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.NET Framework Class Library
FileUpload Class

Displays a text box control and a browse button that enable users to select a file to upload to the server.

Inheritance Hierarchy
SystemObject
   System.Web.UIControl
     System.Web.UI.WebControlsWebControl
      System.Web.UI.WebControlsFileUpload

Namespace:   System.Web.UI.WebControls
Assembly:  System.Web (in System.Web.dll)
Syntax
<[%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_0_0_0%]("FileBytes")> _
<[%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_0_0_1%]("FileName")> _
Public Class FileUpload _
	Inherits [%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_0_0_2%]
[[%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_1_0_0%]("FileBytes")]
[[%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_1_0_1%]("FileName")]
public class FileUpload : [%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_1_0_2%]
[[%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_2_0_0%](L"FileBytes")]
[[%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_2_0_1%](L"FileName")]
public ref class FileUpload : public [%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_2_0_2%]
[<[%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_3_0_0%]("FileBytes")>]
[<[%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_3_0_1%]("FileName")>]
type FileUpload =  
    class 
        inherit [%$TOPIC/ysf0192b_en-us_VS_110_2_0_3_0_2%] 
    end
<asp:FileUpload />

The FileUpload type exposes the following members.

Constructors
  NameDescription
Public method FileUploadInitializes a new instance of the FileUpload class.
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Properties
  NameDescription
Public property AccessKeyGets or sets the access key that allows you to quickly navigate to the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected property AdapterGets the browser-specific adapter for the control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property AllowMultipleGets or sets a value that specifies whether multiple files can be selected for upload.
Public property AppRelativeTemplateSourceDirectoryGets or sets the application-relative virtual directory of the Page or UserControl object that contains this control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property AttributesGets the collection of arbitrary attributes (for rendering only) that do not correspond to properties on the control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property BackColorGets or sets the background color of the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property BindingContainerInfrastructure. Gets the control that contains this control's data binding. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property BorderColorGets or sets the border color of the Web control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property BorderStyleGets or sets the border style of the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property BorderWidthGets or sets the border width of the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected property ChildControlsCreatedGets a value that indicates whether the server control's child controls have been created. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property ClientIDGets the control ID for HTML markup that is generated by ASP.NET. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property ClientIDModeGets or sets the algorithm that is used to generate the value of the ClientID property. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property ClientIDSeparatorGets a character value representing the separator character used in the ClientID property. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property ContextGets the HttpContext object associated with the server control for the current Web request. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property ControlsGets a ControlCollection object that represents the child controls for a specified server control in the UI hierarchy. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property ControlStyleGets the style of the Web server control. This property is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property ControlStyleCreatedGets a value indicating whether a Style object has been created for the ControlStyle property. This property is primarily used by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property CssClassGets or sets the Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) class rendered by the Web server control on the client. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property DataItemContainerGets a reference to the naming container if the naming container implements IDataItemContainer. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property DataKeysContainerGets a reference to the naming container if the naming container implements IDataKeysControl. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property DesignModeGets a value indicating whether a control is being used on a design surface. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property EnabledGets or sets a value indicating whether the Web server control is enabled. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property EnableThemingGets or sets a value indicating whether themes apply to this control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property EnableViewStateGets or sets a value indicating whether the server control persists its view state, and the view state of any child controls it contains, to the requesting client. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property EventsGets a list of event handler delegates for the control. This property is read-only. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property FileBytesGets an array of the bytes in a file that is specified by using a FileUpload control.
Public property FileContentGets a Stream object that points to a file to upload using the FileUpload control.
Public property FileNameGets the name of a file on a client to upload using the FileUpload control.
Public property FontGets the font properties associated with the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property ForeColorGets or sets the foreground color (typically the color of the text) of the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property HasAttributesGets a value indicating whether the control has attributes set. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected property HasChildViewStateGets a value indicating whether the current server control's child controls have any saved view-state settings. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property HasFileGets a value indicating whether the FileUpload control contains a file.
Public property HasFilesGets a value that indicates whether any files have been uploaded.
Public property HeightGets or sets the height of the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property IDGets or sets the programmatic identifier assigned to the server control. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property IdSeparatorInfrastructure. Gets the character used to separate control identifiers. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property IsChildControlStateClearedGets a value indicating whether controls contained within this control have control state. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property IsEnabledGets a value indicating whether the control is enabled. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected property IsTrackingViewStateGets a value that indicates whether the server control is saving changes to its view state. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property IsViewStateEnabledGets a value indicating whether view state is enabled for this control. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property LoadViewStateByIDGets a value indicating whether the control participates in loading its view state by ID instead of index. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property NamingContainerGets a reference to the server control's naming container, which creates a unique namespace for differentiating between server controls with the same ControlID property value. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property PageGets a reference to the Page instance that contains the server control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property ParentGets a reference to the server control's parent control in the page control hierarchy. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property PostedFileGets the underlying HttpPostedFile object for a file that is uploaded by using the FileUpload control.
Public property PostedFilesGets the collection of uploaded files.
