Question

My server is running php and I want it to be able to send me images. For instance “profile.jpg”.

In C# i just populate a bitmap image with the source, but how do I create a source, a file that outputs the images binary data?

I have this:

<?php
$file = 'profil.jpg';
$image = imagecreatefromjpeg($file);
imagealphablending($image, false);
imagesavealpha($image, true);

// start buffering
ob_start();
imagepng($image);
$contents =  ob_get_contents();
ob_end_clean();

echo "<img src='data:image/jpeg;base64,".base64_encode($contents)."' />";

imagedestroy($image);
?>

But it outputs HTML, could i just echo base64_encode($contents)?

Answer 1

I’d say you’re missing the headers and instead of cleaning the buffer you should flush it, something like that (off the top of my head)

<?php
$file = 'profil.jpg';
$image = imagecreatefromjpeg($file);
imagealphablending($image, false);
imagesavealpha($image, true);

// start buffering
ob_start();

header('Content-Description: File Transfer');
header('Content-type: image/png');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="'.$file.'"');
header('Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary');
header('Cache-Control: must-revalidate, post-check=0, pre-check=0'); 
header('Pragma: public');

imagepng($image);
$contents =  ob_get_contents();

// echo $contents;
// ob_end_flulsh();
/* OR */
ob_get_fllush();

echo "<img src='data:image/jpeg;base64,".base64_encode($contents)."' />";

imagedestroy($image);
?>

Something like that. You can of course add more information or have less in the header, depending on what you need at the other end. HTTP/1.1: Header Field Definitions. Also Output Control Fctns