Upload widget v1.x - Deprecated

Cloudinary is a cloud-based service that allows uploading images (or any other files) to the cloud, from any source and at any scale. Cloudinary can dynamically process and transform uploaded images to match your graphic design and deliver these highly optimized to your users via a fast CDN.

Cloudinary's powerful image uploading APIs support uploads at scale from your server-side applications or directly from your users' browsers or mobile devices.

Cloudinary's upload widget is an interactive, feature rich, simple to integrate method to add Cloudinary support to your website. The widget, requiring just a couple lines of code to integrate, eliminates the need to develop in-house interactive image upload capabilities.

Cloudinary's upload widget includes a complete user interface that enables your users to upload files from a variety of sources. By default: local device, remote URL, or by snapping an image directly from the computer or mobile device camera. The widget also supports the following third-party upload options: Uploading media using Google Search, or directly from the user's Dropbox or Facebook account.

The widget supports a drag & drop functionality, interactive cropping, upload progress indication, and thumbnail previews. The widget also monitors and handles uploading errors.

The widget supports unsigned uploading directly from the browser to Cloudinary storage, without involving your servers in the process. The widget sends JavaScript callbacks on successful uploads, so you can integrate the upload process back into your existing image pipeline. You can configure Cloudinary to send server-side callbacks as well.

Advanced users can also use the upload widget with signed uploads for a more secure process.

Once uploaded, images can be resized, cropped and transformed by Cloudinary on-the-fly so they can be embedded as needed in your website or mobile app.

Cloudinary's upload widget requires pure JavaScript to integrate and is easy to use with any web development framework. Advanced features are available using jQuery.

Quick example

To use Cloudinary's image upload widget in your site with unsigned uploads, simply include the remote JavaScript file of the widget (delivered optimized via a fast CDN) and specify the cloud_name of your Cloudinary account and an upload preset name when calling the method that activates the widget.

The following sample code binds to the click event of a link in a web page. The cloudinary.openUploadWidget method is called to programmatically open the upload widget when the opener link is clicked.

When the upload is complete, the widget automatically closes and a JavaScript callback function is called with a list of uploaded images as the result parameter.

<a href="#" id="upload_widget_opener">Upload multiple images</a>

<script src="//widget.cloudinary.com/global/all.js" type="text/javascript"></script>  

<script type="text/javascript">  
  document.getElementById("upload_widget_opener").addEventListener("click", function() {
    cloudinary.openUploadWidget({ cloud_name: 'demo', upload_preset: 'a5vxnzbp'}, 
      function(error, result) { console.log(error, result) });
  }, false);
</script>

You can try out a live example by clicking on the following button:

The example above uses standard JavaScript code to open the widget and allows multiple image uploading. The following example uses jQuery to convert an existing link to a widget opener button. It uploads to the specified folder and enables interactive cropping of a single uploaded image.

<script src="//widget.cloudinary.com/global/all.js" type="text/javascript"></script>  
<script type="text/javascript">  
  $('#upload_widget_opener').cloudinary_upload_widget(
    { cloud_name: 'demo', upload_preset: 'a5vxnzbp', 
      cropping: 'server', folder: 'user_photos' },
    function(error, result) { console.log(error, result) });
</script>

You can try out another live example by clicking on the following button:

How to setup and implement the upload widget

For most needs, you can implement the upload widget for unsigned uploads. Using unsigned uploads with your widget makes it quick and simple for you to provide a UI where users can upload content to your site.

Signed uploads require a bit more setup and coding to implement, but provide a more secure upload process when required.

Unsigned uploads

Unsigned uploads are somewhat less secure than signed uploads. For example, it is possible for a customer to inspect your client-side HTML code to find your cloud name and preset, and use that information to upload unwanted files to your account. For this reason, unsigned uploads have some protective limitations. For example, existing images cannot be overwritten. The options you set in the unsigned preset can also limit the size or type of files that users can upload to your account.

To setup and implement the upload widget for unsigned uploads:

1. Include the cloudinary widget JavaScript file in your web page:
   HTTP URL: http://widget.cloudinary.com/global/all.js

   HTTPS URL: https://widget.cloudinary.com/global/all.js

   Protocol agnostic URL: //widget.cloudinary.com/global/all.js

   For example:

   Copy to clipboard

   <script src="//widget.cloudinary.com/global/all.js" type="text/javascript">  
   </script>

2. Optional. Include jQuery if you want to show thumbnails of uploaded images, creating hidden fields with the identifiers of the uploaded images, or bind to events. The following example is a JavaScript include line of the jQuery library.

