News

• 09/08/2019 - Update the DEMO application to Meteor 1.8.1
• 18/11/2015 - Yet another batch of bugfixes, this time concerning exception and validation handling.
• 2/10/2015 - Community is on fire! With their help, many new improvements are being included, such as dynamic from data.
• 29/6/2015 - Bugfixes, localisation
• 27/2/2015 - Validation of files on Client and Server (see section Validation)
• 26/2/2015 - Custom built templates
• 21/2/2015 - File caching now supported, configuration of mimeTypes to serve
• 18/2/2015 - Full support for Cordova!
• 23/1/2015:
  • Full support for Semantic UI
  • Breaking change in 'getFileInfo', 'getDirectory' and 'finished' callbacks, which is now passing fileInfo object instead of just a file name and folder. See documentation.
  • Possibility to automatically create directories on server
  • Possibility to delete files on server with UploadServer.delete(path), see DEMO
  • Possibility to easily modify the looks of the upload component or even add new upload templates for various frameworks by modifying the Uploader.UI. classes
  • Several bug fixes
  • Update the DEMO application to showcase all current possibilities
• 1/12/2014 Now with drag and drop support!!!

Introduction

WARNING If you plan to deploy your solution to free *.meteor.com servers, this solution is not for you, since you have no write access outside of standard Meteor directories. Please use CollectionFS instead.

WARNING if you are submitting an issue on this website, please always use JavaScript. I do not use Coffee, nor anything else and it's just not polite.

These packages allow you to easily setup a file upload service to your Meteor server. This solution has following perks:

1. Uses the famous jQuery file upload system from blueimp.
   1. As a result you can upload any file size (default limit 11GB)
   2. Displays upload progress
   3. Uploads can be canceled
   4. You can upload multiple files
   5. Images can be resized to various sizes using the imagemagick
2. NEW! Support for Semantic UI!
3. NEW! You can use drag and drop to upload your files!
4. Saves and serves file from arbitrary folder on your server. This solves problems with hot-code reload, when files are saved into Meteor's public directory
   1. Possibility to save files to subfolders
   2. Possibility to rename files on the server
5. Simple configuration and installation! No need to install 10+ packages like with Collection-FS solution

Please note that since we are using blueimp's juery solution, this solution has a full potential of performing client image resizes, chunked uploads, upload resume and more. These features will be gradually added. Pull requests are welcome!

For all the screen-shots, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

Quick Start

Install packages

$ meteor add tomi:upload-server
$ meteor add tomi:upload-jquery

Install ImageMagick (if you plan to use image resizing)

If you want to use Imagemagick, follow these install instructions on your server. Then install node tools for imagemagick.

npm install -g imagemagick

Create directory in the application root

mkdir -p .uploads/tmp

Configure server

//file:/server/init.js
Meteor.startup(function () {
  UploadServer.init({
    tmpDir: process.env.PWD + '/.uploads/tmp',
    uploadDir: process.env.PWD + '/.uploads/',
    checkCreateDirectories: true //create the directories for you
  });
});

Configure client (only necessary if deploying as a Cordova app)

//file:/client/init.js
Meteor.startup(function() {
  Uploader.uploadUrl = Meteor.absoluteUrl("upload"); // Cordova needs absolute URL
});

Use template with bootstrap or semantic UI support

<template name="yourTemplate">
	{{> upload_bootstrap }}
</template>

<template name="yourTemplate">
	{{> upload_semanticUI }}
</template>

DONE!

You can also use the drag and drop zone!

<template name="yourTemplate">
	{{> dropzone }}
</template>

If you are using dropzone, you may want to set-up some css styles to give your user some visual cues:

.jqDropZone {
    background: lightgrey;
    width: 150px;
    height: 50px;
    line-height: 50px;
    text-align: center;
    font-weight: bold;
}
.jqDropZone.in {
    width: 600px;
    height: 200px;
    line-height: 200px;
    font-size: larger;
}
.jqDropZone.hover {
    background: lawngreen;
}
.jqDropZone.fade {
    -webkit-transition: all 0.3s ease-out;
    -moz-transition: all 0.3s ease-out;
    -ms-transition: all 0.3s ease-out;
    -o-transition: all 0.3s ease-out;
    transition: all 0.3s ease-out;
    opacity: 1;
}

Deploying with MUP or MUPX?

Mup deployments need no special attention, just make sure that the target upload directory has sufficient priviledges. For MUPX, please follow this thread (#235) for instructions on how to setup MUPX.

