Seek KCFinder for web file management

If you’re a developer who needs to integrate file management with your web application, don’t reinvent the wheel. Turn to an application like KCFinder and you’ll be able to upload and manage images, Flash movies, and other files that can be embedded in HTML. And KCFinder can be integrated with the popular WYSIWYG HTML editors CKEditor, FCKeditor, and TinyMCE.

You can change KCFinder’s settings via a config file or from a host application, using session variables to change themes and languages, which makes defining user-specific settings, such as a personal upload folder, an easy task.

Bulgarian developer Pavel Tzonkov says he created KCFinder “because I was unable to find a usable free alternative of the commercial CKFinder. None of the file managers I tried were able to be configured by the host application.”

Tzonkov builds KCFinder with Zend Studio 5.5, which he says is perfect for creating web applications in PHP and JavaScript. Tzonkov says that if the script gets popular, he will consider creating a paid version with more functionality. However, he expects to make new releases only on an irregular schedule. For the next version he plans to add file type recognition using Fileinfo PHP extension. Long-term enhancements may include the addition of a text editor, .swf file preview, and thumbnails and previews for video files.

The developer says he needs help testing the script on Windows servers and testing for security breaches. “I also need help with reviewing the documentation for language and grammar mistakes. I’m not sure my English is understandable enough.” You can contact him via e-mail.