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    <script src='//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.1/jquery.min.js'></script>

3. Optional. Set your cloud name globally. If you include multiple widgets in your web page, you can use the setCloudName method to instruct all widgets on the page to upload to your Cloudinary account. Alternatively, you can set the cloud name as a parameter of each widget creation call.

4. Create an unsigned upload preset. In the Management console Upload Settings, create a new, unsigned upload preset. This preset serves as a form of security override, allowing client-side unsigned uploads. You supply the preset name in your widget creation call.
   If you've never created an unsigned preset, you must first select to enable unsigned uploading. When you do this, an empty upload preset is automatically created for you. Alternatively, you can create an unsigned upload preset using the Admin API.
   You can optionally edit the preset to modify its name or apply any of the available preset options, such as applying incoming transformations, to control the size or type of image users can upload using your widget, or to automatically generate certain eager transformations on all uploaded images. For details, see the Upload Presets documentation.

5. Implement your widget. Use one of the widget creation methods described below. When you call the method, you specify the upload_preset that you created in the previous step, your cloud_name (if you did not set it globally), and any additional widget options you want to apply.
   For example, in the demo example earlier on this page, the method call includes the cropping option, which enables users to define cropping coordinates, and the folder option, which uploads all images from the widget to a specified folder.

Signed uploads

Instead of providing an upload preset name, you initialize the widget for signed uploads with the public API key and an upload signature that is generated either when the page is loaded or when the upload request is submitted.

To setup and implement the upload widget for signed uploads:

1. Follow steps 1-3 above.

2. Optional. Create a signed upload preset. When you use the upload widget for signed uploads, an upload preset is not necessary. But you can optionally create a signed preset if you want to define incoming or eager transformations on the uploaded image. Define the preset as described in Upload Presets and supply the preset name in the upload_preset option when you call the widget creation method.

3. Select string or function as the upload_signature type and prepare the required code.

   • String:

     • Requires your page to connect to the web server on page load to generate the signature.
     • Requires that all parameters required for signing are known at page load time. If user-input will affect the parameters, for example, if you are using the widget's interactive cropping option, then you must use the function option.
     • The signature string you provide is valid for one hour from the timestamp used in the signature. If a user keeps the page open for a long time, the signature string may expire.

     For details on generating the signature string, see Generating authentication signatures.

   • Function:

     • Requires you to create a function to generate the signature.
     • The function runs when the upload request is submitted, therefore, the timestamp does not risk expiring if the user keeps the page open.

     • The function receives the final parameters of the upload, including any parameters impacted by user interaction.

       Sample function:
       The following is an example of a function that uses a server-side endpoint to generate the signature.

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   <script type="text/javascript">
     var generateSignature = function(callback, params_to_sign){
       $.ajax({
        url     : “http://www.my-domain.com/my_generate_signature %>",
        type    : "GET",
        dataType: "text",
        data    : { data: params_to_sign},
        complete: function() {console.log("complete")},
        success : function(signature, textStatus, xhr) { callback(signature); },
        error   : function(xhr, status, error) { console.log(xhr, status, error); }
       });
     }
   </script>

4. Implement your widget. Use one of the widget creation methods described below. When you call the method, you specify your account api_key, your cloud_name (if you did not set it globally), the upload_signature string or function, the upload_signature_timestamp (for string signatures only), and any additional widget options you want to apply.
   For example, the following method creates the upload-widget and calls the signature function shown in the previous step.

<script type="text/javascript">  
  $('#upload_widget_opener').cloudinary_upload_widget(
    { cloud_name: cloud_name, api_key: api_key,
      cropping: 'server', upload_signature: generateSignature},
      function(error, result) { console.log(error, result) });
</script>

Third-party upload sources

In addition to the default 'My Files', 'Web Address', and 'Camera' tabs, the upload widget supports a variety of third-party upload sources from which your users can upload images and videos. The sources are presented on multiple tabs for your users, where they can select the relevant tab, browse through their files and select the ones they want to upload.