Public property RenderingCompatibilityGets a value that specifies the ASP.NET version that rendered HTML will be compatible with. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property SiteGets information about the container that hosts the current control when rendered on a design surface. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property SkinIDGets or sets the skin to apply to the control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property StyleGets a collection of text attributes that will be rendered as a style attribute on the outer tag of the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property SupportsDisabledAttributeGets a value that indicates whether the control should set the disabled attribute of the rendered HTML element to "disabled" when the control's IsEnabled property is false. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property TabIndexGets or sets the tab index of the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected property TagKeyGets the HtmlTextWriterTag value that corresponds to this Web server control. This property is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected property TagNameGets the name of the control tag. This property is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property TemplateControlGets or sets a reference to the template that contains this control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property TemplateSourceDirectoryGets the virtual directory of the Page or UserControl that contains the current server control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property ToolTipGets or sets the text displayed when the mouse pointer hovers over the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public property UniqueIDGets the unique, hierarchically qualified identifier for the server control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property ValidateRequestModeGets or sets a value that indicates whether the control checks client input from the browser for potentially dangerous values. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property ViewStateGets a dictionary of state information that allows you to save and restore the view state of a server control across multiple requests for the same page. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected property ViewStateIgnoresCaseGets a value that indicates whether the StateBag object is case-insensitive. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property ViewStateModeGets or sets the view-state mode of this control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property VisibleGets or sets a value that indicates whether a server control is rendered as UI on the page. (Inherited from Control.)
Public property WidthGets or sets the width of the Web server control. (Inherited from WebControl.)
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Methods
  NameDescription
Protected method AddAttributesToRenderAdds the HTML attributes and styles of a FileUpload control to render to the specified System.Web.UIHtmlTextWriter object. (Overrides WebControlAddAttributesToRender(HtmlTextWriter).)
Protected method AddedControlCalled after a child control is added to the Controls collection of the Control object. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method AddParsedSubObjectNotifies the server control that an element, either XML or HTML, was parsed, and adds the element to the server control's ControlCollection object. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method ApplyStyleCopies any nonblank elements of the specified style to the Web control, overwriting any existing style elements of the control. This method is primarily used by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public method ApplyStyleSheetSkinApplies the style properties defined in the page style sheet to the control. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method BeginRenderTracingBegins design-time tracing of rendering data. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method BuildProfileTreeInfrastructure. Gathers information about the server control and delivers it to the Trace property to be displayed when tracing is enabled for the page. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method ClearCachedClientIDInfrastructure. Sets the cached ClientID value to . (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method ClearChildControlStateDeletes the control-state information for the server control's child controls. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method ClearChildStateDeletes the view-state and control-state information for all the server control's child controls. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method ClearChildViewStateDeletes the view-state information for all the server control's child controls. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method ClearEffectiveClientIDModeInfrastructure. Sets the ClientIDMode property of the current control instance and of any child controls to Inherit. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method CopyBaseAttributesCopies the properties not encapsulated by the Style object from the specified Web server control to the Web server control that this method is called from. This method is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected method CreateChildControlsCalled by the ASP.NET page framework to notify server controls that use composition-based implementation to create any child controls they contain in preparation for posting back or rendering. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method CreateControlCollectionCreates a new ControlCollection object to hold the child controls (both literal and server) of the server control. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method CreateControlStyleCreates the style object that is used internally by the WebControl class to implement all style related properties. This method is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public method DataBindBinds a data source to the invoked server control and all its child controls. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method DataBind(Boolean)Binds a data source to the invoked server control and all its child controls with an option to raise the DataBinding event. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method DataBindChildrenBinds a data source to the server control's child controls. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method DisposeEnables a server control to perform final clean up before it is released from memory. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method EndRenderTracingEnds design-time tracing of rendering data. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method EnsureChildControlsDetermines whether the server control contains child controls. If it does not, it creates child controls. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method EnsureIDCreates an identifier for controls that do not have an identifier assigned. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method Equals(Object)Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object. (Inherited from Object.)
Protected method FinalizeAllows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before it is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method FindControl(String)Searches the current naming container for a server control with the specified id parameter. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method FindControl(String, Int32)Infrastructure. Searches the current naming container for a server control with the specified id and an integer, specified in the pathOffset parameter, which aids in the search. You should not override this version of the FindControl method. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method FocusSets input focus to a control. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method GetDesignModeStateInfrastructure. Gets design-time data for a control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method GetHashCodeServes as a hash function for a particular type. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method GetRouteUrl(Object)Gets the URL that corresponds to a set of route parameters. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method GetRouteUrl(RouteValueDictionary)Gets the URL that corresponds to a set of route parameters. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method GetRouteUrl(String, Object)Gets the URL that corresponds to a set of route parameters and a route name. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method GetRouteUrl(String, RouteValueDictionary)Gets the URL that corresponds to a set of route parameters and a route name. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method GetTypeGets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method GetUniqueIDRelativeToReturns the prefixed portion of the UniqueID property of the specified control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method HasControlsDetermines if the server control contains any child controls. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method HasEventsReturns a value indicating whether events are registered for the control or any child controls. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method IsLiteralContentInfrastructure. Determines if the server control holds only literal content. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method LoadControlStateRestores control-state information from a previous page request that was saved by the SaveControlState method. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method LoadViewStateRestores view-state information from a previous request that was saved with the SaveViewState method. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected method MapPathSecureRetrieves the physical path that a virtual path, either absolute or relative, maps to. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method MemberwiseCloneCreates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
