PHP to JPG?

[kjtocool]

I am building a program that utilizes a MySQL database.  It will track all the widgets you have used, with a date, name, and various other information about the widget.

 

I would like to be able to have it so that each distinct user has the ability to have an associated image which will be generated using SQL calls to show the last 5 widgets he utilized.  Similar to a gamer tag for various

 

Can anyone help guide me toward this? 

[kjtocool]

Doing a little research, it looks like using GD I can do something like this:

 

http://www.developertutorials.com/tutorials/php/creating-dynamic-text-images-050623/page1.html

 

It's telling me to use the functions:

 

$size = imagettfbbox(12,0,"Fonts/comic.ttf","image string");

$im = imagecreate(abs($size[4]-$size[0]),$size[1]+abs($size[5]));

imagettftext($im,12,0,0,abs($size[5]),$black,"/Fonts/arial.ttf","image string");

 

etc, etc.  Can anyone explain this process to me a little better?

[DarkWater]

Doing a little research, it looks like using GD I can do something like this:

 

http://www.developertutorials.com/tutorials/php/creating-dynamic-text-images-050623/page1.html

 

It's telling me to use the functions:

 

$size = imagettfbbox(12,0,"Fonts/comic.ttf","image string");

$im = imagecreate(abs($size[4]-$size[0]),$size[1]+abs($size[5]));

imagettftext($im,12,0,0,abs($size[5]),$black,"/Fonts/arial.ttf","image string");

 

etc, etc.  Can anyone explain this process to me a little better?

 

That's way too complicated to be practical.  Just associate an image with each widget and call each image from the results of the query.

[kjtocool]

Well, the problem is, I want the image to contain 5 database entries, and I want them all on the same JPG, if possible, otherwise, on a rotating GIF.  And I want that to be capable of going into a signature on a forum.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you were suggesting.

[DarkWater]

In the database, you have an "image_name" column associated with each widget in the database, and then you use <img> tags to display the 5 images from their last games.

 

[kjtocool]

But wouldn't you need to do something like:

 

<img src=<?php echo $widget_image; ?>><?php echo $widget_info; ?></img>

 

Because I just want someone to be able to put:

 

[img=www.linktoimage.com]

 

in their signature, and I want that image to auto generate, or be previously auto generated.

[DarkWater]

But wouldn't you need to do something like:

 

<img src=<?php echo $widget_image; ?>><?php echo $widget_info; ?></img>

 

Because I just want someone to be able to put:

 

[img=www.linktoimage.com]

 

in their signature, and I want that image to auto generate, or be previously auto generated.

 

Oh.  Then you'd need to use GD library and have the headers sent out as an image.  I know how to do that part.  I can give you those lines if you want, but I don't feel like coding all the image creation code.

[kjtocool]

Heh, yeah, give me whatever you can, I really appreciate the help.

[DarkWater]

Here's how you do it:

 

1) You make a standalone PHP script that generates the images.  You need to have the user's ID stored in a session variables OR have it passed on the image tag: i.e:

[img]http://yoursite.com/widgetsig?id=1

and have them put that in their sig.

 

2)Generate the image as $image.  You'll figure it out when you learn how to use GD.

 

3) Add these lines to the end of your script:

<?php
	header('Content-Type: image/jpeg');

	imagejpeg($image);

	imagedestroy($image);
?>

 

4) In your signature script or w/e, they can reference the page, and it basically shows itself to the web browser as an image file.