uploading via HTML forms

[Kevin Justie]

Any suggestions on why a form like the following, used to upload a file to a
remote web server,  would work from Windows but not from a Mac (Explorer 4.5
or Netscape 4.06)?

----------
<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="second" ENCTYPE="multipart/form-data">
<B>Enter the file to upload:</B> <INPUT TYPE="file" NAME="filename"><br>
<INPUT TYPE="submit" NAME="submit" VALUE="Upload File"></B></CENTER>
</FORM>
----------

This form results in a text field, a "Browse..." button, and an "Upload
File" (i.e. submit) button.  Clicking on the Browse button brings up a
standard open file dialog box, and making a selection puts the selected
file's name in the text field. Clicking on the Upload button, however, only
brings up the page called by the action="second" parameter (the next page in
the sequence) -- the selected file is not uploaded.  The same form viewed on
a PC (Netscape4.x) does upload the selected file prior going to the next
page.

The only visible difference between the form in Windows and on a Mac is that
the former shows an entire path name in the text field (c:/...), and the
field is editable, while on a Mac only the file name appears (no path info),
and the text field is not editable (either before or after selecting a
file).

(The page containing this form is at our regional library system, which runs
a community information network with web hosting services for any business
or organization.  The page is part of an "automatic page generating system"
that enables a user to build a complete web page without having to enter any
HTML or FTP any files.  A series of setup pages enables them to upload a
graphic (i.e. logo), enter a description of their business/organization,
enter info on links to other pages, choose from a variety of page templates,
etc.,  and end up with a completed web page.)




Kevin Justie
Ass't. Director, Head of Technical and Automated Services
Morton Grove Public Library
Morton Grove, IL
(847) 965-4220
kjustie at webrary.org
http://www.webrary.org
Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
official Library policy.