Public method MergeStyleCopies any nonblank elements of the specified style to the Web control, but will not overwrite any existing style elements of the control. This method is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected method OnBubbleEventDetermines whether the event for the server control is passed up the page's UI server control hierarchy. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method OnDataBindingRaises the DataBinding event. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method OnInitRaises the Init event. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method OnLoadRaises the Load event. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method OnPreRenderRaises the PreRender event for the FileUpload control. (Overrides ControlOnPreRender(EventArgs).)
Protected method OnUnloadRaises the Unload event. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method OpenFileGets a Stream used to read a file. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method RaiseBubbleEventAssigns any sources of the event and its information to the control's parent. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method RemovedControlCalled after a child control is removed from the Controls collection of the Control object. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method RenderSends the FileUpload control content to the specified System.Web.UIHtmlTextWriter object, which writes the content to render on the client. (Overrides WebControlRender(HtmlTextWriter).)
Public method RenderBeginTagRenders the HTML opening tag of the control to the specified writer. This method is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected method RenderChildrenOutputs the content of a server control's children to a provided HtmlTextWriter object, which writes the content to be rendered on the client. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method RenderContentsRenders the contents of the control to the specified writer. This method is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Public method RenderControl(HtmlTextWriter)Outputs server control content to a provided HtmlTextWriter object and stores tracing information about the control if tracing is enabled. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method RenderControl(HtmlTextWriter, ControlAdapter)Outputs server control content to a provided HtmlTextWriter object using a provided ControlAdapter object. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method RenderEndTagRenders the HTML closing tag of the control into the specified writer. This method is used primarily by control developers. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected method ResolveAdapterGets the control adapter responsible for rendering the specified control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method ResolveClientUrlGets a URL that can be used by the browser. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method ResolveUrlConverts a URL into one that is usable on the requesting client. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method SaveAsSaves the contents of an uploaded file to a specified path on the Web server.
Protected method SaveControlStateSaves any server control state changes that have occurred since the time the page was posted back to the server. (Inherited from Control.)
Protected method SaveViewStateSaves any state that was modified after the TrackViewState method was invoked. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Protected method SetDesignModeStateSets design-time data for a control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method SetRenderMethodDelegateInfrastructure. Assigns an event handler delegate to render the server control and its content into its parent control. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method SetTraceData(Object, Object)Sets trace data for design-time tracing of rendering data, using the trace data key and the trace data value. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method SetTraceData(Object, Object, Object)Sets trace data for design-time tracing of rendering data, using the traced object, the trace data key, and the trace data value. (Inherited from Control.)
Public method ToStringReturns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.)
Protected method TrackViewStateCauses the control to track changes to its view state so they can be stored in the object's ViewState property. (Inherited from WebControl.)
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Events
  NameDescription
Public event DataBindingOccurs when the server control binds to a data source. (Inherited from Control.)
Public event DisposedOccurs when a server control is released from memory, which is the last stage of the server control lifecycle when an ASP.NET page is requested. (Inherited from Control.)
Public event InitOccurs when the server control is initialized, which is the first step in its lifecycle. (Inherited from Control.)
Public event LoadOccurs when the server control is loaded into the Page object. (Inherited from Control.)
Public event PreRenderOccurs after the Control object is loaded but prior to rendering. (Inherited from Control.)
Public event UnloadOccurs when the server control is unloaded from memory. (Inherited from Control.)
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Extension Methods
  NameDescription
Public Extension Method FindDataSourceControlReturns the data source that is associated with the data control for the specified control. (Defined by DynamicDataExtensions.)
Public Extension Method FindFieldTemplateReturns the field template for the specified column in the specified control's naming container. (Defined by DynamicDataExtensions.)
Public Extension Method FindMetaTableReturns the metatable object for the containing data control. (Defined by DynamicDataExtensions.)
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Explicit Interface Implementations
  NameDescription
Explicit interface implemetation Private method IAttributeAccessorGetAttributeInfrastructure. Gets an attribute of the Web control with the specified name. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private method IAttributeAccessorSetAttributeSets an attribute of the Web control to the specified name and value. (Inherited from WebControl.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private property IControlBuilderAccessorControlBuilderFor a description of this member, see IControlBuilderAccessorControlBuilder. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private method IControlDesignerAccessorGetDesignModeStateFor a description of this member, see IControlDesignerAccessorGetDesignModeState. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private method IControlDesignerAccessorSetDesignModeStateFor a description of this member, see IControlDesignerAccessorSetDesignModeState. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private method IControlDesignerAccessorSetOwnerControlInfrastructure. For a description of this member, see IControlDesignerAccessorSetOwnerControl. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private property IControlDesignerAccessorUserDataFor a description of this member, see IControlDesignerAccessorUserData. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private property IDataBindingsAccessorDataBindingsFor a description of this member, see IDataBindingsAccessorDataBindings. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private property IDataBindingsAccessorHasDataBindingsFor a description of this member, see IDataBindingsAccessorHasDataBindings. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private property IExpressionsAccessorExpressionsFor a description of this member, see IExpressionsAccessorExpressions. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private property IExpressionsAccessorHasExpressionsFor a description of this member, see IExpressionsAccessorHasExpressions. (Inherited from Control.)
Explicit interface implemetation Private method IParserAccessorAddParsedSubObjectFor a description of this member, see IParserAccessorAddParsedSubObject. (Inherited from Control.)
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Remarks

