13

How do you re-instantiate an already declared base64 data url image without having to re-insert the base64 code on the same page?(preferably with css)

I tried:

<html><head>
    <style type="text/css">
        img.wink { width:15px; height:15px;
            src:"data:image/.gif;base64,R0lGODlhDwAPALMMAP/qAEVFRQAAAP/OAP/JAP6dAP+0AP/+k//9E///x//lAP//6wAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAwALAAAAAAPAA8AAARXkEkZap2Y1ZXOGRcWcAgCnEMRTEEnnDCQrtrxxjCoJSZw+y+CKnDo/WAEQ+WAwyUrvWZQGRg0TwKFcFX1xYI6zWCgEJizhBlrTGi31aKAYW4YZlgW2iQCADs=";
        }
    </style>
</head><body>
    <h1>Hello</h1>
    <img class="wink"/>, and just to test my sanity <img width="15px" height="15px" src="data:image/.gif;base64,R0lGODlhDwAPALMMAP/qAEVFRQAAAP/OAP/JAP6dAP+0AP/+k//9E///x//lAP//6wAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAwALAAAAAAPAA8AAARXkEkZap2Y1ZXOGRcWcAgCnEMRTEEnnDCQrtrxxjCoJSZw+y+CKnDo/WAEQ+WAwyUrvWZQGRg0TwKFcFX1xYI6zWCgEJizhBlrTGi31aKAYW4YZlgW2iQCADs=" alt=";)"/>.
</body></html>
0

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
6

src is not a valid CSS property. You need to use content for this...

img.wink  {
  content: url(data:image/gif;base64,BLAH_BLAH_BLAH);
  height: 15px;
  width: 15px;
}

It works: Live Demo

9
  • I believe you that it works, but in what browser(I am insane)? I'm using Firefox in Ubuntu Lynx.
    – GlassGhost
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:41
  • @GlassGhost I am using Chrome
    – Josh Stodola
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:44
  • this is funny(currently) chrome is working with this question while only firefox has stackoverflow.com/questions/2710284 working. I want to give you that check mark so bad!!! if only mozilla shined at this moment
    – GlassGhost
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:49
  • @Glass Haha, but it's really not funny -- why can't these damn browsers just get along?!
    – Josh Stodola
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:51
  • @Josh If only stack overflow would let me give you a half checkmark, maybe mozilla will fix this in an update.
    – GlassGhost
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:56
3

That CSS is not correct, make the data the URL in the background-image, then you can reference it by class.

<html>
<head>
    <style type="text/css">
        div.wink  
        {
            width:15px; 
            height:15px;
            background-image: url('data:image/.gif;base64,R0lGODlhDwAPALMMAP/qAEVFRQAAAP/OAP/JAP6dAP+0AP/+k//9E///x//lAP//6wAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAwALAAAAAAPAA8AAARXkEkZap2Y1ZXOGRcWcAgCnEMRTEEnnDCQrtrxxjCoJSZw+y+CKnDo/WAEQ+WAwyUrvWZQGRg0TwKFcFX1xYI6zWCgEJizhBlrTGi31aKAYW4YZlgW2iQCADs=');
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Hello</h1>
    <div class="wink"></div>
    <br/>
    and just to test my sanity 
    <div class="wink"></div>.
</body>
</html>
6
  • You could use any element, but using a background on an image element is not what he needs. To reuse that single image, it needs to be done through CSS.
    – Dustin Laine
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:24
  • @Dustin No, you aren't catching my drift. See my answer please.
    – Josh Stodola
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:31
  • I like the approach, but I have not been able to get that to work cross-browser. I would prefer to use that than BG image.
    – Dustin Laine
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:44
  • @Dustin very good answer almost, but Joshes is looking better(will be accepted if I manage to get it working)
    – GlassGhost
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:46
  • 1
    @Glass It appears that my solution will not work in most browsers. I use Chrome, and it worked there so I assumed it would be good in Firefox and possibly IE9. I am afraid that using background images is going to be the most cross-browser-friendly solution.
    – Josh Stodola
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 19:49
1

try this: 

<html><head>
    <style type="text/css">
        div.wrapper  {
            background-image: url(data:image/.gif;base64,R0lGODlhDwAPALMMAP/qAEVFRQAAAP/OAP/JAP6dAP+0AP/+k//9E///x//lAP//6wAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAwALAAAAAAPAA8AAARXkEkZap2Y1ZXOGRcWcAgCnEMRTEEnnDCQrtrxxjCoJSZw+y+CKnDo/WAEQ+WAwyUrvWZQGRg0TwKFcFX1xYI6zWCgEJizhBlrTGi31aKAYW4YZlgW2iQCADs=);
            width:15px; height:15px;
        }

</style>
</head><body>
    <h1>Hello</h1>
    <div class="wrapper">
    <br/>
</body></html>

IE 8, Firefox 2 and 3, Safari, Mobile Safari (iPhone browsers), and Google Chrome support embedded binary image data in CSS files. IE 6 and 7 does NOT.

read more here: http://mark.koli.ch/2009/07/howto-include-binary-image-data-in-cascading-style-sheets-css.html

0

if images don't bring semantic to the document you could just define the base64 url as a background of an element without using <img> by CSS

Otherwise you could save the base64 string in a server-side variabile, then put the src placing that variable wherever it needs

if you cannot use a server-side language you could still use javascript (but it's better no to rely on scripts for content accessibility), just use a snippet on domready like so:

var img = document.getElementsByTagName('img'),
    len = img.length;
while (--len) { 
    if (-1 < img[len].className.indexOf('wink'))
        img[len].src = 'data:image/.gif;base64,..."; 
}
0

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.