[Bug] Inconsistency in temporary URL configuration between upload and image colums

[jorrit]

Bug report

What I did

I first added an image column, where the image is stored in S3 and accessed using a temporary (signed) URL:

CRUD::column('logo')->type('image')->disk('s3')->temporary(true)->expiration(10);

I then tried to show an upload field in a similar way:

CRUD::column('file')->type('upload')->disk('s3')->temporary(true)->expiration(10);

What I expected to happen

I expected a valid temporary URL.

What happened

The temporary URL had expiration time 0.

What I've already tried to fix it

The cause and workaround is hidden in the difference between temporary URL generation in the upload.blade.php and image.blade.php files:

image:

$href = $src = Storage::disk($column['disk'])->temporaryUrl($column['prefix'].$column['value'], now()->addMinutes((int) $column['expiration']));

upload:

return asset(\Storage::disk($disk)->temporaryUrl($file_path, Carbon\Carbon::now()->addMinutes($column['temporary'])));

In other words, the upload variant should look like this:

CRUD::column('logo')->type('image')->disk('s3')->temporary(10);

Is it a bug in the latest version of Backpack?

Yes, it is in fact present in the main branch in GitHub

Backpack, Laravel, PHP, DB version

When I run php artisan backpack:version the output is:

### PHP VERSION:
8.4.10

### PHP EXTENSIONS:
Core, bcmath, calendar, ctype, date, hash, iconv, json, pcre, random, readline, Reflection, SPL, session, tokenizer, zlib, libxml, dom, filter, standard, PDO, bz2, mysqlnd, SimpleXML, xml, xmlreader, xmlwriter, apcu, mongodb, redis, openssl, curl, ftp, fileinfo, gd, gettext, gmp, intl, ldap, mbstring, mysqli, Phar, pdo_mysql, pdo_pgsql, pdo_sqlite, pgsql, soap, sodium, xsl, zip, Zend OPcache, xdebug

### LARAVEL VERSION:
12.34.0.0

### BACKPACK PACKAGE VERSIONS:
backpack/basset: 1.3.9
backpack/crud: 6.8.7
backpack/generators: v4.0.7
backpack/permissionmanager: 7.2.2
backpack/theme-tabler: 1.2.18

Additional Information

I am more than happy to provide a PR to make the invocation methods for upload (and upload_file) and image similar. I need some guidance as to which of the two is preferred. The ->temporary(10) way is conciser, the ->temporary(true)->expiration(10) is more clear to what it means.

[backpack-ai-bot]

You are correct in identifying an inconsistency between how the temporary URL expiration is configured for the image and upload columns in Backpack. The knowledge sources confirm that:

• The image column uses the expiration value from $column['expiration'] when generating a temporary URL:

  $href = $src = Storage::disk($column['disk'])->temporaryUrl($column['prefix'].$column['value'], now()->addMinutes((int) $column['expiration']));

• The upload column, however, uses $column['temporary'] for the expiration:

  return asset(\Storage::disk($disk)->temporaryUrl($file_path, Carbon\Carbon::now()->addMinutes($column['temporary'])));

This leads to confusion, as the configuration keys are not consistent between the two column types. The correct and intended usage, as per the current implementation, is:

• For image columns: use ->temporary(true)->expiration(10)
• For upload columns: use ->temporary(10)

This inconsistency has been reported and discussed in the Backpack community, and there is agreement that the API should be unified for clarity and ease of use. The maintainers have acknowledged similar issues and have made efforts to align the behavior of fields and columns in other areas, such as supporting temporary URLs and disk configuration in both fields and columns [use temporary disk in column too], [Fix upload column url generation].

However, as of the latest information in the knowledge sources, this specific inconsistency between the image and upload columns regarding temporary URL expiration configuration still exists. There is no definitive guidance yet on which approach (->temporary(10) vs ->temporary(true)->expiration(10)) will become the standard, but your suggestion to unify them is valid and would improve developer experience.

If you are willing to provide a PR, it would be helpful to propose unifying the API—either by adopting the more concise ->temporary(10) or the more explicit ->temporary(true)->expiration(10) for both columns. You may want to open an issue or discussion first to get feedback from the maintainers on which approach they prefer, as this will help ensure your PR aligns with the project's direction.

In summary:
Yes, this is a known inconsistency, and your analysis is correct. The maintainers are open to improvements in this area, and a PR to unify the configuration would be welcome. For now, be aware of the difference in how you configure temporary URLs for image and upload columns [use temporary disk in column too], [Fix upload column url generation].

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Relevant sources:

Github Issue (closed): Image Column does not have Prefix Option
Github Issue (closed): [Bug] Error in Image column using custom disk (s3).
Image column support private bucket
Fix temporary and expiration on uploaders
Github Issue (closed): [Bug] Image field broken image link after upload in BP6
Github Issue (closed): [Bug] - upload column throws error if column is null
Github Issue (closed): upload_multiple columns not utilizing temporary parameter
Github Issue (closed): [Feature req] Image column and field source should be defined the same way
Fix upload column url generation
Github Issue (open): [Bug] Image Field saved in s3 doesn't show thumbnail in form after save.
Column type upload not showing the correct url
use temporary disk in column too
Github Issue (closed): [Improvement] [Proposal] Support for temporary urls in image column
Github Issue (open): [Bug] Image column or field does not support absolute image URLs