Files Upload and Handling - PHP SDK Documentation

Overview

BosBase allows you to upload and manage files through file fields in your collections. Files are stored with sanitized names and a random suffix for security (e.g., test_52iwbgds7l.png).

Key Features:

Upload multiple files per field
Maximum file size: ~8GB (2^53-1 bytes)
Automatic filename sanitization and random suffix
Image thumbnails support
Protected files with token-based access
File modifiers for append/prepend/delete operations

Backend Endpoints:

POST /api/files/token - Get file access token for protected files
GET /api/files/{collection}/{recordId}/{filename} - Download file

File Field Configuration

Before uploading files, you must add a file field to your collection:

<?php
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

use BosBase\BosBase;

$pb = new BosBase('http://localhost:8090');
$pb->collection('_superusers')->authWithPassword('admin@example.com', 'password');

$collection = $pb->collections->getOne('example');

$collection['fields'][] = [
    'name' => 'documents',
    'type' => 'file',
    'maxSelect' => 5,        // Maximum number of files (1 for single file)
    'maxSize' => 5242880,    // 5MB in bytes (optional, default: 5MB)
    'mimeTypes' => ['image/jpeg', 'image/png', 'application/pdf'],
    'thumbs' => ['100x100', '300x300'],  // Thumbnail sizes for images
    'protected' => false     // Require token for access
];

$pb->collections->update('example', ['fields' => $collection['fields']]);

Uploading Files

Basic Upload with Create

When creating a new record, you can upload files directly:

<?php
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

use BosBase\BosBase;

$pb = new BosBase('http://localhost:8090');

// Upload with file using CURLFile
$createdRecord = $pb->collection('example')->create([
    'title' => 'Hello world!',
    'documents' => new CURLFile('/path/to/file1.txt', 'text/plain', 'file1.txt')
]);

// Upload multiple files
$createdRecord = $pb->collection('example')->create([
    'title' => 'Hello world!',
    'documents' => [
        new CURLFile('/path/to/file1.txt', 'text/plain', 'file1.txt'),
        new CURLFile('/path/to/file2.txt', 'text/plain', 'file2.txt'),
    ]
]);

Upload with Update

// Update record and upload new files
$updatedRecord = $pb->collection('example')->update('RECORD_ID', [
    'title' => 'Updated title',
    'documents' => new CURLFile('/path/to/file3.txt', 'text/plain', 'file3.txt')
]);

Append Files (Using + Modifier)

For multiple file fields, use the + modifier to append files:

// Append files to existing ones
$pb->collection('example')->update('RECORD_ID', [
    'documents+' => new CURLFile('/path/to/file4.txt', 'text/plain', 'file4.txt')
]);

// Or prepend files (files will appear first)
$pb->collection('example')->update('RECORD_ID', [
    '+documents' => new CURLFile('/path/to/file0.txt', 'text/plain', 'file0.txt')
]);

Upload Multiple Files with Modifiers

// Append multiple files
$files = [
    new CURLFile('/path/to/file1.txt', 'text/plain', 'file1.txt'),
    new CURLFile('/path/to/file2.txt', 'text/plain', 'file2.txt'),
];

$pb->collection('example')->update('RECORD_ID', [
    'title' => 'Updated',
    'documents+' => $files
]);

Deleting Files

Delete All Files

// Delete all files in a field (set to empty array)
$pb->collection('example')->update('RECORD_ID', [
    'documents' => []
]);

Delete Specific Files (Using - Modifier)

// Delete individual files by filename
$pb->collection('example')->update('RECORD_ID', [
    'documents-' => ['file1.pdf', 'file2.txt']
]);

File URLs

Get File URL

Each uploaded file can be accessed via its URL:

http://localhost:8090/api/files/COLLECTION_ID_OR_NAME/RECORD_ID/FILENAME

Using SDK:

$record = $pb->collection('example')->getOne('RECORD_ID');

// Single file field (returns string)
$filename = $record['documents'];
$url = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $filename);

// Multiple file field (returns array)
$firstFile = $record['documents'][0];
$url = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $firstFile);

Image Thumbnails

If your file field has thumbnail sizes configured, you can request thumbnails:

$record = $pb->collection('example')->getOne('RECORD_ID');
$filename = $record['avatar'];  // Image file

// Get thumbnail with specific size
$thumbUrl = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $filename, '100x300');  // Width x Height

Thumbnail Formats:

WxH (e.g., 100x300) - Crop to WxH viewbox from center
WxHt (e.g., 100x300t) - Crop to WxH viewbox from top
WxHb (e.g., 100x300b) - Crop to WxH viewbox from bottom
WxHf (e.g., 100x300f) - Fit inside WxH viewbox (no cropping)
0xH (e.g., 0x300) - Resize to H height, preserve aspect ratio
Wx0 (e.g., 100x0) - Resize to W width, preserve aspect ratio

Supported Image Formats:

JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
PNG (.png)
GIF (.gif - first frame only)
WebP (.webp - stored as PNG)

Example:

$record = $pb->collection('products')->getOne('PRODUCT_ID');
$image = $record['image'];

// Different thumbnail sizes
$thumbSmall = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $image, '100x100');
$thumbMedium = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $image, '300x300f');
$thumbLarge = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $image, '800x600');
$thumbHeight = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $image, '0x400');
$thumbWidth = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $image, '600x0');

Force Download

To force browser download instead of preview:

$url = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $filename, null, null, true);  // Force download

Protected Files

By default, all files are publicly accessible if you know the full URL. For sensitive files, you can mark the field as “Protected” in the collection settings.

