encrypted download link?

a way of making download links invisable2user

[ahmedtheking]

Hi, Ive got a few things on my website in a protected folder (with a .htaccess password) that i want people to be able to download.

Is there a script that can encrypt the download link so thats it expires when the user uses it and it cant show the user where the files are?

[Sanenet]

Sure, just write a script that moves the selected files into a temp directory with a random name, and deletes them after, oh, lets say two hours.

Or you could write an exe that downloads them without showing the user the links.

In any case, once the user has the files they can do what they like with them.

[ahmedtheking]

Is there a script that just randomises the link in the address bar, so that:

instead of having [lalala.com...]
to [lalala.com...]

etc...

get what i mean?

[Sanenet]

Not that I know of, although you could try either ascii encoding the url, or opening the link from an Iframe.

Doesn't the IE download box tell you the "real" download address anyway?

[ahmedtheking]

Yea, this is where i need a kinda encodin script...

any ideas?

[Sanenet]

Google it, there's loads of free scripts out there that will do it for you. Just replaces the letters in the URL with ascii code.

[mincklerstraat]

If you're up for it, you also might want to check out the PEAR class HTTP Download at [pear.php.net...] . This allows you to have a script 'grab' a file from somewhere and 'send' it to the user without the user having clicked directly on the download link (to put it in less than technical terms). This way you can use php to control who downloads it, when & under what conditions, & how many times.