The sources parameter

The sources parameter accepts an array of string values defining the tabs to add to the upload widget, where each source defines a new upload tab within the widget. If the sources parameter is not included in the method used for creating the upload widget, the My Files, Web Address, and Camera tabs are added by default. The possible values for the sources parameter are as follows:

Image Search tab

The image_search option allows your users to select images from the web using your Google Custom Search account, and then upload them to your Cloudinary account. The search can be optionally confined to specific sites (e.g., your own website) and can be filtered by specified licensing criteria.

To enable the Image Search tab, add the following parameters to the method used for creating the upload widget:

• sources - (Array of strings) Sets the available source options for your users. Make sure to include the image_search option.
• google_api_key - (String) The API key to your Google Custom Search account.
• search_by_sites - (Array of Strings) - Optional. The domain names of sites to search for images. If more than one site is given then a Search by Site dropdown will also be added, so your users can select the site to search. To allow searching the entire web, use the value all. Default value: all
• search_by_rights - (Boolean) - Optional. Set to true to add a dropdown box for your users to select a licensing filter to apply to the image search. Default value: false.

Basic example:

cloudinary.openUploadWidget({
        upload_preset: uploadPreset,
        sources: [ 'local', 'url', 'image_search'],
        google_api_key: 'AIrFcR8hKiRo'
    },
    function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)}
);

Example with sites filter and rights filter:

cloudinary.openUploadWidget({
        upload_preset: uploadPreset,
        sources: [ 'local', 'url', 'image_search'],
        google_api_key: 'AIrFcR8hKiRo',
        search_by_sites: ["all", "cloudinary.com"],
        search_by_rights: true
    },
    function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)}
);

Dropbox tab

The dropbox option allows your users to login to their own Dropbox account, browse through their folders and files, and then select the files to upload to your Cloudinary account. This option also requires that the Upload Widget is embedded in a secure (HTTPS) page, as the users sign-in to Dropbox must be over a secure connection.

In order to enable this upload option for your users, you need to obtain an App key from Dropbox:

1. Create a new app on the Dropbox App Console: Click My apps, select the Dropbox API and Full Dropbox options, name your app, and click the Create app button.
2. On the next page, set the following redirect URI for your Dropbox application: https://widget.cloudinary.com/global/auth/index.html
3. Copy the auto-generated App key for your Dropbox app: this will be configured as the value of the dropbox_app_key parameter when including Dropbox as an upload source in the Upload Widget (see below).
4. Your Dropbox app is initially created in Development status for testing purposes. You can enable additional users with the Enable additional users button, and when your app is ready to go live, you need to click on the Apply for Production status to enable all your users to upload via the Dropbox app.
5. For more information on creating Dropbox apps, see their documentation and take note of their branding guidelines.

To enable the Dropbox tab, add the following parameters to the method used for creating the Upload Widget:

• sources - (Array of strings) Sets the available source options for your users. Make sure to include the dropbox option.
• dropbox_app_key - (String) The App key to your Dropbox App.

For example:

cloudinary.openUploadWidget({
        upload_preset: uploadPreset,
        sources: [ 'local', 'url', 'dropbox'],
        dropbox_app_key: '1dsf22dl6i2'
    },
    function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)}
);

Facebook tab

The facebook option allows your users to login to their own Facebook account, browse through their photos (photos they have uploaded, photos they are tagged in, or albums they have created) and then select the images to upload to your Cloudinary account.

To enable the Facebook tab, add the following parameters to the method used for creating the Upload Widget:

• sources - (Array of strings) Sets the available source options for your users. Make sure to include the facebook option.

For example:

cloudinary.openUploadWidget({
        upload_preset: uploadPreset,
        sources: [ 'local', 'url', 'facebook']
    },
    function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)}
);

Instagram tab

The instagram option allows your users to login to their own Instagram account, browse through their photos, and then select the images to upload to your Cloudinary account.

To enable the Instagram tab, add the following parameters to the method used for creating the Upload Widget:

• sources - (Array of strings) Sets the available source options for your users. Make sure to include the instagram option.

For example:

cloudinary.openUploadWidget({
        upload_preset: uploadPreset,
        sources: [ 'local', 'url', 'instagram']
    },
    function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)}
);

API methods

The following JavaScript methods are publicly available for calling from your Website's code after including Cloudinary's upload widget JavaScript file.

cloudinary.setCloudName(name)

Globally set the cloud name for all widget method calls.

