Does tmp_name disappear after move_uploaded_file is used? - php

Question

I have this page where you can send message to multiple people and attach files into it...
Here is my code
<?php
session_start();
$inboxfrom = $_SESSION['loginusername'];
$inboxto = $_POST['inboxto'];
$inboxsubject = $_POST['inboxsubject'];
$inboxcontent = $_POST['inboxcontent'];
$inboxtime = date('g:i A', time()+(6*60*60));
$inboxdate = date('Y-m-d', time()+(6*60*60));
mysql_connect("127.0.0.1", "root", "")or die("Cannot Connect toDb");
mysql_select_db("Abbot_db");
$count = 0;
function generateRandomString($length = 8){
$string = "";
$possible = "0123456789bcdfghjkmnpqrstvwxyz"; //character that can be used
for($i=0;$i < $length;$i++){
$char = substr($possible, rand(0, strlen($possible)-1), 1);
if (!strstr($string, $char)){
$string .= $char;
}
}
return $string;
}
if (count($inboxto) != 0){
$count = 0;
while ($count < count($inboxto)){
$recepient = $_POST['inboxto'][$count];
mysql_query("INSERT INTO Inbox_tbl(InboxTo, InboxFrom, InboxSubject, InboxContent, InboxTime, InboxDate,InboxStatus,ToDelete,FromDelete)VALUES ('$recepient','$inboxfrom','$inboxsubject','$inboxcontent','$inboxtime','$inboxdate','Unread','No','No')");
$recepient_result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM Accounts_tbl WHERE UserID='$recepient'");
if (mysql_result($recepient_result, 0, "UserTypeID") == 1){
$notiurl = "LMSadmin_inbox.php";
} else if (mysql_result($recepient_result, 0, "UserTypeID") == 2) {
$notiurl = "LMSteacher_inbox.php";
} else {
$notiurl = "LMSstud_inbox.php";
}
mysql_query("INSERT INTO Noti_tbl(NotiTo,NotiFrom,NotiContent,NotiDate,NotiTime,NotiType,NotiUrl)
VALUES('$recepient','$inboxfrom','has sent you a message','$inboxdate','$inboxtime','Message','$notiurl')");
//---------------------------------------------------------
$countto = 0;
$cont = generateRandomString(128);
$folder = "./Attachments/".$cont;
$name = $_FILES['file']['name'];
if (!empty($name)){
while (is_dir($folder)){
$cont = generateRandomString(128);
$folder = "./Attachments/".$cont;
}
mkdir($folder, 0700, true);
}
while ($countto < count($_FILES['file']['name'])){
$name = $_FILES['file']['name'][$countto];
$type = $_FILES['file']['type'][$countto];
$tmp_name = $_FILES['file']['tmp_name'][$countto];
$folder = "Attachments/".$cont."/";
move_uploaded_file($tmp_name, $folder.$name);
$fileurl = $cont."/".$name;
$dummypost = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM Inbox_tbl ORDER BY InboxID DESC");
$msgid = mysql_result($dummypost, 0, "InboxID");
mysql_query("INSERT INTO Attachments_tbl(FileUrl,FileName,AttachType,AttachID)
VALUES('$fileurl','$name','Message',$msgid)");
$countto++;
}
//----------------------------------------------
$count++;
}
}
header('Location: ' . $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER']);
?>
now the result after I put multiple recepients and multiples is that... The first recepient will get the attachments.. meaning the folder of attachment will be randomy generated and the files would be put in there.... but on the next recepient the attachments would not be moved on their respective folder.. I can see the folder have been made but the files arent moved..
MY question is.. does the "temp_name" disappear after you use the "move_uploaded_file" code? Because I think thats is the reason the files arent not move.. Is so can you suggest any alternate code i can use?

Answer 1

move_uploaded_file() relocates the file to the set target location with rendering the tmp_name useless afterwards.
What you should do is to create a "puffer" folder where you originally move the uploaded file, and then call copy() as many times as you need to deliver the file to the recipient folders. When the file is put to every needed location, you can unlink() the file from this puffer folder.
Alternatively, you might put the file to only one location (to eliminate redundancy and overuse of storage space), and make links in your Attachments_tbl to this same file in a set attachments folder. However, this needs remodelling of how your system works to make sure that the (now one and only) attachment file is only removed after every record pointing to it is removed also.

Answer 2

Yes, the file is moved, this is why you can't find it. I suggest that you:
Move the inner while loop (the one for the uploaded files) before the first while loop (for the recipients), and move the uploaded files to a location that you specify
Create a new inner while loop that copies the files from the location you specified earlier to each user's attachments folder