output image via function

[pcdf]

Hi, I don't think this can be done but I'll ask anyway.

 

I've got a function that generates images according to different parameters; e.g.

<?
draw_img($param1,$param2,$param3)
{ 
   // imagecreate.
   // draw the image
   // set headers
   // imagejpeg
   // imagedestroy
}
?>

 

What I'd really like to do is display the generated pictures directly from that function. By this I mean;

<img scr="<? draw_img($param1,$param2,$param3); ?>">

I've tried that but unfortunately I get raw ascii code instead of the image.

 

I know I can use a separate php file to draw the image and pass parameters to it but I'd rather avoid that if at all possible; e.g.

<img scr="image.php?p1=param1&p2=param2&p3=param3">

 

I also know that I could write my images to files and then point to them but once again I'd really like to avoid that.

 

Is there any way I can display the images I'm generating directly from my function? Whithout passing parameters to any other file, using cookies/session or writing the images to files.

 

Looking forward to hear your thoughts.

 

Best,

 

Pat.

 

PS: Hope my question makes sense!  :-\

[dgoosens]

can't you just print or echo it ?

[pcdf]

Do you mean;

<img scr="<? echo draw_img($param1,$param2,$param3); ?>">

Tried that I'm afraid but all I got was the ascii representation of the image, not the actual image.

 

Sample of the output I get:

ЧŸÃÚL³K§Û¼’Ie3±I$•É$÷­ŸøBü+ÿ�BÎÿ�€ñ4x/þDOØ2Ûÿ�E-nPü!~ÿ�¡gFÿ�À¿øš?áð¯ý:7þ�Eÿ�ÄÖå‡ÿ�_…èYÑ¿ð/þ&øBü+ÿ�BÎÿ�€ñ5¹E�aÿ�Âá_útoü�‹ÿ�‰£þ¿ ÿ�г£à_üMnQ@ð…øWþ…

 

Anything I'm doing wrong?

[dgoosens]

you have to tell the browser it is a header...

 

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

 

this will only work if there has been no output before you call the function

 

here's more about that:

http://be.php.net/manual/en/function.header.php

[thebadbad]

The only solution I can think of, is using the data URI scheme:

 

<?php
//storing image data in a string instead of outputting/saving a file
ob_start();
//run imagejpeg() here (set to outputting the image data)
$image_data = ob_get_contents();
ob_end_clean();
//convert image data to base64
$base64_data = base64_encode($image_data);
echo '<img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,' . $base64_data . '" alt="" />';
?>

 

It's only supported by the newest browsers, and is by no means a method I would use personally.

[thebadbad]

you have to tell the browser it is a header...

 

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

 

this will only work if there has been no output before you call the function

 

here's more about that:

http://be.php.net/manual/en/function.header.php

 

He wants to mix HTML with the image data, so that's not going to work.

[Axeia]

IE (pre- supports it as well, but not in a pretty way.. think it had something to do with making it think the file is saved to disk using "save page".

 

The way you want to tackle this problem is by passing the variables into the url of the image, where the baseurl is an image creating script (I used it this way for example to create a 'table' layout with divs where the background image (200px width for a column) got its color from $_GET['hex'].  That way the stylesheet is still allowed full control over the looks of the page.. unlike with a static image)

[pcdf]

Thank you guys, you've unfortunately confirmed what I was thinking, i.e. can't be done that way.

Thanks thebadbad, clever solution using data URI but I doubt I'll use it since it's not supported by older browsers.

[thebadbad]

Thank you guys, you've unfortunately confirmed what I was thinking, i.e. can't be done that way.

Thanks thebadbad, clever solution using data URI but I doubt I'll use it since it's not supported by older browsers.

 

Just tested it. It works in Firefox 3.0.10, but breaks even in IE8 (well, it works, but content is cut at 32KB, like it says on Wikipedia). So yeah, not a reliable solution

[pcdf]

Thanks again. Your help was much appreciated! :-)