Installation

The installation is very simple and consists of installing two packages:

$ meteor add tomi:upload-server
$ meteor add tomi:upload-jquery

I have separated these two packages, because often you will want to run your upload service as a separate application. There are several options supported by blueimp, such as Java, ASP, Ruby and more or even node.js Express server installed via NPM. If you wish to use self standing server, install only the tomi:upload-jquery package.

Configuration

Server

First, we need to initialise the server and configure upload paths. We also allow server to create directories for us:

//file:/server/init.js
Meteor.startup(function () {
  UploadServer.init({
    tmpDir: '/Users/tomi/Documents/Uploads/tmp',
    uploadDir: '/Users/tomi/Documents/Uploads/',
    checkCreateDirectories: true,
    getDirectory: function(fileInfo, formData) {
      // create a sub-directory in the uploadDir based on the content type (e.g. 'images')
      return formData.contentType;
    },
    finished: function(fileInfo, formFields) {
      // perform a disk operation
    },
    cacheTime: 100,
    mimeTypes: {
        "xml": "application/xml",
        "vcf": "text/x-vcard"
    }
  });
});

Following options are available for UploadServer.init(options):

In callbacks we pass the fileInfo with the following structure:

Passing data from server back to client

It is possible to pass data from server back to client upon a successfull upload. The easiest way is to expand the fileInfo object on the server and add any data that we need. For this, you can use a finished callback:

UploadServer.init({
   ...
   finished(fileInfo, formFields) {
      fileInfo.extraData = "12345676";
   }
});

Client

On client we have a possibility to use pre-defined templates for Bootstrap or Semantic UI, or use the dropzone. We can use several upload forms on the page. We can provide extra data to upload control via formData parameter. We can also limit the file type available for the file picker using parameter fileTypes. Following is an example of how you can include the upload form on your page:

<template name="home">
    <h3>Images</h3>
    {{> upload_bootstrap fileTypes='.jpg' multiple=true formData=specificFormData }}
</template>

or

<template name="home">
    <h3>Drag and drop image on the target area</h3>
    {{> dropzone contentType='images' fileTypes='.jpg' multiple=true formData=specificFormData }}
</template>

Now, you need to specify the formData in the helper:

Template.home.helpers({
  specificFormData: function() {
    return {
      id: this._id,
      other: this.other,
      hard: 'Lolcats'
    }
  }
});

If you need to change the formData dynamically, you can specify it as one of the callbacks (see section Callbacks below).

Following options are available for the template:

Callbacks

We can also hook onto upload callbacks just like following:

// file: client/init.js
Meteor.startup(function() {
  Uploader.finished = function(index, fileInfo, templateContext) {
    Uploads.insert(fileInfo);
  }
})

If you have several different upload controls on a page and you can execute different callbacks by passing them to the template:

<template name="home">
    {{> upload_bootstrap callbacks=myCallbacks }}
</template>

And then pass the finished in the callback from helper

Template.home.helpers({
  myCallbacks: function() {
    return {
    	formData: function() { return { id: "232323", other: Session.get("ReactiveParam") } },
        finished: function(index, fileInfo, context) { ... },
        ...
    }
  }
})

If you wish to use custom URL for your uploads this can be configured as following:

Uploader.uploadUrl = 'http://yoururl';

Localisation

All texts of the upload control can be set via following setting: va

	Uploader.localisation = {
	browse: "Browse",
	cancelled: "Cancelled",
	remove: "Remove",
	upload: "Upload",
	done: "Done",
	cancel: "Cancel"
}

Logging

You can set the log level via Uploader.logLevel = Uploader.logLevels.debug

Validation

It is possible to validate the uploaded file both on client and on server.

On client you pass the validation function via helper, just like for the finished callback:

<template name="home">
    {{> upload_bootstrap callbacks=myCallbacks }}
</template>

And then pass the finished in the callback from helper

Template.home.helpers({
  myCallbacks: function() {
    return {
        ...
        validate: function(file) { ... }
    }
  }
})

On server, you can configure validation of both, request and the uploaded file using the two functions below. IMPORTANT Validate function has to return a description of error in case validation fails (e.g. validationFailed). In case validation passes, function has to return null. Failed validation also returns code 403.

Use validateRequest to cancel any upload that is not valid BEFORE it starts uploading and save on server resources. Use validateFile to validate the integrity of uploaded file AFTER it was uploaded on the server.

