Links are good, and Apache is exceptional at serving files -- let it do that. In other words, don't re-invent a way to serve the files unless there's a *spectactularly* compelling reason to do so.
I'm not clear on what your goals are, but serving the files based on ID isn't a bad way to go. If you're looking for a more elegant URL for those documents, you can use an apache module called mod_rewrite. You basically tell apache through a regular expression how to convert (transparently -- the user never sees this) a nicer looking link like this: http://mysite.something.com/articles/0001/ effectively becomes: http://mysite.something.com/index.php?id=0001 OR http://mysite.something.com/cuisine/0001/ is effectively: http://mysite.something.com/category=cuisine&article=0001 That can produce really elegant links for external use, but still get you the flexibility that you're looking for from PHP. -Jeromie > Looking for ideas. > > The situation: > Have a series of PDF documents on one web site. Documents have based on > something like a product number. > Desire: > To be able to set up on other web sites a link which will pull up these > documents. > > Obvious idea: > Make link with query string: i.e. www.foo.com?id=xxxx and xxxx is the > id number. I would then create a link on that page to the proper pdf > document that could be clicked and there you have it. The pdf document. > > I could also have a form with a text box where the id is typed in and > then post to www.foo.com?id=xxxx > > Other ideas? For example can I read the document as binary and push it > out so I don't have the intermediate link? I guess that would mean some > type of mime header write to deal with the pdf document? > > Can I return the pdf document like a web serve or something to the site > that requested it? > > > Pat > > The php_mysql group is dedicated to learn more about the PHP/MySQL web database possibilities through group learning. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/php_mysql/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