For example:

<script src="https://widget.cloudinary.com/global/all.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script>
  cloudinary.setCloudName('cadf1nga');
</script>

cloudinary.openUploadWidget(options, result_callback)

Programmatically create a widget frame and open it. options is a map of all widget options, including both client side settings and upload API parameters.

result_callback is an optional function called when the upload widget completes, either successfully uploading all images or when the widget is closed by user. The callback method is of the following signature function(error, result). While error is either null if successful or an error message if there was a failure. result is an array of upload image infos, as returned by Cloudinary's upload API.

The method returns a widget object that has the following simple methods for opening and widget and closing it: open() and close().

For example:

cloudinary.openUploadWidget({upload_preset: 'a5vxnzbp'}, 
  function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)});

cloudinary.createUploadWidget(options, result_callback)

Same as openUploadWidget except that it creates a widget object and frame but does not display it until the open method of the returned widget object is called. For example:

var widget = cloudinary.createUploadWidget({ upload_preset: 'a5vxnzbp' },
  function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)});
widget.open();

The open method accepts an image URL as a single optional parameter, in which case the widget either skips directly to uploading the given resource, or skips the source selection tabs and opens the widget with the given image ready for cropping (if that option is enabled). For example:

var widget = cloudinary.createUploadWidget({ upload_preset: 'a5vxnzbp', cropping: 'server'},
  function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)});
widget.open("https://my.example.come/my_example_image.jpg");

cloudinary.applyUploadWidget(element, options, result_callback)

Same as createUploadWidget except that it modifies the given element to be a nice blue button (customizable look & feel) that when clicked opens a pre-created upload widget. In addition, the form and thumbnails options are implicitly set by default to the containing form of the given element.

For example:

cloudinary.applyUploadWidget(document.getElementById('opener'), 
  { upload_preset: 'a5vxnzbp' }, 
  function(error, result) {console.log(error, result)});

$.fn.cloudinary_upload_widget

Same as applyUploadWidget. Uses jQuery selector to apply on matching elements.

For example:

$('#opener2').cloudinary_upload_widget({ upload_preset: 'a5vxnzbp' });

API events

If jQuery is loaded in your site and the Cloudinary upload widget JavaScript file is included, you can bind to the following events:

cloudinarywidgetsuccess - Global success event binding

Receive a success callback at the completion of an upload process. When uploading multiple images, the callback is received after all images have uploaded.

For example:

$(document).on('cloudinarywidgetsuccess', function(e, data) {
  console.log("Global success", e, data);
});

cloudinarywidgetfileuploadsuccess - Single file success event binding

Receive a success callback at the completion of each file upload.

For example:

$(document).on('cloudinarywidgetfileuploadsuccess', function(e, data) {
  console.log("Single file success", e, data);
});

cloudinarywidgeterror - Upload error event binding

Receive a callback when an error occurs.

For example:

$(document).on('cloudinarywidgeterror', function(e, data) {
  console.log("Error", data);
});

cloudinarywidgetdeleted - Image deletion event binding

If jQuery is loaded in your site, you can bind to the cloudinarywidgetdeleted event for receiving a callback when an image is deleted using the 'x' within the image thumbnail (after the image upload is complete). The event receives an object that includes the details of the deleted image (resource_type, type, public_id).

For example:

$(document).on('cloudinarywidgetdeleted', function(e, data) {
  console.log("Public ID", data.public_id);
});

cloudinarywidgetclosed - Close widget event binding

Receive a callback when the widget pop-up is closed.

For example:

$(document).on('cloudinarywidgetclosed', function(e, data) {
  console.log("Widget closed", data);
});

Look and feel customization

The look & feel of the upload widget can be fully customized. You can modify colors, fonts, icons and other elements by providing your custom CSS styles. In addition, Cloudinary provides predefined themes instead of the default one.

Custom styles are specified using the stylesheet option. It accepts either a URL of a CSS file with style override instructions or inline style as a string. See the CSS files of the white and minimal themes as reference implementations.

A theme can be applied by setting the theme option to the name of one of the following predefined themes:

default

white

minimal

purple

Upload widget options