Picup is a native iPhone Application that facilitates photo uploads to the web. Since file-upload form fields don't work in Mobile Safari, a webapp can instruct Picup to choose and upload a photo. Once the upload is complete, Picup returns control to the webapp with information about the upload.
Picup works by handling the custom URL scheme fileupload://. The Picup JavaScript helper replaces file input fields with custom URLs if the visitor is using Mobile Safari. When the visitor clicks the link, Picup is launched prompting them to choose or take a photo. An example of this can be seen in the Scratchpad Demo.
Native applications and cached webapps can even take advantage of Picup when the iPhone is offline. Uploads are stored in a queue and the user can re-initiate the request if the initial attempt failed. If an upload fails, Picup will still return data about the request which can include the status, a thumbnail image, and a local URL. Photos can be viewed locally by opening the local URL.
Picup is highly configurable through a collection of parameters. Developers can choose the remote server, image size, callback behavior and more. Checkout the Scratchpad Demo for a list of the parameters and how to use them.
Try the Scratchpad to test the app with various configurations.
The Picup JavaScript helper can override file-input fields to initiate a photo upload and generates URLs to the Picup app. See the JavaScript comments for example usage.
Check out the Design Patterns & Best Practices page for tips on integrating Picup into your application.
Available now in the AppStore.
©2010 William Lindmeier