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All about Uploading Files in Symfony

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File Uploads & Data Fixtures

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Open up src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php. Here's how this works: this function creates 10 articles whenever we run bin/console doctrine:fixtures:load. It's a cool helper we created in our Symfony series. But, the setImageFilename() stuff is now a problem. We know that the image filename needs to be the name of a file that lives inside of the uploads/article_image directory - something like astronaut-blah-blah.jpg. Right now, the fixtures use faker to select a random item in $articleImages - this private property. So, it's setting imageFilename to either asteroid.jpeg, mercury.jpeg or lightspeed.png.

This worked before because those images are committed to our repository in the public/images directory and we were pointing to that path in our template. When we run doctrine:fixtures:load, it does create 10 Article objects and it does set the image filename to one of these three filenames. But on the homepage... it doesn't work! There is no upload/article_image/lightspeed.png file. We need to re-think how this works.

Faking the File Upload

How? By faking the file upload inside the fixtures. It's kinda...beautiful! Our UploaderHelper service is already really good at moving things into the right spot - why not reuse it here?

Inside ArticleFixtures, create a public function __construct(). Add an UploaderHelper $uploaderHelper argument and I'll hit ALT + Enter and select initialize fields to create that property and set it.

92 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 7
use App\Service\UploaderHelper;
... lines 9 - 12
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 15 - 26
private $uploaderHelper;
public function __construct(UploaderHelper $uploaderHelper)
{
$this->uploaderHelper = $uploaderHelper;
}
... lines 33 - 90
}

Next, lets "cut" the 3 files in the public/images directory: we're going to move them to a different spot, because they no longer need to be publicly accessible. You'll see what I mean. In the src/DataFixtures directory, create a new folder here called images/ and paste them! Yep! They are no longer in the public/images/ directory.

Because these test images are committed to git, I'm going to commit this move - it'll help us in a minute when things... ah... sorta go wrong horribly wrong. Yes! We are planning for disaster!

Here's the idea: we'll use the UploaderHelper down here, point it at one of these 3 files, and have it, sort of, "fake" upload it. Start with $randomImage =, copy the faker code, and paste. This is now one of the three random image filenames.

92 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 12
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 15 - 33
protected function loadData(ObjectManager $manager)
{
$this->createMany(10, 'main_articles', function($count) use ($manager) {
... lines 37 - 63
$randomImage = $this->faker->randomElement(self::$articleImages);
... lines 65 - 78
});
... lines 80 - 81
}
... lines 83 - 90
}

Next, in UploaderHelper, what I'd like to do is call uploadArticleImage() and basically say:

Hey! Pretend like asteroid.jpeg is a file that was just uploaded. And... ya know... do all your normal stuff and move it into the uploads/ directory.

This is easier than you think: in the fixtures class, set $imageFilename to $this->uploaderHelper->uploadArticleImage(). What I want to do is now say new UploadedFile() and point it at one of the images. The problem is that you can't really create a fake UploadedFile object. Internally, it's bound to the PHP uploading process - weird stuff will happen if you try to create one outside of that context.

Hello File Object

That's ok! It just means we need to dig deeper! Go back into UploaderHelper. Hold Command or Ctrl and click to open the UploadedFile class. This lives in the Symfony\HttpFoundation\File namespace and extends a class called File that lives in the same directory.

The File class is awesome: it simply represents... any file on your filesystem, regardless of whether it's an uploaded file or just a normal file. And, if you look closely, the vast majority of the methods we've been using come from this class - not from UploadedFile. And we can create a File object outside of an upload context.

So back in ArticleFixtures, instead of creating a new UploadedFile(), say new File() - the one from HttpFoundation. Pass this the path to the random image: __DIR__.'/images/' and then $randomImage, which will be one of these image filenames.

92 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 10
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\File\File;
... line 12
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 15 - 33
protected function loadData(ObjectManager $manager)
{
$this->createMany(10, 'main_articles', function($count) use ($manager) {
... lines 37 - 63
$randomImage = $this->faker->randomElement(self::$articleImages);
$imageFilename = $this->uploaderHelper
->uploadArticleImage(new File(__DIR__.'/images/'.$randomImage));
... lines 67 - 78
});
... lines 80 - 81
}
... lines 83 - 90
}

Now, take $imageFilename - that'll be whatever the final filename is on the system after moving it, and set that onto the entity.

