Question

I’m in charge of developing an extranet for a client using expressionengine. Since this platform is generally unfamiliar to me, I look into the documentation to discover no real evidence that it can support this by default. So I look into plugins. I don’t know if the descriptions are just bad or if nobody makes a simple front end file upload system for EE, but so far I have not found a solution. I figure I should ask here before spending the time to deconstruct the EE platform to write the plugin myself.

I don’t mind paying for a plugin, but I do mind paying for the wrong plugin. So I ask the SO community if anyone has used a front end file uploader that could be used for an intranet system in EE.

Any suggestions are helpful… besides not using EE since that’s out of my hands.

Answer 1

Kai,

There are two options for having folks upload files, one being free and the other costing a bit of money:

1. Freeform: Using Freeform, you’d create a form where people can enter in information and attach files. Your best bet is taking a look at the example Advanced Contact Form and then going back over the documentation as you need help. The entered information is emailed to you and kept in the database.
2. SafeCracker: SafeCracker allows you to create forms that accept all sorts of information, including files. The difference between SafeCracker and Freeform is that Freeform’s data is in it’s own database, doing it’s own thing. SafeCracker’s data is added directly to a channel of your choosing.

I’d recommend you start with Freeform since it’s free, unless you need this information to go into a channel, in which case, the $49.99 for SafeCracker would be money well spent.

Wes