Display images outside the public folder with Layout

**kaybee** · 09-03-2011, 06:50 AM

Cannot display images outside public folder

Hi,

I am trying to dynamically display images from an image store outside the public directory. I can ONLY display the image with the following code in the controller:

1. $this->_helper->layout->disableLayout();
2. $this->_helper->viewRenderer->setNoRender();

3. $image = file_get_contents($filename);
4. $this->getResponse()->clearBody ();
5. $this->getResponse()->setHeader('Content-Type', 'image/jpeg');
6. $this->getResponse()->setBody($image);

BUT this means my elaborate Layout gets thrown out of the window (lines 1 & 2) and I just get the image on the page. How can I get the layout and the image and the layout to display?

My directory structure is:

-application
---modules
-catalog
-controllers
-ImageController
-models
-views
-scripts
-image (display.phtml)
-library
-zend
-public
-imagestore
-product1
-img1.jpg
-img2/jpg
-product2
-tests

Thank you in advance!

**kaybee** · 09-03-2011, 06:56 AM

The directory structure again:

-application
---modules
-----catalog
-------controllers
------------ImageController
--------models
--------views
--------------------scripts
--------------------image (display.phtml)
-library
---zend
-public
-imagestore
----------product1
------------img1.jpg
------------img2/jpg
----------product2
-tests

**kaybee** · 09-04-2011, 06:09 PM

I finally figured this one out. I took the following two steps to make this work for me:

STEP 1:
Added an alias in the httpd-vhosts.conf file as shown below (without the quotes). For a non-virtual host situation you add it to the httpd.conf file.

'Alias /ashortname "/path/to/external/physical/directory"
<Directory "/path/to/external/physical/directory">
Allow from all
</Directory>'

You could limit the "all" permission if you like. The path to the external physical dirctory based on my directory structure

above would be "C:/vhosts/sitename/imagestore" on my Windows PC.

STEP 2:
In the view file ...which in my case is display.phtml I added (without the quotes):

'<object width="400" height="400" type="image/jpeg" data='/ashortname/myimage.jpg'>

</object>'

I used the alias to find the image file to display via the object tag.

That was it. This fixed the problem of displaying an image from a directory outside the site document root.

Let me know if you have comments or other suggestions.

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