Android Upload file to server using PHP, MySQL

By
Vamsi Tallapudi
-
61
10337
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In this Android Upload File to Server tutorial, we are going to discuss about how to select a file in android and upload it to the server using New Android Studio. Using the following code, we can successfully upload images, videos, documents, zip files, etc.. to the server. The code is tested for files upto 10MB of size.

Note:

The link to download the complete code for the following tutorial is given at the bottom of this article.

Related links

Android Upload file to Server:

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For this tutorial, I have created a New Project Named UploadFileToServer. Now let us first declare the permissions required in our Android Manifest file.

The above permissions are required to access Internet and to Read Android External Storage files.

I have written the following code in activity_main.xml:

[widget id=”text-3″]

Now create a java class named FilePath.java and add the following code to it:

The above class is used to return the file path of the selected document/ video / audio etc..

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Now we declare the MainActivity.java as follows:

[widget id=”text-3″]

The above code is commented wherever it is necessary. In this MainActivity.java, we wired up the attachment icon, Textview and Upload button and coded them such that when the icon is clicked, we can select the required file so that the textview gets updated with the path of the selected file. When we click on Upload button, a ProgressBar appears indicating that the file is being uploaded to the server. After the upload, the ProgressBar disappears and the textview gets updated detailing where the file has been uploaded in the server.

Server Side PHP Script for Uploading File to Server:

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Now create a serverside PHP Script that allow Android Upload file to server. Here I named it UploadToServer.php and added the following code:

I have placed the above file in Coderefer.com/extras folder. The above code creates a new folder named uploads and places the files being uploaded to uploads folder.

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The complete code to demonstrate Android Upload file to server can be cloned/downloaded from the github repo below:

Click here to download

Note: In order for the above code to work, you need to  place php file (given in the project) in your own server/testing environment.

61 COMMENTS

  2. Thank you so much sir it was very helpful for me.
    sir i hv an query that
    what should i do if i want to rename the file to the particular string. and then the file is upload with the new name on the server..

  3. This tutorial was very useful.
    I have one question i need to ask you.
    I want to know how to download file to Android.
    plz answer me

    • Hello Hansol. i want to ask do you have a working code of uploading file on server?
      i would be really thankful to you if you provide me with the source code
      regards.

  4. Is there a reason why the php portion of this wouldn’t work or be able to find anything? I’m able to successfully go through the whole process, access the file, get it’s path and perform the connection and receive a response by asking for the getInputStream() but my server can’t find anything using your code for php. I left the variable names the same and literally copied and pasted the php code exactly.. I just can’t figure out why it thinks nothing is there. If I try to var_dump($_FILES[‘uploaded_file’]) it says that it’s null.

  5. Hello, Can you make this work with mysql? Like uploading file to a server and inserting the URL to the mysql with the uploader username?

  8. thanks for the tutorial but i get this error application introuvable pour exécuter cette action any idea??

  9. Thanks for the tutorial.
    I downloaded your project from site and ran it on my phone. After opening the file chooser any type of the file was not getting selected(like all files appeared faded which could not be clicked). Please give a solution to my problem.

  11. Great article, much appreciated!

    Some help for previous commenters and future readers –

    Issue: Grayed-out files in file chooser.
    Possible solution: Modify line 78 of MainActivity.java. I changed it to “intent.setType(“image/jpeg”) to better suite my use case.

    Issue: HTTP 200 (OK) but uploaded file nowhere to be found when using your own server.

    Possible solution: Fix your target folder permissions.

  13. nice post..
    am new to android and used your codes but when i click attachment icon i get a popup which says” No apps can perform this action” and i have tried in two different android phones but it still appear the same..
    what should i do? help please

  17. Hi sir
    Thank you so much for the above article.
    i was struct from last 2 days for upload file to server. finally i got this

    But i am getting one problem
    i am not able to upload to the server.
    not able to see the file in hosting

    Please help me

  19. This code does not work whatsoever on API level 23. You have to check for the permissions at runtime and this code does not implement that. Whoever says this is working is on some outdated API level. It says that this post was updated a week ago, but it’s not.

  20. Hi Vamsi, love the solution, but the PHP script is pretty open to exploitation. You probably want to upload outside the webroot (or at the very least lock that directory down using .htaccess). If you don’t any manner of file can be uploaded to allow a third party to create a php terminal.

  24. How can return data from server and show it in this function
    i need to return saved image name after uploaded to server to show it in mobile app

    • If you want to send multiple parameters, replace

      //+++++++++++++++

      //writing bytes to data outputstream
      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(twoHyphens + boundary + lineEnd);

      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(“Content-Disposition: form-data; name=”uploaded_file”;filename=”” + selectedFilePath + “”” + lineEnd);
      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(lineEnd);

      //+++++++++++++++

      replace:

      //++++++++++++++

      //writing bytes to data outputstream
      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(twoHyphens + boundary + lineEnd);

      int photo_id = 1;

      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(“Content-Disposition: form-data; name=”photo_id”” + lineEnd + lineEnd); // param name
      dataOutputStream.writeBytes( photo_id + lineEnd + twoHyphens + boundary + lineEnd); // param value

      String photo_name = “My First Photo”;

      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(“Content-Disposition: form-data; name=”photo_name”” + lineEnd + lineEnd); // param name
      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(photo_name + lineEnd + twoHyphens + boundary + lineEnd); // param value

      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(“Content-Disposition: form-data; name=”uploadfile”;filename=””+ selectedFilePath + “”” + lineEnd);
      dataOutputStream.writeBytes(lineEnd);

      //++++++++++++++

  29. Hi sir,
    nice example, there is small error while uploading file on server, how to solve this error, please explain me
    W/System.err: java.io.FileNotFoundException: /storage/emulated/0/Download/lordkrishna.mp3 (Permission denied)
    W/System.err: at java.io.FileInputStream.open(Native Method)
    W/System.err: at java.io.FileInputStream.(FileInputStream.java:146)
    W/System.err: at com.example.moraya.upload1.MainActivity.uploadFile(MainActivity.java:142)
    W/System.err: at com.example.moraya.upload1.MainActivity$1.run(MainActivity.java:65)
    W/System.err: at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:761)
    E/EGL_emulation: tid 2422: eglSurfaceAttrib(1174): error 0x3009 (EGL_BAD_MATCH)
    W/OpenGLRenderer: Failed to set EGL_SWAP_BEHAVIOR on surface 0x968f1180, error=EGL_BAD_MATCH
    E/EGL_emulation: tid 2422: eglSurfaceAttrib(1174): error 0x3009 (EGL_BAD_MATCH)
    W/OpenGLRenderer: Failed to set EGL_SWAP_BEHAVIOR on surface 0x968f1240, error=EGL_BAD_MATCH

    Thank you so much

  30. Hi
    what if i have two attachments in one screen,can the method onActivityResult be duplicated to allow multiple uses in the same page please help
    thanks!

  32. Why i can’t see my uploaded file in my server.but this app showing message that im successfully upload the file

  36. Thank you so much sir it was very helpful for me.
    sir i hv an query that
    what should i do if i want to rename the file to the particular string. and then the file is upload with the new name on the server..

  37. hi sir
    Thank u so much, it worked for me.
    but, when i run it on my phone, the application is force close
    please help…

  39. Sir i am getting File not found after click on upload button.Please help me why it is giving such type error.
    In logcat it is showing this error
    java.io.FileNotFoundException: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/net.one97.paytm/files/Download/Invoice3369664106.pdf: open failed: EACCES (Permission denied)

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