Question

I have a WordPress site, in which type1 users can upload *.doc files and type2 users should be able to open them by clicking on a link which represents a file.
The file then should be opened in a new window of the browser.

I got the first part easily – there are many guides on uploading a file.
But I couldn’t find one that goes through all the steps of getting and opening a file which resides on a server directory.

I assume clicking the link should cause an ajax request which will send the file key to the server.
The server can then get from the MySQL DB the file name and location.

But what do I do then?
How do I get the file from the server directory, send it back to the client and open it for reading in the browser?

Edit:
I want the files to be confidential and not let just anyone read them so giving the users the link for the file on the server isn’t the right way.
I still think I need to send the file from the server directory to the client.
How can this be done?

Answer 1

I want the files to be confidential and not let just anyone read them so giving the users the link for the file on the server isn’t the right way.

Yes it is. You can’t let people read the document without giving them the document.

If you want to keep it confidential, then require the users to agree not to share the link with anyone else. Or go further and add a layer of authentication + authorisation and also require that users not hand over their credentials.