A new uploader powered by HTML5 technology

File uploads have traditionally had very bad usability on the web. The standard solution was uploading files as part of a form, leaving the user to just wait until the process was done. We could offer barely any feedback of what was going on.

Several options appeared to make the process more bearable for the user. Some alternatives were client-based, such as using some Flash-powered element like SWFUpload. Other alternatives laid more on the side of the server with a pinch of Ajax. However, there was still the question of why there was no solution that avoided proprietary technology, required minimal hassle OR was free of far-fetched hacks.

Our current Panda jQuery upload plugin makes use of SWFUpload to allow seamless integration with your existing site and provide a progress bar. As keen advocates of HTML5 video, this hasn’t always been the ideal solution.

We’re on the brink of a HTML5 revolution, and with some ingenuity we’ve managed to develop a HTML5 powered Ajax uploader with progress. In a similar fashion to new HTML5 video players, there is a seamless fallback to Flash if the user’s browser doesn’t support the necessary HTML5 features.

We think the end result is a great improvement. Please head over to the Github page to download the source of the beta version. We’d love to hear your feedback!

If you’d like to learn more about the new HTML5 File API and XMLHttpRequest Level 2. Head over to the New Bamboo blog to read the in depth technical breakdown.