That's beautiful! In UploaderHelper, we need to make this work not with an UploadedFile object, but with the parent File. Change the type-hint to File - again, make sure you get the one from HttpFoundation or you will have no fun. To keep things clear, I'll Refactor -> Rename this variable to $file.

50 lines src/Service/UploaderHelper.php
... lines 1 - 5
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\File\File;
... lines 7 - 9
class UploaderHelper
{
... lines 12 - 23
public function uploadArticleImage(File $file): string
{
... lines 26 - 34
$file->move(
$destination,
$newFilename
);
... lines 39 - 40
}
... lines 42 - 48
}

Let's see: everything looks happy, ah - except for getClientOriginalName(): that method does not exist in File - it only exists in UploadedFile. Ok, let's get fancy then: if $file is an instanceof UploadedFile, we can say $originalFilename = $file->getClientOriginalName(). Else, set $originalFilename to $file->getFilename() - that's just the name of the file on the filesytem.

50 lines src/Service/UploaderHelper.php
... lines 1 - 5
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\File\File;
... lines 7 - 9
class UploaderHelper
{
... lines 12 - 23
public function uploadArticleImage(File $file): string
{
... lines 26 - 27
if ($file instanceof UploadedFile) {
$originalFilename = $file->getClientOriginalName();
} else {
$originalFilename = $file->getFilename();
}
... lines 33 - 40
}
... lines 42 - 48
}

After this, delete the pathinfo() stuff - we can move that to the next line. Inside urlize(), re-add the pathinfo() and pass the same second argument: PATHINFO_FILENAME.

50 lines src/Service/UploaderHelper.php
... lines 1 - 5
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\File\File;
... lines 7 - 9
class UploaderHelper
{
... lines 12 - 23
public function uploadArticleImage(File $file): string
{
... lines 26 - 27
if ($file instanceof UploadedFile) {
$originalFilename = $file->getClientOriginalName();
} else {
$originalFilename = $file->getFilename();
}
$newFilename = Urlizer::urlize(pathinfo($originalFilename, PATHINFO_FILENAME)).'-'.uniqid().'.'.$file->guessExtension();
... lines 34 - 40
}
... lines 42 - 48
}

I think that's all we need! Let's completely clear out the uploads/ directory. Now, find your terminal and run:

php bin/console doctrine:fixtures:load

Copying the Files Before Moving

Woh! The file src/DataFixtures/images/asteroid.jpeg does not exist? Hmm. Check this out: it did upload two files before going all "explody" on us. Oh, but those original files are missing! Of course! We're using $file->move(). So it is working, but instead of copying the files, it's moving them, and the originals are disappearing.

Let's get those files back. Run:

git status

And undelete them with:

git checkout src/DataFixtures/images

Much better. Let's clean out the uploads directory again.

We do want to use $file->move() because we do want to move the uploaded file in normal circumstances. So, to get around this, in the fixtures, let's copy the original file to a temporary spot. Start with $fs = new Filesystem() - that's a handy object for doing filesystem operations.

96 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 10
use Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Filesystem;
... lines 12 - 13
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 16 - 34
protected function loadData(ObjectManager $manager)
{
$this->createMany(10, 'main_articles', function($count) use ($manager) {
... lines 38 - 64
$randomImage = $this->faker->randomElement(self::$articleImages);
$fs = new Filesystem();
... lines 67 - 82
});
... lines 84 - 85
}
... lines 87 - 94
}

Next, $targetPath = sys_get_temp_dir().'/'.$randomImage. And then use $fs->copy(). We want to copy the original file path into $targetPath.

96 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 10
use Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Filesystem;
... lines 12 - 13
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 16 - 34
protected function loadData(ObjectManager $manager)
{
$this->createMany(10, 'main_articles', function($count) use ($manager) {
... lines 38 - 65
$fs = new Filesystem();
$targetPath = sys_get_temp_dir().'/'.$randomImage;
$fs->copy(__DIR__.'/images/'.$randomImage, $targetPath, true);
... lines 69 - 82
});
... lines 84 - 85
}
... lines 87 - 94
}

Inside File, pass the temporary path.

96 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 10
use Symfony\Component\Filesystem\Filesystem;
... lines 12 - 13
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 16 - 34
protected function loadData(ObjectManager $manager)
{
$this->createMany(10, 'main_articles', function($count) use ($manager) {
... lines 38 - 65
$fs = new Filesystem();
$targetPath = sys_get_temp_dir().'/'.$randomImage;
$fs->copy(__DIR__.'/images/'.$randomImage, $targetPath, true);
$imageFilename = $this->uploaderHelper
->uploadArticleImage(new File($targetPath));
... lines 71 - 82
});
... lines 84 - 85
}
... lines 87 - 94
}

Ok, let's try it again!

php bin/console doctrine:fixtures:load

No error, our original files still exist and... we have a directory full of, fake uploaded files. Now try the homepage. Beautiful. What I really love about this is that we're not doing anything fancy or tricky in our fixtures: we're literally using our upload system.

