Re: file_exists() behind firewall

At 7:57 AM +0100 6/16/06, George Pitcher wrote: >Hi, > >I have several websites that are using a common set of pages (to reduce >maintenance, development and upgrading) and use configuration files to give >the customer the feeling that it is their own unique site. The customers are >all universities and use the sites to manage digitisation and copyright >permission processes. These sites are all hosted om my company server. > >I would like them to be able to see whether a PDF file hosted by their >universities is available or not. > >Using file_exists($url) won't work because the actual PDFs should be sitting >behind the universities' firewalls. > >I think that something working on the client-side, such as JavaScript might >work, because it would be able to look from the client's machine to the PDF, >both of which should be behind the firewall to the PDF. However, I haven't >been able to find any js that looks like it will do that for me. > >Does anyone have any constructive suggestions? > >MTIA > >George in Oxford George in Oxford: If it were my problem, I wouldn't use js. Instead, I would setup cron scripts at each of the universities, which would scan the PDF folders for PDF files once a day and then send a report (files and urls) to a common dB located at your choice. The common PDF-dB would be a repository for the existence and location of the PDF files and permissions would be granted to those universities and departments wanting to search your PDF-dB. The only requirement here is that each University place it's PDF's in a location that's known to your cron script AND that a password protection scheme be adapted by those wanting to review IF certain PDF's are available. Now, if someone searches your PDF-dB and finds a PDF they want to review, it's a simple matter to link and download the file once the url is known. At least, that's the way I would do it. You may make a contribution to me via PayPal :-) hth's tedd -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://sperling.com http://ancientstones.com http://earthstones.com