Handling User Images

[cmgmyr]

So, I'm still building this "hot or not" site for my client and I was thinking about how to handle all of the user images.

 

I was thinking of having all of the images in 1 directory...but after a while it will get pretty full.

 

What are your thoughts about:

1. Keeping them all in one directory

2. Having an image directory with indevidual directories that are named the userid or username (user_images/1/my_image.jpg)

3. Having #2 broken down by first username initial. ex: username - admin (user_images/a/1/my_image.jpg), username - tom (user_images/t/1/my_image.jpg)

4. any other ideas?

 

I'm trying to make this as easy to manage (and practical) in all aspects as possible. Please let me know your thoughts.

 

Thanks,

-Chris

[cmgmyr]

*bump* anyone?

[redbullmarky]

is there any reason why the images directory being "full" is a bad thing? It wont get full to the point you can no longer write to it.

 

I use a DB to keep track of all the stuff you'll find in the $_FILES array (mime, filename, etc) as well as a unique filename I generate for the file on upload. I generate my own names mainly to avoid any sort of clash, with something along the lines of:

 

<?php
$ext = '.jpg'; // this is retrieved from $_FILES['name'], not preset like this

// repeat this loop until we have a unique filename
do {
   // generate a random filename
   $filename = md5(rand()) . $ext;
} while (file_exists(UPLOAD_DIR . $filename));


// $filename now can be inserted into the DB, and is also a unique filename
?>

[cmgmyr]

It's not really a bad thing. I just thought that dividing it up might help performace a little bit...but maybe not. I also generate a new image name when they upload, this is a unique 16 char name.

[gp177]

I wrote a program somewhat similiar to this.  We use it at my work do archive scanned documents.

 

I found that keeping files in folders based on a customer's uid has been helpfull once or twice but is not mission critical by any means.  One thing that I do like about it, is if our database was ever destroyed, the tape backups on site were destroyed, and our off site backup facility was nuked, I would still be able to grab documents directly off the hard drive...

 

[steelmanronald06]

Keep the images in a database.  There is nothing wrong with it, and I find it a lot better to do it like that than to keep them in  a directory.

[roopurt18]

Well, even if you keep the images in a DB you still need to decide how you'll store them on your file system.

 

Each method (categorizing by user name / id or just dumping into a single directory) has its advantages and disadvantages.

[cmgmyr]

yes, that is the only thing that i'm looking for...the physical storage of the images. All of the images will be in a database. Thanks for all of the input so far.