Last modified: 2014-11-17 10:35:42 UTC
Standard HTML 4 / XHTML 1 file upload widget only allows you to select one file at a time, which is terrible. Flash upload widgets can provide multiple-file selection, as well as some other nice things like progress feedback. Compare with WordPress's Flash upload widget; see if it's compatible and could be adapted directly? (No patent-encumbered codec issues are involved, so this falls under our acceptable use cases for Flash. Flash's wide install base, and not requireing the user to click through a full-system-access permissions dialog to do file uploads, make it more attractive for this purpose than Java.) When Flash isn't available, should naturally fall back to the standard upload widget. (It should also be possible to select the standard upload widget manually, in case of difficulties with the particular version.) Requires actual backend support for dealing with multiple file uploads -- bug 16751.
We have some Javascript widgetry under development which would allow us to do multiple simultaneous file uploads. This should work with many older browsers too. Flash still has a few advantages -- for instance, showing progress, and it's able to do secure crossdomain uploading when you want to upload to a different wiki than the one you're currently taking to. (For instance, uploading to Commons when on en.wikipedia.) The way the widget is being designed, we could swap in a Flash transport system for older browsers. I agree that this would be an acceptable use of Flash. There is a teeny tiny invisible Yahoo UI Flash component that helps their YUI Upload javascript class; we could even just repurpose that since the license is probably compatible. In the meantime though, Flash isn't a front-burner issue since it's mostly been obviated by progress in the browser space.
For the foreseeable future, there will be no Flash, by verdict of the CTO & the board.
(In reply to comment #2) > For the foreseeable future, there will be no Flash, by verdict of the CTO & the > board. When did the board reverse their previous policy? (No patent-encumbered data formats, but Flash would be acceptable as a backwards-compatibility layer for browsers not supporting newer web standards APIs)
There is a thread on the commons mailing list about this subject I think its there is some confusion. http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/commons-l/2010-September/thread.html I don't think any board member said "we could not" hook into proprietary components for backwards compatible layers. Taken literally that would be mean no IE specific javascript code.
Times have changed. Going to reopen.
Note that <input multiple type=file> is supported by the latest version of all major browsers except IE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_layout_engines_%28HTML5%29#Form_elements_and_attributes Reportedly IE10 also supports it. http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/ie/hh673542.aspx On the other hand, Flash is slowly but surely dying, so using it here seems like a waste of effort.
(In reply to comment #6) > > On the other hand, Flash is slowly but surely dying, so using it here seems > like a waste of effort. And UploadWizard implements this (yes, this doesn't mean core doesn't need similar functionality), and one would presume if users have flash enabled, they're going to have JS enabled...
I'm not sure what was this reopened for. To add a flash upload widget (per bug subject)? Or to add a HTML5esque multiple-file upload (which would be bug 16752, not this)?
(In reply to comment #8) > I'm not sure what was this reopened for. To add a flash upload widget (per bug > subject)? This bug was re-opened to allow reconsideration of whether having a Flash upload widget is a good idea. This bug was previously closed as "wontfix" for dubious reasons.
Of current browsers, only IE would require a Flash shim for multi-upload selection. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera all do multi-upload in current versions. IE 10 won't require such a shim, either.
(In reply to comment #10) > Of current browsers, only IE would require a Flash shim for multi-upload > selection. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera all do multi-upload in current > versions. > > IE 10 won't require such a shim, either. I think the basic question here is: would MediaWiki/Wikimedia accept code to provide this functionality? At this point in time, I think the answer is yes. If the answer really is no, this bug can safely be re-closed as "wontfix." I strongly support hastening the day when the world is free of Flash (and Internet Explorer, for that matter), but I think it's helpful to be practical here.
As far as I know, we would accept it given a nice clean implementation. But if it doesn't get done, it won't be a huge tragedy: every other major browser already supports the necessaries natively, and IE will grow into it. Note that Special:Upload still has no multi-upload support at all, so time might be better spent making a shim that UploadWizard can use.
Marking wontfix because it would purely be a fallback for old IE versions, which doesn't justify the effort required. UW degrades gracefully to single-file selection.