Setting Up Protected Files

$collection = $pb->collections->getOne('example');

foreach ($collection['fields'] as &$field) {
    if ($field['name'] === 'documents') {
        $field['protected'] = true;
        break;
    }
}

$pb->collections->update('example', ['fields' => $collection['fields']]);

Accessing Protected Files

Protected files require authentication and a file token:

// Step 1: Authenticate
$pb->collection('users')->authWithPassword('user@example.com', 'password123');

// Step 2: Get file token (valid for ~2 minutes)
$fileToken = $pb->files->getToken();

// Step 3: Get protected file URL with token
$record = $pb->collection('example')->getOne('RECORD_ID');
$url = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $record['privateDocument'], null, $fileToken);

// Use the URL
echo $url;

Important:

File tokens are short-lived (~2 minutes)
Only authenticated users satisfying the collection’s viewRule can access protected files
Tokens must be regenerated when they expire

Complete Protected File Example

function loadProtectedImage($pb, $recordId, $filename) {
    try {
        // Check if authenticated
        if (!$pb->authStore->isValid()) {
            throw new \Exception('Not authenticated');
        }

        // Get fresh token
        $token = $pb->files->getToken();

        // Get file URL
        $record = $pb->collection('example')->getOne($recordId);
        $url = $pb->files->getUrl($record, $filename, null, $token);

        return $url;
    } catch (\BosBase\Exceptions\ClientResponseError $err) {
        if ($err->getStatus() === 404) {
            echo 'File not found or access denied' . "\n";
        } else if ($err->getStatus() === 401) {
            echo 'Authentication required' . "\n";
            $pb->authStore->clear();
        }
        throw $err;
    }
}

Complete Examples

Example 1: Image Upload with Thumbnails

<?php
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

use BosBase\BosBase;

$pb = new BosBase('http://localhost:8090');
$pb->collection('_superusers')->authWithPassword('admin@example.com', 'password');

// Create collection with image field and thumbnails
$collection = $pb->collections->createBase('products', [
    'fields' => [
        ['name' => 'name', 'type' => 'text', 'required' => true],
        [
            'name' => 'image',
            'type' => 'file',
            'maxSelect' => 1,
            'mimeTypes' => ['image/jpeg', 'image/png'],
            'thumbs' => ['100x100', '300x300', '800x600f']  // Thumbnail sizes
        ]
    ]
]);

// Upload product with image
$product = $pb->collection('products')->create([
    'name' => 'My Product',
    'image' => new CURLFile('/path/to/product.jpg', 'image/jpeg', 'product.jpg')
]);

// Display thumbnail in UI
$thumbnailUrl = $pb->files->getUrl($product, $product['image'], '300x300');
echo "Thumbnail URL: $thumbnailUrl\n";

Example 2: File Management

class FileManager {
    private $pb;
    private $collectionId;
    private $recordId;
    private $record = null;

    public function __construct($pb, $collectionId, $recordId) {
        $this->pb = $pb;
        $this->collectionId = $collectionId;
        $this->recordId = $recordId;
    }

    public function load() {
        $this->record = $this->pb->collection($this->collectionId)->getOne($this->recordId);
    }

    public function deleteFile($filename) {
        $this->pb->collection($this->collectionId)->update($this->recordId, [
            'documents-' => [$filename]
        ]);
        $this->load();  // Reload
    }

    public function addFiles($filePaths) {
        $files = [];
        foreach ($filePaths as $path) {
            $files[] = new CURLFile($path, mime_content_type($path), basename($path));
        }
        
        $this->pb->collection($this->collectionId)->update($this->recordId, [
            'documents+' => $files
        ]);
        $this->load();  // Reload
    }

    public function getFileUrls() {
        $files = is_array($this->record['documents']) 
            ? $this->record['documents'] 
            : [$this->record['documents']];
        
        $urls = [];
        foreach ($files as $filename) {
            if ($filename) {
                $urls[] = $this->pb->files->getUrl($this->record, $filename);
            }
        }
        return $urls;
    }
}

// Usage
$manager = new FileManager($pb, 'example', 'RECORD_ID');
$manager->load();
$urls = $manager->getFileUrls();

File Field Modifiers

Summary

No modifier - Replace all files: documents: [file1, file2]
+ suffix - Append files: documents+: file3
+ prefix - Prepend files: +documents: file0
- suffix - Delete files: documents-: ['file1.pdf']

Best Practices

File Size Limits: Always validate file sizes on the client before upload
MIME Types: Configure allowed MIME types in collection field settings
Thumbnails: Pre-generate common thumbnail sizes for better performance
Protected Files: Use protected files for sensitive documents (ID cards, contracts)
Token Refresh: Refresh file tokens before they expire for protected files
Error Handling: Handle 404 errors for missing files and 401 for protected file access
Filename Sanitization: Files are automatically sanitized, but validate on client side too

Error Handling

try {
    $record = $pb->collection('example')->create([
        'title' => 'Test',
        'documents' => new CURLFile('/path/to/test.txt', 'text/plain', 'test.txt')
    ]);
} catch (\BosBase\Exceptions\ClientResponseError $err) {
    if ($err->getStatus() === 413) {
        echo 'File too large' . "\n";
    } else if ($err->getStatus() === 400) {
        echo 'Invalid file type or field validation failed' . "\n";
    } else if ($err->getStatus() === 403) {
        echo 'Insufficient permissions' . "\n";
    } else {
        echo 'Upload failed: ' . $err->getMessage() . "\n";
    }
}

Storage Options

By default, BosBase stores files in pb_data/storage on the local filesystem. For production, you can configure S3-compatible storage (AWS S3, MinIO, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces, etc.) from: Dashboard > Settings > Files storage

This is configured server-side and doesn’t require SDK changes.

Collections - Collection and field configuration
Authentication - Required for protected files
File API - File download and thumbnails