Imagick using different directory and database PDF to thumbnail JPG

Question

When I use a php script using imagick basics in the same folder where the image is and using the filename the output is perfect, it outputs the image of the PDF's 1st page:

// Read page 1 
$im = new imagick( 'Miami_Guide.pdf[0]' );
// Convert to png 
$im->setImageFormat( "png" );
// Send out
header( "Content-Type: image/png" );
echo $im;

Here is the challenge: how do I move this script to a different directory AND using a fieldname called $uploaded from a database record instead? I tried this but it didn't work:

$path: '../../otherplace/';
// $uploaded is the field with the filename value
$fileloc: $path . $uploaded;
// Read page 1 
$im = new imagick( '$fileloc[0]' );
// Convert to png 
$im->setImageFormat( "png" );
// Send out 
header( "Content-Type: image/png" );
echo $im;

I get a "Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'ImagickException' with message 'Unable to read the file: $fileloc' in /home/user/public_html/dir/folder/script.php:334 Stack trace: #0 /home/user/public_html/dir/folder/script.php(334): Imagick->__construct('$fileloc') #1 /home/user/public_html/dir/folder/script.php(226): show_record(Array) #2 {main} thrown in /home/user/public_html/dir/folder/script.php on line 334

Also tried pathinfo() and fatal error again

I made a few tweaks but now Imagick is returning gibberish instead of image:

$sourcePath = 'dir/folder/'; // Path of original image
$sourceUrl = 'http://www.site.com/';
$thumbPath = $sourcePath; // Writeable thumb path
$thumbUrl = $sourceUrl . $thumbPath . $uploaded ; 
$im = new Imagick($thumbUrl);
$im->setImageFormat( "jpg" );
$im->thumbnailImage(100, 100);
header("Content-type: image/jpg");
echo "$im";

"No error" but outputs gibberish instead of image:

ÿÛCÿÀdd"ÿÄÿÄ9 !1"#A2QVh‘•¦Ôä$Waq±ÓÿÄÿÄ)!1Qq"A‘Òar’¡áÿÚ?Íkßµ+¾;é=oÕÜŽW#ü–ÙænÝ»ë‘çOo´OÒÝr2_^¬ÇiÓFãaR›5$ò~\’0#Ïn¢—·©ÕuµðGMXÍ«ùÛæÿÃ'g§lfÍ,Ø”Sú*¥Áw“h‡/qk,=Ýržzï–>~ÂÒút ƒÔ«á3žŽÃ‹¶s8yd“4–ݤ®§‚ÇqW¼ºÎ£‹Áß~.—´¤ŸÅKn@ «DE ±gÄ©"hm&㥰öÔ«b¬..........

Any help?

Answer 1

Here is the solution:

instead of:

echo $img;

you should echo:

echo "<img src='data:image/jpg;base64,".base64_encode($img)."' />";

This solved my Imagick problem, I hope it will help others.

One thing that I made sure was to test the basics: test.pdf > test.jpg, also tested: test.pdf > test.png, test.pdf > test.tiff - once I was sure that all the extensions were in the delegates and working fine, I moved to different dir and pulling the file from someplace else.

Brief of all the steps:

1- installed imagick (php) - I believe it was devel

2- set the path to the file thru http://

3- the rest was pretty much Imagick basics:

 $pdfUrl = "http://www.site.com/dir/$file";
 $img = new Imagick($pdfUrl);
 $img->setImageFormat("jpeg");
 echo "<img src='data:image/jpg;base64,".base64_encode($img)."' />";

Answer 2

The Reason your first example doesn't work is because you have your variable inside single quotes, not double quotes.

This:

$im = new imagick( '$fileloc[0]' );

Tells imagemagick to look for a file named $fileloc, which of course does not exist.

do this instead:

$im = new imagick( "$fileloc[0]" );

As for your second example, I belive you are having problems because for some reason you've put $im inside quotes when you echo it. You should echo it the same way you were in your working test:

echo $im;

not

echo "$im";