Changing URLs dynamically - is this possible?

I've been puzzling this little problem for a week or so, and I have a feeling it can be done somehow but I'm not quite sure how.

What I'm wanting to do is have a number of images on one of my domains that are hotlinked to by a number of other domains. I want to be able to switch the image on all of the other domains that link to that image/url, without having to delve into the code every time I want to do it (I'm thinking something like a form and a just press the button to change it kind of arrangement).

I considered client-side javascript and DOM, but as far as I can see while I could use that to change an image locally, to display an image, that would have no effect on the actual url, so I then moved to thinking server-side. So then I tried php includes and with the help of a friend figured out how to use a php include to change the displayed image, but, the big problem with that is again that while I can change the displayed image, that also changes the url and of course because I'm hotlinking the images the url has to be the same.

I have a nasty feeling the answer to this is somehow gonna be either database related (not good news - one of my hobbies is b0rking MySQL databases <hehe>) or involve some programming trickery that's beyond me, but this is puzzling me because I'm sure it can be done - I just can't figure out how. Any ideas anyone?

CAn you provide some links to the pages you are talking about?

No, I haven't got anything set up yet - it's a theoretical "can this be done?" at this stage. Basically I just want to be able to put the images on a page somewhere (not necessarily that's linked to the rest of the site or anything) that I can go to and change the image.

You could use Javascript to do this
You would have to have one js file for each picture I believe but a DB would be the easiest route

Why do you need a js file for each picture?

Just give the image an id and then on each link you can just change the source of the image:-
document.getElementById("myimage").src="newimage.j pg"

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I was thinking

Code: Select all

<script type="text/javascript" src="www.webserver.com/image1.js"></script>

I am thinking your way might be better

why can't u just upload a new picture with the same name to replace the old one each time you want to change it?

You can if you keep the dimensions the same or do not specify them in the first place.

With regard to your original post, you can place an image at one domain and reference that image from any number of other domains.

Image bandwidth thiefs do it all the time.

You might want to control just which domains have access to the image.

I suppose I could do. It was just one of those "what ifs" and I wondered if there was a way to do it without ftping of delving into code or anything.