Cleanup into a Private Method

Though, I don't love having all of this logic right in the middle of this already-long function: it's not super obvious what it does. Let's do some cleanup: copy all of this. And at the bottom, create a new private function fakeUploadImage() that will return a string.

102 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 13
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 16 - 90
private function fakeUploadImage(): string
{
... lines 93 - 99
}
}

Paste all that logic and return the $this->uploaderHelper line. It selects a random image, uploads it and returns the path.

102 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 13
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 16 - 90
private function fakeUploadImage(): string
{
$randomImage = $this->faker->randomElement(self::$articleImages);
$fs = new Filesystem();
$targetPath = sys_get_temp_dir().'/'.$randomImage;
$fs->copy(__DIR__.'/images/'.$randomImage, $targetPath, true);
return $this->uploaderHelper
->uploadArticleImage(new File($targetPath));
}
}

Back up top, delete all this stuff and say $imageFilename = $this->fakeUploadImage().

102 lines src/DataFixtures/ArticleFixtures.php
... lines 1 - 13
class ArticleFixtures extends BaseFixture implements DependentFixtureInterface
{
... lines 16 - 33
protected function loadData(ObjectManager $manager)
{
$this->createMany(10, 'main_articles', function($count) use ($manager) {
... lines 38 - 64
$imageFilename = $this->fakeUploadImage();
... lines 66 - 77
});
... lines 79 - 80
}
... lines 82 - 100
}

Let's run those fixtures one more time!

php bin/console doctrine:load:fixtures

When it finishes... we have some new files... and the homepage is shiny! That's a solid fixture system.

Next: we'll take our first step towards storing uploaded files in the cloud by integrating the gorgeous Flysystem library.

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This tutorial is built on Symfony 4 but works great in Symfony 5!
Symfony 4

What PHP libraries does this tutorial use?

// composer.json
{
    "require": {
        "php": "^7.1.3",
        "ext-iconv": "*",
        "aws/aws-sdk-php": "^3.87", // 3.87.10
        "composer/package-versions-deprecated": "^1.11", // 1.11.99
        "knplabs/knp-markdown-bundle": "^1.7", // 1.7.1
        "knplabs/knp-paginator-bundle": "^2.7", // v2.8.0
        "knplabs/knp-time-bundle": "^1.8", // 1.9.0
        "league/flysystem-aws-s3-v3": "^1.0", // 1.0.22
        "league/flysystem-cached-adapter": "^1.0", // 1.0.9
        "liip/imagine-bundle": "^2.1", // 2.1.0
        "nexylan/slack-bundle": "^2.0,<2.2.0", // v2.1.0
        "oneup/flysystem-bundle": "^3.0", // 3.0.3
        "php-http/guzzle6-adapter": "^1.1", // v1.1.1
        "sensio/framework-extra-bundle": "^5.1", // v5.2.4
        "stof/doctrine-extensions-bundle": "^1.3", // v1.3.0
        "symfony/asset": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/console": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/flex": "^1.9", // v1.17.6
        "symfony/form": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/framework-bundle": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/orm-pack": "^1.0", // v1.0.6
        "symfony/security-bundle": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/serializer-pack": "^1.0", // v1.0.2
        "symfony/twig-bundle": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/validator": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/web-server-bundle": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/yaml": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "twig/extensions": "^1.5" // v1.5.4
    },
    "require-dev": {
        "doctrine/doctrine-fixtures-bundle": "^3.0", // 3.1.0
        "easycorp/easy-log-handler": "^1.0.2", // v1.0.7
        "fzaninotto/faker": "^1.7", // v1.8.0
        "symfony/debug-bundle": "^3.3|^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/dotenv": "^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/maker-bundle": "^1.0", // v1.11.3
        "symfony/monolog-bundle": "^3.0", // v3.3.1
        "symfony/phpunit-bridge": "^3.3|^4.0", // v4.2.3
        "symfony/profiler-pack": "^1.0", // v1.0.4
        "symfony/var-dumper": "^3.3|^4.0" // v4.2.3
    }
}
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