In this topic:

  • Introduction

  • Saving Uploaded Files

  • Security Considerations

  • Memory Limitations

  • Using the FileUpload Control with the UpdatePanel Control

  • Declarative Syntax

Introduction

The FileUpload class displays a text box control and a browse button that enable users to select a file on the client and upload it to the Web server. The user specifies the file to upload by entering the full path of the file on the local computer (for example, C:\MyFiles\TestFile.txt) in the text box of the control. Alternately, the user can select the file by clicking the Browse button, and then locating it in the Choose File dialog box.

Use the FileName property to get the name of a file on a client to upload by using the FileUpload control. The file name that this property returns does not include the path of the file on the client.

The FileContent property gets a Stream object that points to a file to upload. Use this property to access the contents of the file as bytes. For example, you can use the Stream object that is returned by the FileContent property to read the contents of the file as bytes and store them in a byte array. Alternatively, you can use the FileBytes property to retrieve all the bytes in the file.

The PostedFile property gets the underlying HttpPostedFile object for the file to upload. You can use this property to access additional properties on the file. The ContentLength property gets the length of the file. The ContentType property gets the MIME content type of the file. In addition, you can use the PostedFile property to access the FileName property, the InputStream property, and the SaveAs method. However, the same functionality is provided by the FileName property, the FileContent property, and the SaveAs method.

Saving Uploaded Files

The FileUpload control does not automatically save a file to the server after the user selects the file to upload. You must explicitly provide a control or mechanism to allow the user to submit the specified file. For example, you can provide a button that the user clicks to upload the file. The code that you write to save the specified file should call the SaveAs method, which saves the contents of a file to a specified path on the server. Typically, the SaveAs method is called in an event-handling method for an event that raises a post back to the server. For example, if you provide a button to submit a file, you could include the code to save the file inside the event-handling method for the click event.

Before calling the SaveAs method to save the file to the server, use the HasFile property to verify that the FileUpload control contains a file. If the HasFile returns true, call the SaveAs method. If it returns false, display a message to the user indicating that the control does not contain a file. Do not check the PostedFile property to determine whether a file to upload exists because, by default, this property contains 0 bytes. As a result, even when the FileUpload control is blank, the PostedFile property returns a non-null value.

Security Considerations

When you call the SaveAs method, you must specify the full path of the directory in which to save the uploaded file. If you do not explicitly specify a path in your application code, an exception is thrown when a user attempts to upload a file. This behavior helps keep the files on the server secure by preventing users from being able to write to arbitrary locations in your application's directory structure, as well as preventing access to sensitive root directories.

The SaveAs method writes the uploaded file to the specified directory. Therefore, the ASP.NET application must have write access to the directory on the server. There are two ways that the application can get write access. You can explicitly grant write access to the account under which the application is running, in the directory in which the uploaded files will be saved. Alternatively, you can increase the level of trust that is granted to the ASP.NET application. To get write access to the executing directory for the application, the application must be granted the AspNetHostingPermission object with the trust level set to the AspNetHostingPermissionLevelMedium value. Increasing the level of trust increases the application's access to resources on the server. Note that this is not a secure approach, because a malicious user who gains control of your application will also be able to run under this higher level of trust. It is a best practice to run an ASP.NET application in the context of a user with the minimum privileges that are required for the application to run. For more information about security in ASP.NET applications, see Basic Security Practices for Web Applications and ASP.NET Trust Levels and Policy Files.

