Technical Articles
54 articles
How to Install a Version of Iptanus File Upload Pro by Hand
Allowed file types
Which extensions the plugin accepts by default, why the list tightened in 3.9.0, and how to add your own safely.
Email notifications
Send mail when a file arrives, with dynamic subject and body, attachments, and a fix for mail that never sends.
File not allowed
The upload was rejected because the extension is not on the allowed list, or the filename carries more than one dot.
File viewer
Show uploaded files back to people, either in the Dashboard or on a page for any visitor.
Filters & actions
All eleven hooks with example code, including the one that resolves jQuery UI and NextGEN conflicts.
Material UI in plugins
WordPress ships React, so Material UI can run inside a plugin — including the Shadow DOM fix for theme CSS.
Cloud storage overview
Which cloud services the plugin can transfer uploads to, and how a file moves from your site to each of them.
Extra form fields
Collect data alongside the file: text, numbers, email, dates, checkboxes, dropdowns and consent questions.
Hook code in the Dashboard
Write and edit hook code in the plugin's own editor, without touching your theme's functions.php.
File is suspicious
Since 4.24.9 the plugin checks that a file's MIME type matches its extension, and rejects the file when they disagree.
Installation & first form
Install the free or Professional version, add a plugin instance, and put a working upload form on a page.
Google Drive
Connect a Google Drive account once, then have uploads transferred to it, with the local copy kept or removed.
Cascade layers
Unlayered CSS always beats layered CSS, so a @layer makes your rules weaker. How to use layers regardless.
File viewer search filter
Define a search filter on the Pro file viewer so visitors can narrow a long list of uploaded files.
Messenger notifications
Receive an alert on Messenger when someone uploads, in addition to email or instead of it.
Quarantine
Hold a rejected upload in a folder that is not publicly reachable, review it, then accept it or delete it.
Webcam capture
Let visitors record video or take a photo from the device camera and upload it without choosing a file.
Captcha
Add Google reCAPTCHA to the form to stop automated uploads, in either the classic or the invisible version.
Directory uploads
Since 4.18.1, visitors can drag or select whole folders and upload them with their structure intact.
Extensions
The Extensions page lists what is installed, and lets you activate or deactivate each one on its own.
reCAPTCHA without keys
Google no longer issues domain-independent keys. Serving the captcha from your own server, and securing it.
Front-end file browser
Build a simple front-end browser so visitors can see and download the files that have been uploaded.
Visual editor
The Shortcode Composer builds the form for you, so more than 50 options can be set without writing a shortcode.
Restore after hook error
A hook containing a PHP error can lock you out of the site. How to get back in and remove the offending code.
Google Drive: new activation
Google retired the out-of-band OAuth flow in 2022. What changed in 4.16.5, and how to reconnect an account.
Dropbox
Link a Dropbox account and send uploads there, choosing the destination folder and what to do with duplicates.
GDPR compliance
Ask for consent before storing personal data, record the answer, and let people change it afterwards.
Material UI theme
The upload form rebuilt in React and Material UI, with colour controls, dark mode and font sizing.
NextGEN Gallery
Since 4.11.1, uploads can go straight into a NextGEN gallery, with description, alt text and tags.
Server unreachable
Why the plugin cannot reach the Iptanus Services Server, and the causes to work through in order.
The upload algorithm
How a file of any size is uploaded reliably: chunking, resumption, and the checks made at each stage.
Upload form options
Every attribute of the [wordpress_file_upload] shortcode, and what each one changes about the form.
Big file uploads
Why browsers and PHP make large front-end uploads difficult, and what the plugin does about each limit.
File upload security
Why front-end uploads are the most exposed part of a website, and what an attacker actually tries.
File viewer options
Every attribute of the file viewer shortcode, for listing and downloading files that have been uploaded.
Styling with CSS
The practical ways to apply your own CSS, so the form takes on the colours and fonts of your theme.
WordPress.com hosting
Why the plugin cannot be installed on a site hosted at WordPress.com, and what the options are.
Microsoft OneDrive
Connect a OneDrive account and transfer uploads to it, setting the folder and whether the local copy stays.
Amazon S3
Transfer uploads to an S3 bucket, with control over the destination path and what happens to the local file.
How secure the plugin is
The threats a file upload form faces, and the mechanism the plugin uses against each one.
Upgrading Pro 4.13.1
For Professional installs on 4.13.1 or earlier, whose auto-updates stopped when WP Updates shut down.
Inheriting theme styles
Turn off the plugin's strict styling so its elements inherit the active theme instead of overriding it.
Plugin architecture
What the version 4 rewrite changed, and why the internals were redesigned from the ground up.
Amazon S3: configuration
The AWS side: creating an IAM user, generating access keys, and setting the bucket permissions the plugin needs.
Security: a full study
A detailed walk through every protection the plugin applies, taken one threat at a time.
Running JavaScript from PHP
Generating and running JavaScript from PHP inside a plugin, without breaking the page it renders into.
Responsive layout
Set fitmode to responsive and the form rearranges itself for the width it is given, rather than a fixed size.
FTP & SFTP
Store uploads on another server, or on this one where PHP has no write permission, over FTP or SFTP.
Gutenberg blocks
Two blocks that place the uploader and the file viewer without shortcodes, and how to convert between them.
Custom upload path
Set the folder with the uploadpath attribute, or build it per user at upload time with a filter.
Migrating to Gutenberg
What changes when you move off the classic editor, and how to carry shortcodes and custom code across.
Elementor
What 4.12.2 fixed for Elementor, which handles pages its own way and previously broke the upload form.
Remote files
Find uploads whose remote copy still exists but whose local file has gone, and tidy them up.
Other topics
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