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Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 16:16:42 +0200 (CEST)
From: Matthias Klein <klma0001@Hs-Karlsruhe.de>
To: users@tomcat.apache.org
Subject: Handling file downloads?
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.4.64.0609011541030.100396@rz06.hs-karlsruhe.de>
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Sender: Matthias Klein <klma0001@rz06.hs-karlsruhe.de>

Hi everyone,

What is the best method of handling files that are to be offered for 
download?

I have a web application that uses JSF as presentation framework. This web 
app is available as both stand-alone application in Tomcat as well as 
portlet deployed within a portlet container that relies on tomcat.

This app is supposed to deliver files. For instance, it renders a button 
or link and when a user clicks on it, one of the two following things 
should happen:
1. the file is offered for download so the user can just download it
2. the file is a html file and should be displayed in a new browser 
window, thereby obtaining embedded objects (e.g. images that the html file 
refers to)

However, this functionality should be offered to users depending on their 
access rights. If user B is not allowed to download file X, he should not 
be able to.

What is the best method / way of handling this?

The simple way of storing all files in something like 
%CATALINA_HOME%/webapps/files and then just render a download link 
referring to a file within won't work because everyone could access the 
files via URL. (Plus I don't like storing the files within CATALINA_HOME. 
What if I want to store them anywhere in the file system of the host?)

In addition, some files have to be altered for some persons (e.g. before 
being delivered to user A, file X.html has to be processed and altered to 
meet the needs of user A. ONLY user A should see the altered X.html 
(X_altered_for_user_A.html).

So this above approach looks "dirty" to me and doesn't live up to my 
expectations. But how does one deal with this "offering files for 
download" issue in a good, elegant way?

There must be some nice way because like every CMS that uses tomcat offers 
just that. Any idea?

Thanks a lot

Matt


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