Memory Limitations

One way to guard against denial of service attacks is to limit the size of the files that can be uploaded by using the FileUpload control. You should set a size limit that is appropriate for the types of files that you expect to be uploaded. The default size limit is 4096 kilobytes (KB), or 4 megabytes (MB). You can allow larger files to be uploaded by setting the maxRequestLength attribute of the httpRuntime element. To increase the maximum allowable file size for the entire application, set the maxRequestLength attribute in the Web.config file. To increase the maximum allowable file size for a specified page, set the maxRequestLength attribute inside the location element in Web.config. For an example, see location Element (ASP.NET Settings Schema).

When uploading large files, a user might also receive the following error message:

aspnet_wp.exe (PID: 1520) was recycled because memory consumption exceeded 460 MB (60 percent of available RAM).

If your users encounter this error message, increase the value of the memoryLimit attribute in the processModel of element the Web.config file for the application. The memoryLimit attribute specifies the maximum amount of memory that a worker process can use. If the worker process exceeds the memoryLimit amount, a new process is created to replace it, and all current requests are reassigned to the new process.

To control whether the file to upload is temporarily stored in memory or on the server while the request is being processed, set the requestLengthDiskThreshold attribute of the httpRuntime element. This attribute enables you to manage the size of the input stream buffer. The default is 256 bytes. The value that you specify should not exceed the value that you specify for the maxRequestLength attribute.

Using the FileUpload Control with the UpdatePanel Control

The FileUpload control is designed to be used only in postback scenarios and not in asynchronous postback scenarios during partial-page rendering. When you use a FileUpload control inside an UpdatePanel control, the file must be uploaded by using a control that is a PostBackTrigger object for the panel. UpdatePanel controls are used to update selected regions of a page instead of updating the whole page with a postback. For more information, see UpdatePanel Control Overview and Partial-Page Rendering Overview.

Declarative Syntax

<asp:FileUpload
    AccessKey="string"
    BackColor="color name|#dddddd"
    BorderColor="color name|#dddddd"
    BorderStyle="NotSet|None|Dotted|Dashed|Solid|Double|Groove|Ridge|
        Inset|Outset"
    BorderWidth="size"
    CssClass="string"
    Enabled="True|False"
    EnableTheming="True|False"
    EnableViewState="True|False"
    Font-Bold="True|False"
    Font-Italic="True|False"
    Font-Names="string"
    Font-Overline="True|False"
    Font-Size="string|Smaller|Larger|XX-Small|X-Small|Small|Medium|
        Large|X-Large|XX-Large"
    Font-Strikeout="True|False"
    Font-Underline="True|False"
    ForeColor="color name|#dddddd"
    Height="size"
    ID="string"
    OnDataBinding="DataBinding event handler"
    OnDisposed="Disposed event handler"
    OnInit="Init event handler"
    OnLoad="Load event handler"
    OnPreRender="PreRender event handler"
    OnUnload="Unload event handler"
    runat="server"
    SkinID="string"
    Style="string"
    TabIndex="integer"
    ToolTip="string"
    Visible="True|False"
    Width="size"
/>
Examples

A Visual Studio Web site project with source code is available to accompany this topic: Download.

This section contains the following four examples:

  • The first example demonstrates how to create a FileUpload control that saves files to a path that is specified in code.

  • The second example demonstrates how to create a FileUpload control that saves files to a specified directory in the file system for the application.

  • The third example demonstrates how to create a FileUpload control that saves files to a specified path and limits the size of the file that can be uploaded.

  • The fourth example demonstrates how to create a FileUpload control that saves files to a specified path and allows only files that have the .doc or .xls file name extensions to be uploaded.

Caution noteCaution

These examples demonstrate the basic syntax for the FileUpload control, but they do not demonstrate all the necessary error checking that should be completed before to saving the file. For a more complete example, see SaveAs.

The following example demonstrates how to create a FileUpload control that saves files to a path that is specified in code. The SaveAs method is called to save the file to the specified path on the server.

<%@ Page Language="VB" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> 

<script runat="server">

  Sub UploadButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

    ' Specify the path on the server to
    ' save the uploaded file to.
    Dim savePath As String = "c:\temp\uploads\"

    ' Before attempting to perform operations
    ' on the file, verify that the FileUpload 
    ' control contains a file.
    If (FileUpload1.HasFile) Then
      ' Get the name of the file to upload.
      Dim fileName As String = FileUpload1.FileName

      ' Append the name of the file to upload to the path.
      savePath += fileName

      ' Call the SaveAs method to save the 
      ' uploaded file to the specified path.
      ' This example does not perform all
      ' the necessary error checking.               
      ' If a file with the same name
      ' already exists in the specified path,  
      ' the uploaded file overwrites it.
      FileUpload1.SaveAs(savePath)