//file:/server/init.js
Meteor.startup(function () {
  UploadServer.init({
    ...
    validateRequest: function(req) {
    	if (req.headers["content-length"] > 1000) {
    	    return "File is too long!";
    	}
    	return null;
    },
    validateFile: function(file, req) {
    	// e.g. read file content
    	if (doSomethingWith(file.path)) {
    	    return "Error Message";
    	}
    	return null;
    }
  })
});

In callbacks, req contains the request data and file contains a following structure:

• size - file size in bytes
• path - absolute path on server
• name - file name
• type - MIME type (e.g. application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet)
• mtime - UTC of upload time

Custom Templates

It is easy to create a custom template. Following is an example of such:

Template:

<template name="customUpload">
    <form method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
        <input type="file" class="jqUploadclass" data-form-data='{{ submitData }}'>
        {{#with infoLabel}}
            {{ infoLabel}} <button class="start">StartUpload</button>
            <div style="width: 200px; height: 30px; border: 1px solid black">
                <div style="background: red; height: 30px; width: {{ progress }}">
                    {{ progress }}
                </div>
            </div>
        {{/with}}

    </form>
</template>

Javascript:

Template.customUpload.created = function() {
  Uploader.init(this);
}

Template.customUpload.rendered = function () {
  Uploader.render.call(this);
};

Template.customUpload.events({
  'click .start': function (e) {
    Uploader.startUpload.call(Template.instance(), e);
  }
});

Template.customUpload.helpers({
  'infoLabel': function() {
    var instance = Template.instance();

    // we may have not yet selected a file
    var info = instance.info.get()
    if (!info) {
      return;
    }

    var progress = instance.globalInfo.get();

    // we display different result when running or not
    return progress.running ?
      info.name + ' - ' + progress.progress + '% - [' + progress.bitrate + ']' :
      info.name + ' - ' + info.size + 'B';
  },
  'progress': function() {
    return Template.instance().globalInfo.get().progress + '%';
  }
})

Material UI

Thanks to @misteio, here is a little tutorial on how to add Material UI support to uploads via custom templates:

I did it with a custom CSS based on Materialize.

Hope this will help:

In your main template where you want the upload form, you have to add this: {{> customUpload fileTypes='.jpg' formData=uploadHeader callbacks=uploadCallbacks}}

Then create a custom template where you want following this :

<template name="customUpload">
    <form method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data" class="uk-form">
        <a class="uk-form-file md-btn">{{_ "chooseFile" }}
            <input id="file_upload-select" type="file" class="jqUploadclass header_main_search_btn uk-button-link" data-form-data='{{ submitData }}' accept="{{ fileTypes }}">
        </a>

        {{#with infoLabel}}
            {{ infoLabel}} <button class="header_main_search_btn uk-button-link start"><i class="md-icon material-icons">&#xE2C6;</i></button>
            <div id="file_upload-progressbar" class="uk-progress">
                <div class="uk-progress-bar" style="width:{{ progress }}">{{ progress }}</div>
            </div>
        {{/with}}
    </form>
</template>

And finally add the custom Javascript for the custom Template :

Template.customUpload.created = function() {
    Uploader.init(this);
}

Template.customUpload.rendered = function () {
    Uploader.render.call(this);
};

Template.customUpload.events({
    'click .start': function (e) {
        Uploader.startUpload.call(Template.instance(), e);
    }
});

Template.customUpload.helpers({
    'infoLabel': function() {
        var instance = Template.instance();

        // we may have not yet selected a file
        var info = instance.info.get()
        if (!info) {
            return;
        }

        var progress = instance.globalInfo.get();

        // we display different result when running or not
        return progress.running ?
        info.name + ' - ' + progress.progress + '% - [' + progress.bitrate + ']' :
        info.name + ' - ' + info.size + 'B';
    },
    'progress': function() {
        return Template.instance().globalInfo.get().progress + '%';
    },
    'submitData': function() {
        if (this.formData) {
            this.formData['contentType'] = this.contentType;
        } else {
            this.formData = {contentType: this.contentType};
        }
        return typeof this.formData == 'string' ? this.formData : JSON.stringify(this.formData);
    },
})

And that's it. You can better custom it by yourself, just a little base.

Troubleshooting

• 503 (Service Unavailable) can have following two reasons
  • You have incorrectly set up your directories for upload or directories have no rights for writing. Please check your server console for any messages.
  • If server console is clean, the problem could be on client with JS debugging tools such as Firebug. Please disable any JS debugging tool and restart your browser. Problem should disappear.

Screenshots

Single file image upload with preview:

Multiple file upload with queue:

Dropzone