Block access to files

[jdp407]

I am setting up a system that requires certain files (pdfs, docxs, etc) to only be able to be viewed if a certain cookie is set.  If I were doing this with a PHP file, I could do it very easily, however as this is not the case, I have no idea how to go about performing this task.  I believe MIME types come in somewhere...

 

For example, if we take this source forge link http://sourceforge.net/projects/jaycalculator/files/Win32/JayCalc 0.2.0.exe/

It appears to be a .exe file, however the web browser is able to display it as a html document.

[Psycho]

That link is NOT a link to the actual file. It is a link to a page where you can download the file. The backslash at the end indicates that the "JayCalc 0.2.0.exe" is a folder name not a file name. They may also be using modrewrite functionality to reformat the url into parameters - but that is not needed for what you want.

 

First off, put the files into a filder that is NOT web accessible. Then simply build a front end to determine the user's level of access to the files. If the user is allowed, provide them a link to a download page - adding a unique identifier for the file. Example:

<a href-"downloadfile.php?fileid=123">Download this file</a>

 

That page should again check the user's permission to the file. Then user server-side code to READ the file and then serve to the user's browser. To see how to do this, just do some searching for force download scripts.

[jdp407]

Thank-you very much!