      ' Notify the user of the name the file
      ' was saved under.
      UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was saved as " & fileName

    Else
      ' Notify the user that a file was not uploaded.
      UploadStatusLabel.Text = "You did not specify a file to upload."
    End If

  End Sub

</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head runat="server">
    <title>FileUpload Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
    <div>
       <h4>Select a file to upload:</h4>

       <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1"                 
           runat="server">
       </asp:FileUpload>

       <br /><br />

       <asp:Button id="UploadButton" 
           Text="Upload file"
           OnClick="UploadButton_Click"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Button>    

       <hr />

       <asp:Label id="UploadStatusLabel"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Label>        
    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>
<%@ Page Language="C#" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> 

<script runat="server">

  protected void UploadButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
  {
    // Specify the path on the server to
    // save the uploaded file to.
    String savePath = @"c:\temp\uploads\";

    // Before attempting to perform operations
    // on the file, verify that the FileUpload 
    // control contains a file.
    if (FileUpload1.HasFile)
    {
      // Get the name of the file to upload.
      String fileName = FileUpload1.FileName;

      // Append the name of the file to upload to the path.
      savePath += fileName;


      // Call the SaveAs method to save the 
      // uploaded file to the specified path.
      // This example does not perform all
      // the necessary error checking.               
      // If a file with the same name
      // already exists in the specified path,  
      // the uploaded file overwrites it.
      FileUpload1.SaveAs(savePath);

      // Notify the user of the name of the file
      // was saved under.
      UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was saved as " + fileName;
    }
    else
    {      
      // Notify the user that a file was not uploaded.
      UploadStatusLabel.Text = "You did not specify a file to upload.";
    }

  }
</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head runat="server">
    <title>FileUpload Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
    <div>
       <h4>Select a file to upload:</h4>

       <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1"                 
           runat="server">
       </asp:FileUpload>

       <br /><br />

       <asp:Button id="UploadButton" 
           Text="Upload file"
           OnClick="UploadButton_Click"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Button>    

       <hr />

       <asp:Label id="UploadStatusLabel"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Label>        
    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

The following example demonstrates how to create a FileUpload control that saves files to a specified directory in the file system for the application. The HttpRequestPhysicalApplicationPath property is used to get the physical file system path of the root directory for the currently executing server application. The SaveAs method is called to save the file to the specified path on the server.

<%@ Page Language="VB" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<script runat="server">
    Sub UploadButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

        ' Save the uploaded file to an "Uploads" directory
        ' that already exists in the file system of the 
        ' currently executing ASP.NET application.  
        ' Creating an "Uploads" directory isolates uploaded 
        ' files in a separate directory. This helps prevent
        ' users from overwriting existing application files by
        ' uploading files with names like "Web.config".
        Dim saveDir As String = "\Uploads\"

        ' Get the physical file system path for the currently
        ' executing application.
        Dim appPath As String = Request.PhysicalApplicationPath

        ' Before attempting to save the file, verify
        ' that the FileUpload control contains a file.
        If (FileUpload1.HasFile) Then
            Dim savePath As String = appPath + saveDir + _
                Server.HtmlEncode(FileUpload1.FileName)

            ' Call the SaveAs method to save the 
            ' uploaded file to the specified path.
            ' This example does not perform all
            ' the necessary error checking.               
            ' If a file with the same name
            ' already exists in the specified path,  
            ' the uploaded file overwrites it.
            FileUpload1.SaveAs(savePath)

            ' Notify the user that the file was uploaded successfully.
            UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was uploaded successfully."

        Else
            ' Notify the user that a file was not uploaded.
            UploadStatusLabel.Text = "You did not specify a file to upload."
        End If

    End Sub

</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head runat="server">
    <title>FileUpload Class Example</title>
</head>
<body>
   <h3>FileUpload Class Example: Save To Application Directory</h3>
   <form id="form1" runat="server">
   <div>   
       <h4>Select a file to upload:</h4>

       <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1"                 
           runat="server">
       </asp:FileUpload>

       <br/><br/>

       <asp:Button id="UploadButton" 
           Text="Upload file"
           OnClick="UploadButton_Click"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Button>    

       <hr />

       <asp:Label id="UploadStatusLabel"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Label>       

   </div>
   </form>
</body>
</html>
<%@ Page Language="C#" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<script runat="server">

    protected void UploadButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        // Save the uploaded file to an "Uploads" directory
        // that already exists in the file system of the 
        // currently executing ASP.NET application.  
        // Creating an "Uploads" directory isolates uploaded 
        // files in a separate directory. This helps prevent
        // users from overwriting existing application files by
        // uploading files with names like "Web.config".
        string saveDir = @"\Uploads\";

        // Get the physical file system path for the currently
        // executing application.
        string appPath = Request.PhysicalApplicationPath;

