W3C came last week with a first public working draft of the File API specification, a programming interface (API) that will open up new opportunities related to uploading and manipulating files in web applications, without the need for additional solutions such as Flash or Java.
According to the W3C specification provides a programming interface for both represent file objects, making selecting the files using the software, as well as to access the files' data. File API is designed to be used in conjunction with other programming interface and elements of Web Platforms, such as XMLHttpRequest, Data Transfer section of the drag-and-drop interface in HTML5 and Web Workers. The latter is a programming interface that allows for thread-like operations in web applications, so that certain application tasks can be run in parallel.
In addition, the idea that it should be possible using the software to get a list of files from the input element when it is in the File Upload state.
In addition it include a File API interface, BLOB, which can represent raw data. This offers a way to share large data objects into several smaller pieces, which will make it easier to resume the upload of the object after such a brief network outage.
File processing to happen asynchronously in the main thread of the browser, which should mean that the browser will be unavailable while a file is uploaded or otherwise processed. The browser will also be able to report the progress of the upload.
Faced with Cnet News mentions the W3C's Mike Smith two examples of what this can be used.
- A user uses a web-based application to read and send e-mail. She wants to attach multiple attachments to certain messages. Web application provides a user interface that lets her select multiple files as attachments at once. After she has chosen the files, they are up to the web application asynchronously, which means that she can perform other actions while the attachments uploaded for example, she completes the message she was in the process of authors before she added the attachments. While the attachments are uploaded, the web application progress charts to indicate how much of the contents of the files that have been uploaded so far, "says Smith.
File API interface will also be able to assist with web applications to process the contents of files.
- A user has a track list from their preferred music player application on their local file system. The playlist contains a list of song titles and information, and the user wants to retrieve the lyrics for certain songs without having to manually search for the lyrics on the web. A website will provide a web application that allows users to upload their playlist. Then analyzes the web application file and presents a user with the contents of the file as a hyperlink, sort able list. The user can then receive the lyrics to each of the songs just by clicking on a given song title, "explains Smith.
According to Cnet News requires that the new standards are available in actual implementations in browsers prior to be considered finished. This will ensure that new ideas have been tested in the real world.
According to Mozilla's Chris Blizzard, is most of the File API specification implemented in the upcoming Firefox 3.6.
W3C has also previously started work on a programming interface associated with the file upload, but this work does not seem to have been continued after 2006.
