So, recognizing this fact, you can add large files to threads in one of two ways:

(A) One file. If you need to add a one-time file to the post, and it's less than 300mb total, then simply "multi-RAR" it. (That means the large RAR file is split into 99mb chunks for uploading!) For instructions on how to do this, see http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/news...html#post19597 (post#2)

(B) Multiple files. If you need to add multiple files that are large, then you'll need to add it in another way -- either using the digitalFAQ.com FTP (preferred) or Dropbox. The FTP is for Premium Members only, and detail on that are here: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/news...mbers-how.html

Note that you can only upload 100mb at a time.


3. How to Post Images and Photos

Both Free and Premium Members have the ability to attach images to posts.

To avoid problems viewing photos, please upload your images to this site. Don't link to free accounts elsewhere -- Flickr, Photobucket, Imageshack, etc, or to other sites. Images put on free sites can expire or be deleted by the host, and posts made here may become confusing if the illustrations go missing.

(A) Format: Use JPEGs or GIFs or PNGs -- not BMPs or PSDs!

(B) Size:
Images must be sized no wider than 860 pixels across! (If for some odd reason you need to attach a high resolution image, put it inside of a RAR or ZIP file, and then attach that.) There's is rarely a good reason to attach huge image files to forums.

Need to post a screen shot? Read this: How to take a screenshot / Take picture of computer screen

When you make a new post, or reply to a post, use the advanced editor -- click Go Advanced instead of replying in the quick reply box.

STEP 1.

To upload images, simply click on the Manage Attachments button

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...attachmentid=8


STEP 2
:

A new window will pop up, and you can browse to the image that you need to upload, and then hit the upload button. A few seconds later, the file will appear as a "current attachment", and you can close the window.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...attachmentid=9


-------------------------- IMPORTANT: For non-images, this is where you stop. -------------------------------

STEP 3.

For images only!
To insert a photo into the post, click on the paperclip drop-down arrow in the full editor, and a list of attached images will show up. Click on the image you want to show. It will show up in the editor as a number, surround by "attach" tags.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...ttachmentid=10

This adds an image into the post as an "inline attachment" so it can be seen while reading the post.


Done!

If you have any questions, just reply to this post. Thanks. :)

admin 02-17-2012 10:32 AM

2 Attachment(s)
How to Attach Larger Files

To attach files larger than 99mb, you'll need to create a multi-part RAR file, using the nagware** WinRAR.

More info on RAR files:
- Overview: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/comp...rar-files.html (post#1)
- Multi-part RAR Usage: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/computers/1606-zip-rar-files.html (posts#5)

Downloads also attached in that post. :2cents:


How to Split Files into Multi-Part .rar Files

Step 1: First be sure that WinRAR is installed. Reboot if you just now installed it, otherwise the context menus may be missing.

Step 2: The easiest way to split a file into a RAR is to go to Windows Explorer ("My Computer" -- not Internet Explorer), right-click on the name of the big file, and bring up the context menu. Go down to the Add to Archive... option.

Attachment 2384

Step 3: You'll need to do three things when the new Window pops up.

Attachment 2386

(1) Location. Be sure the file is created in a known location, such as C:\, and then name the file. In this example, it's been named to C:\file.rar

(2) Choose the Best compression. While Normal is faster at compressing, smaller files will be quicker to upload and download to the site. Ultimately, site upload/download more important, and the overall speed benefits will be here.

(3) Split the file by megabytes. Undercut the size by 1/10th of a mb, to avoid any problems with files being seen as too big by the server. This is a case sensitive task! "8m" is not the same as "8M". The capitalized version represents a different math reference, and will yield smaller files. For example, 8m is exactly 8.00MB, while 8M is exactly 7.62MB.


How to Attach the Split Files -- a.k.a. Files vs . Sessions

The site has two limitations for uploading:

(1) the site attachment size -- 99mb max
(2) the server attachment session -- 100mb max

The forum limits attachment to 99mb each, and the server limits it to a 100mb session (with a 10-minute timeout). The site see files, but the server sees only size and time -- not individual files. (That's how all servers work.)

No more than 100mb worth of files may be attached and uploaded at the same time.

For example, accounts are limited to 99mb attachments, and thus you must split a 300mb file into four pieces -- 99mb, 99mb, 99mb and 3mb file. Choose ONLY one 99mb files, and upload it. That's a 99mb session. Repeat until finished.

You cannot add all 300mb at the same time. The upload will fail, and you'll just have wasted your time.


Limits on Attachments

See the second topic on the first post. There are better ways to attach very large files -- i.e., using either the FTP (preferred) or Dropbox.


Why So Complicated?

It's not a simple matter of giving more space to users.

Complex sites balance the time allowed for scripting languages and databases to sustain connections. Each open connection is considered traffic, and too many open connections can bog down a site. Since this isn't really an "uploads site", the code that runs digitalFAQ.com is tuned to quickly display text and images. Making the attachment feature easier for end users would bog down the entire site, because it would require a looser set of rules that would almost assuredly make our site load times go from 0.5s/1.5s to at least 4s or more (as some poorly coded forums tend to do). And that's just not in anybody's best interests.

Thanks. :2cents:


** Nagware = trialware that doesn't expire, sort of a step down from freeware. Do note that WinRAR is worth buying!

messki678 04-20-2012 06:22 AM

hi,
I did the same as you mentioned but i am facing problem in downloading!!

admin 04-20-2012 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by messki678 (Post 20524)
hi, I did the same as you mentioned but i am facing problem in downloading!!

You'll have to be more specific.
As a registered Free Member, you should be able to click on attachments.

msgohan 07-27-2015 12:50 AM

Not sure if this is the best place to post this. I thought I asked about attachment limits in another thread somewhere previously but I can't find it now. Sorry.

Can the filesize limit be increased for GIF, please? Every other attachment type is 1MB or more while GIF is 100KB. I tried to upload a 132KB static GIF and had to link it from off-site to avoid the horrible auto-JPEG conversion.

500KB or so should be an okay limit while still detering people from posting animated GIFs, if that is the intent.

admin 01-03-2016 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msgohan (Post 39050)
Not sure if this is the best place to post this. I thought I asked about attachment limits in another thread somewhere previously but I can't find it now. Sorry.
Can the filesize limit be increased for GIF, please? Every other attachment type is 1MB or more while GIF is 100KB. I tried to upload a 132KB static GIF and had to link it from off-site to avoid the horrible auto-JPEG conversion.
500KB or so should be an okay limit while still detering people from posting animated GIFs, if that is the intent.

Animated GIFs was indeed the reasoning.
But since it's never been an issue in the past, it's been changed from 100kb to 1MB as of today.


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