        // Before attempting to save the file, verify
        // that the FileUpload control contains a file.
        if (FileUpload1.HasFile)
        {
            string savePath = appPath + saveDir +
                Server.HtmlEncode(FileUpload1.FileName);

            // Call the SaveAs method to save the 
            // uploaded file to the specified path.
            // This example does not perform all
            // the necessary error checking.               
            // If a file with the same name
            // already exists in the specified path,  
            // the uploaded file overwrites it.
            FileUpload1.SaveAs(savePath);

            // Notify the user that the file was uploaded successfully.
            UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was uploaded successfully.";

        }
        else
        {
            // Notify the user that a file was not uploaded.
            UploadStatusLabel.Text = "You did not specify a file to upload.";   
        }
    }
</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head runat="server">
    <title>FileUpload Class Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h3>FileUpload Class Example: Save To Application Directory</h3>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
    <div>
       <h4>Select a file to upload:</h4>

       <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1"                 
           runat="server">
       </asp:FileUpload>

       <br/><br/>

       <asp:Button id="UploadButton" 
           Text="Upload file"
           OnClick="UploadButton_Click"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Button>    

       <hr />

       <asp:Label id="UploadStatusLabel"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Label>           
    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

The following example demonstrates how to create a FileUpload control that saves files to a path that is specified in the code. The control limits the size of the file that can be uploaded to 5 MB. The PostedFile property is used to access the underlying ContentLength property and return the size of the file. If the size of the file to upload is less than 2 MB, the SaveAs method is called to save the file to the specified path on the server. In addition to checking for the maximum file size setting in your application code, you can set the maxRequestLength attribute of the httpRuntime element to a maximum allowable size in the configuration file for your application.

<%@ Page Language="VB" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<script runat="server">

    Protected Sub UploadButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)

        ' Specify the path on the server to
        ' save the uploaded file to.
        Dim savePath As String = "c:\temp\uploads\"

        ' Before attempting to save the file, verify
        ' that the FileUpload control contains a file.
        If (FileUpload1.HasFile) Then

            ' Get the size in bytes of the file to upload.
            Dim fileSize As Integer = FileUpload1.PostedFile.ContentLength

            ' Allow only files less than 2,100,000 bytes (approximately 2 MB) to be uploaded.
            If (fileSize < 2100000) Then

                ' Append the name of the uploaded file to the path.
                savePath += Server.HtmlEncode(FileUpload1.FileName)

                ' Call the SaveAs method to save the 
                ' uploaded file to the specified path.
                ' This example does not perform all
                ' the necessary error checking.               
                ' If a file with the same name
                ' already exists in the specified path,  
                ' the uploaded file overwrites it.
                FileUpload1.SaveAs(savePath)

                ' Notify the user that the file was uploaded successfully.
                UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was uploaded successfully."

            Else
                ' Notify the user why their file was not uploaded.
                UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was not uploaded because " + _
                                         "it exceeds the 2 MB size limit."
            End If

        Else
            ' Notify the user that a file was not uploaded.
            UploadStatusLabel.Text = "You did not specify a file to upload."
        End If

    End Sub
</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head runat="server">
    <title>FileUpload Class Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
    <div>
       <h4>Select a file to upload:</h4>

       <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1"                 
           runat="server">
       </asp:FileUpload>

       <br/><br/>

       <asp:Button id="UploadButton" 
           Text="Upload file"
           OnClick="UploadButton_Click"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Button>

       <hr />

       <asp:Label id="UploadStatusLabel"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Label>

    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>
<%@ Page Language="C#" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<script runat="server">

    protected void UploadButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        // Specify the path on the server to
        // save the uploaded file to.
        string savePath = @"c:\temp\uploads\";

        // Before attempting to save the file, verify
        // that the FileUpload control contains a file.
        if (FileUpload1.HasFile)
        {                
            // Get the size in bytes of the file to upload.
            int fileSize = FileUpload1.PostedFile.ContentLength;

            // Allow only files less than 2,100,000 bytes (approximately 2 MB) to be uploaded.
            if (fileSize < 2100000)
            {

                // Append the name of the uploaded file to the path.
                savePath += Server.HtmlEncode(FileUpload1.FileName);

                // Call the SaveAs method to save the 
                // uploaded file to the specified path.
                // This example does not perform all
                // the necessary error checking.               
                // If a file with the same name
                // already exists in the specified path,  
                // the uploaded file overwrites it.
                FileUpload1.SaveAs(savePath);

                // Notify the user that the file was uploaded successfully.
                UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was uploaded successfully.";
            }
            else
            {
                // Notify the user why their file was not uploaded.
                UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was not uploaded because " + 
                                         "it exceeds the 2 MB size limit.";
            }
        }   
        else
        {
            // Notify the user that a file was not uploaded.
            UploadStatusLabel.Text = "You did not specify a file to upload.";
        }
    }
</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head runat="server">
    <title>FileUpload Class Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
    <div>
       <h4>Select a file to upload:</h4>

