How to check if file is downloaded

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Hi folks,

I am working on a project in which i have given links to users to download products, but i want to disable the links after successful download for that particular user.

How can I achieve this , any idea or guide will be enough to get me started.

Thanks

Posted 20-Sep-11 20:41pm

Uday P.Singh

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Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-21T11:32:00

Solution 1

Do you hate your users that much? Well, it's up to you, but keep in mind: if you earn some money form serving them, you're about to make a crucial step to destroy this source of your income. Don't argue if what you want if fair or not; I already warned you.

—SA

Posted 21-Sep-11 11:32am

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Comments

Simon Bang Terkildsen 22-Sep-11 2:06am

My 5.
Sometimes clients have weird even completely stupid requests, it's not our job to blindly do what they ask. If we did that they would send the hit squad after us when they don't like the result, even when the result is exactly as specified.

It is our job to make sure the client get what they want and not what they say they want. 90% of the clients I've worked with have had really crazy, had I just said hmm ok.. they would be coming back again and again.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 22-Sep-11 11:06am

Great point, Simon, thank you very much.

This is close to what I say all the time, and you know, too many members say just the opposite and sometimes even massively down-vote my advice.

I learned one thing from experience: yes, people can may unlimited number of most silly mistakes, so silly that you never expected them. At the same time, they are by far not as stupid as it may seem at first; the fact is: I can convince them if I exercise enough patience and think thoroughly about reasonable arguments. It's also important to learn and understand their environment, problems and hence something about their probable way of thinking. You know sometimes I already decided the case is hopeless, but later a customer comes back and says that they accept the decision. Sometimes people need well-layout argument but also some time.
--SA

Uday P.Singh 22-Sep-11 7:42am

Yes! SA thanks for reply, but as Simon mentioned it is the weird requirement of client. After reading your reply, i am thinking to convince the client. But I just wanted to know how can I make a log for tracking the no. of downloads done by any user?

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 22-Sep-11 10:53am

Great! Also think of what is the original owner of the file looses. If the owner allows to download the same file infinite number of times, the client will still receive only one! From the other hand, if a client receives only one file only ones, she/he is still free to make hundreds of copy and send to hundreds of other people, so there is no copy protection anyway. The owner looses nothing by allowing unlimited downloads to a legitimate user.

Now, what the owner looses by allowing to download only once. A lot! I would say, this is complete loss of any trust and getting a reputation of an idiot. A user can misplace a file, damage a disk with the file, million of potential problems. After all, some users have a habit to load again everything from scratch. Yes, really.

Hope this kind of arguments could convince (even) your client. :-)
--SA

Uday P.Singh 22-Sep-11 12:42pm

thanks SA, good points, it will surely help me during my conversation with client.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 22-Sep-11 11:15am

You can make a log entry on PHP (server side) when download starts as you can supply a file through PHP script on HTTP request of the PHP page, but I don't know how to detect successful end of it. I think "number of downloads" usually shown (like at CodeProject) is just based on the start of download. What happens when a user's computer crashes at the end of it? This is pretty much the same as the user hits Escape when a page is not completely loaded. You script gets no notification, and this is explainable. Maybe I am missing something. It's clear that at the level of raw TCP (HTTP works on top of TCP) this is detectable.

To me, some false positives about number of downloads is perfectly fine as soon as you allow unlimited number of downloads. Remember, you can only allow it withing the session with an authenticated user, so what's the problem?

--SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 22-Sep-11 11:16am

Come on, admit that I'm right and accept this solution! :-)
--SA

Uday P.Singh 22-Sep-11 12:44pm

thanks once again, I accepted the solution and voted 5 as well!

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 22-Sep-11 13:36pm

Thank you, Uday.
--SA