$upload

Returns an ID of the file uploaded to the server

Description

Post this request when you have a file that you want to upload to the Server. If you have an image, you pass $rawPict=true. For all other files, you pass $binary=true.

You can modify the timeout, which by default is 120 seconds, by passing a value to the $timeout parameter.

Uploading scenario

Imagine you want to upload an image to update the picture attribute of an entity.

To upload an image (or any binary file), you must first select the file from the client application. The file itlself must be passed in the body of the request.

Then, you upload the selected image to 4D Server using a request such as:

POST /rest/$upload?$rawPict=true

As a result, the server returns an ID that identifies the file:

Response:

{ "ID": "D507BC03E613487E9B4C2F6A0512FE50" }

Afterwards, you use this ID to add it to an attribute using $method=update to add the image to an entity. The request looks like:

POST /rest/Employee/?$method=update

POST data:

{
    __KEY: "12",
    __STAMP: 4,
    photo: { "ID": "D507BC03E613487E9B4C2F6A0512FE50" } 
}

Response:

The modified entity is returned:

{
    "__KEY": "12", 
    "__STAMP": 5, 
    "uri": "http://127.0.0.1:8081/rest/Employee(12)", 
    "ID": 12, 
    "firstName": "John", 
    "firstName": "Smith",
    "photo":
    {
        "__deferred":
        {
            "uri": "/rest/Employee(12)/photo?$imageformat=best&$version=1&$expand=photo",
            "image": true
        }
    },}

Example with a 4D HTTP client

The following example shows how to upload a .pdf file to the server using the 4D HTTP client.

var $params : Text
var $response : Object
var $result : Integer
var $blob : Blob


ARRAY TEXT($headerNames; 1)
ARRAY TEXT($headerValues; 1)

$url:="localhost:80/rest/$upload?$binary=true" //prepare the REST request

$headerNames{1}:="Content-Type"
$headerValues{1}:="application/octet-stream"

DOCUMENT TO BLOB("c:\\invoices\\inv003.pdf"; $blob) //Load the binary 

 //Execute the first POST request to upload the file
$result:=HTTP Request(HTTP POST method; $url; $blob; $response; $headerNames; $headerValues)

If ($result=200) 
    var $data : Object
    $data:=New object
    $data.__KEY:="3"
    $data.__STAMP:="3"
    $data.pdf:=New object("ID"; String($response.ID)) 

    $url:="localhost:80/rest/Invoices?$method=update" //second request to update the entity

    $headerNames{1}:="Content-Type"
    $headerValues{1}:="application/json"

    $result:=HTTP Request(HTTP POST method; $url; $data; $response; $headerNames; $headerValues)
Else
    ALERT(String($result)+" Error")
End if