       <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1"                 
           runat="server">
       </asp:FileUpload>

       <br/><br/>

       <asp:Button id="UploadButton" 
           Text="Upload file"
           OnClick="UploadButton_Click"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Button>

       <hr />

       <asp:Label id="UploadStatusLabel"
           runat="server">
       </asp:Label>

    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>

The following example demonstrates how to create a FileUpload control that saves files to a path that is specified in the code. This example allows only files that have the .doc or .xls file name extensions to be uploaded. The PathGetExtension method is called to return the extension of the file to upload. If the file has a .doc or .xls file name extension, the SaveAs method is called to save the file to the specified path on the server.

<%@ Page Language="VB" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<script runat="server">

    Protected Sub UploadBtn_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
        ' Specify the path on the server to
        ' save the uploaded file to.
        Dim savePath As String = "c:\temp\uploads\"

        ' Before attempting to save the file, verify
        ' that the FileUpload control contains a file.
        If (FileUpload1.HasFile) Then

            ' Get the name of the file to upload.
            Dim fileName As String = Server.HtmlEncode(FileUpload1.FileName)

            ' Get the extension of the uploaded file.
            Dim extension As String = System.IO.Path.GetExtension(fileName)

            ' Allow only files with .doc or .xls extensions
            ' to be uploaded.
            If (extension = ".doc") Or (extension = ".xls") Then

                ' Append the name of the file to upload to the path.
                savePath += fileName

                ' Call the SaveAs method to save the 
                ' uploaded file to the specified path.
                ' This example does not perform all
                ' the necessary error checking.               
                ' If a file with the same name
                ' already exists in the specified path,  
                ' the uploaded file overwrites it.
                FileUpload1.SaveAs(savePath)

                ' Notify the user that their file was successfully uploaded.
                UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was uploaded successfully."

            Else
                ' Notify the user why their file was not uploaded.
                UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was not uploaded because " + _
                                         "it does not have a .doc or .xls extension."
            End If

        Else
            ' Notify the user that a file was not uploaded.
            UploadStatusLabel.Text = "You did not specify a file to upload."
        End If
    End Sub
</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head runat="server">
    <title>FileUpload Class Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
    <div>
        <h4>Select a file to upload:</h4>

        <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1"                 
            runat="server">
        </asp:FileUpload>

        <br/><br/>

        <asp:Button id="UploadBtn" 
            Text="Upload file"
            OnClick="UploadBtn_Click"
            runat="server">
        </asp:Button>    

        <hr />

        <asp:Label id="UploadStatusLabel"
            runat="server">
        </asp:Label>     
    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>
<%@ Page Language="C#" %>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

<script runat="server">

    protected void UploadBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        // Specify the path on the server to
        // save the uploaded file to.
        string savePath = @"c:\temp\uploads";

        // Before attempting to save the file, verify
        // that the FileUpload control contains a file.
        if (FileUpload1.HasFile)
        {
            // Get the name of the file to upload.
            string fileName = Server.HtmlEncode(FileUpload1.FileName);

            // Get the extension of the uploaded file.
            string extension = System.IO.Path.GetExtension(fileName);

            // Allow only files with .doc or .xls extensions
            // to be uploaded.
            if ((extension == ".doc") || (extension == ".xls"))
            {
                // Append the name of the file to upload to the path.
                savePath += fileName;

                // Call the SaveAs method to save the 
                // uploaded file to the specified path.
                // This example does not perform all
                // the necessary error checking.               
                // If a file with the same name
                // already exists in the specified path,  
                // the uploaded file overwrites it.
                FileUpload1.SaveAs(savePath);

                // Notify the user that their file was successfully uploaded.
                UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was uploaded successfully.";
            }
            else
            {
                // Notify the user why their file was not uploaded.
                UploadStatusLabel.Text = "Your file was not uploaded because " + 
                                         "it does not have a .doc or .xls extension.";
            }

        }

    }

</script>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head runat="server">
    <title>FileUpload Class Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <form id="form1" runat="server">
    <div>
        <h4>Select a file to upload:</h4>

        <asp:FileUpload id="FileUpload1"                 
            runat="server">
        </asp:FileUpload>

        <br/><br/>

        <asp:Button id="UploadBtn" 
            Text="Upload file"
            OnClick="UploadBtn_Click"
            runat="server">
        </asp:Button>    

        <hr />

        <asp:Label id="UploadStatusLabel"
            runat="server">
        </asp:Label>     
    </div>
    </form>
</body>
</html>
Version Information

.NET Framework

Supported in: 4.5, 4, 3.5, 3.0, 2.0
Platforms

Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core Role not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core Role supported with SP1 or later; Itanium not supported)

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

Thread Safety
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.