[whatwg] File Upload Control

[David Hyatt]

There are security concerns with allowing customization of the file 
upload control.  You don't want file upload controls to be able to 
masquerade as other content.

dave

On Jul 20, 2004, at 2:30 PM, Smith, Rolland wrote:

> In the past while trying to FULLY customize a UI with CSS the file 
> upload control has been very reluctant to cooperate in addition to the 
> nature of its display in that the text box for the filename is part of 
> the Browse button that is used to search for files desired to upload. 
> What my suggestion/request is, is that the file upload control be 
> fully customizable by CSS just as the regular form textboxes are. 
> Furthermore if there was a way to style the button and the textbox 
> separately that would be an extreme help, as well as making the browse 
> button an IMAGE instead of the standard text display button with a 
> gray background and just "Browse" on it.
> Also, as I read the current draft spec (correct me if I'm wrong), but 
> it says to me that in the new spec you'd be able to specify a Number 
> of files to upload per file upload control. Does this mean that for 
> whatever number is entered (say 3) that we'd see 3 textboxes/browse 
> buttons for 3 file uploads and that each of those must be (validation 
> built-in?) filled out with a proper file path to an existing file? I 
> would think that the validation should be an option that could be 
> toggled on and off and when it is "OFF" that it is not required that 
> you must have 3 files attached and that the user could specify only 1 
> if they wanted to. If I have this right, the way the draft spec is 
> currently written you'd be improving on the control (allowing more 
> files to be selected/uploaded per upload control) while causing a bit 
> of undesired functionality (once the number of files is specified THAT 
> many files are required to be entered) at the same time.
> Review of suggestions/requests:
> 	•	Make the file upload control fully customizable by CSS as the 
> regular textboxes are
> 	•	Possibly allow the textbox and Browse button to be treated 
> separately maintaining GLOBAL or individual properties with regards to 
> regular HTML type properties and CSS properties.
> 	•	Allow upload of more than one file per upload control, but do not 
> force the number of files specified to be required and instead offer a 
> validation option that would either force this or allow it to be any 
> number of files within the specified range (i.e.: 4 is specified; 
> allow 1 to 4 files; not requiring a minimum of 4)
> 	•	
> Hope this makes some people think! Interested in hearing back from you.
> Thanks,
> Rolland Smith
> Programmer
> DynMcDermott for the
> Strategic Petroleum Reserve
> 504.734.4105
>