Using $_FILES variable into the same function for uploading images and files

Question

I want start saying that I'm learning and I'm trying to understand the use of $_FILES and $file_handler which are making me crazy into this function to upload attachments from a frontend form.

What I've discovered into mine yesterday question was that using $_FILES into the same function makes it overwritten so some nice dude suggested to change this variable in something different like $whatever. Both files could be managed and uploaded then but of course this is not happening yet and only files are uploaded. Having 2 form inputs relatively named:

• For images: name="moreimages"
• For files: name="morefiles"

Basically I've arrived at this point in my php:

if ($_FILES)
    {
        // Get the upload attachment files
        $images = $_FILES['moreimages'];
        foreach ($images['name'] as $key => $value)
        {
            if ($images['name'][$key])
            {
                $image = array(
                    'name' => $images['name'][$key],
                    'type' => $images['type'][$key],
                    'tmp_name' => $images['tmp_name'][$key],
                    'error' => $images['error'][$key],
                    'size' => $images['size'][$key]
                );

                //here I've changed the $_FILES variable into something else
                $my_processed_images = array("moreimages" => $image);
                foreach ($my_processed_images as $image => $array)
                {
                    $newupload = project_images($image,$pid);
                }
            }
        }
        // Get the upload attachment files
        $files = $_FILES['morefiles'];
        foreach ($files['name'] as $key => $value)
        {
            if ($files['name'][$key])
            {
                $file = array(
                    'name' => $files['name'][$key],
                    'type' => $files['type'][$key],
                    'tmp_name' => $files['tmp_name'][$key],
                    'error' => $files['error'][$key],
                    'size' => $files['size'][$key],
                    'post_mime_type' => $files['type'][$key]
                );
                $_FILES = array("morefiles" => $file);
                foreach ($_FILES as $file => $array)
                {
                    $uploadfile = project_file($file,$pid);
                }
            }
        }
    }

and my functions look like

function project_images($file_handler, $pid)
    {
        if ($_FILES[$file_handler]['error'] !== UPLOAD_ERR_OK) __return_false();
        require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/image.php');
        require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/file.php');
        require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/media.php');
        $image_id = media_handle_upload( $file_handler, $pid );
        return $image_id;
    }
function project_file($file_handler, $pid)
    {
        if ($_FILES[$file_handler]['error'] !== UPLOAD_ERR_OK) __return_false();
        require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/image.php');
        require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/file.php');
        require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/media.php');
        $file_id = media_handle_upload( $file_handler, $pid );
        update_post_meta($file_id,'is_prj_file','1');
        return $file_id;
    }

I understand that there could be a problem with my $file_handler but I don't know how to manage it. What really is happening is that debugging the $more_images is null and not considered and $_FILES into the second loop is uploaded instead. Can you drive me?

EDIT

My HTML form fields are like these for entire:

<input id="moreimages" accept="image/png, image/jpeg, image/gif" type="file" name="moreimages[]" >

<input id="morefiles" accept=".zip,.pdf,.rar,.doc,.docx,.xls,.xlsx,.ppt,.pptx,.psd,.ai" type="file" name="morefiles[]" >

Furthermore My AJAX POST STATUS is OK sending these parameters for moreimages:

Content-Disposition: form-data; name="moreimages[]"; filename="Screen Shot 2016-04-05 at 16.48.10.png"
Content-Type: image/png

PNG

and these parameters for morefiles:

Content-Disposition: form-data; name="morefiles[]"; filename="articolo-slow-food-ararat.docx"
Content-Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

So I think the problem, once again, how these data are received into php.

Answer 1

I did override something. I did not validation and only build structured to validation and upload function. You can validate file as you needed.

if ($_FILES)
    {
        // Get the upload attachment files
        $images = $_FILES['moreimages'];
        $errors = '';
        foreach ($images['name'] as $key => $value)
        {
            if ($images['name'][$key])
            {
                $image = array(
                    'name' => $images['name'][$key],
                    'type' => $images['type'][$key],
                    'tmp_name' => $images['tmp_name'][$key],
                    'error' => $images['error'][$key],
                    'size' => $images['size'][$key]
                );

                //here I've changed the $_FILES variable into something else
                $_FILES['moreimages'] = $image;
                if( is_wp_error( $moreimages = project_media_handle_upload('moreimages',$pid) ) )
                $errors .= $moreimages->get_error_message();

            }
        }
        // Get the upload attachment files
        $files = $_FILES['morefiles'];
        foreach ($files['name'] as $key => $value)
        {
            if ($files['name'][$key])
            {
                $file = array(
                    'name' => $files['name'][$key],
                    'type' => $files['type'][$key],
                    'tmp_name' => $files['tmp_name'][$key],
                    'error' => $files['error'][$key],
                    'size' => $files['size'][$key],
                    'post_mime_type' => $files['type'][$key]
                );
                $_FILES['morefiles'] = $file;
                if( is_wp_error( $morefiles = project_media_handle_upload( 'morefiles', $pid, 'file' ) ) )
                $errors .= $morefiles->get_error_message();
            }
        }

        if( ! empty( $errors) )
        echo $errors;
    }

function image_and_files_validate_handle( $file ){
    // $file provide all values size, name etc
    // conditional statement here and return every time fixed key with message
    $file['error'] =  'File is invalid';
    return $file;
}

function file_upload_validate_handle( $file ){
    // $file provide all values size, name etc
    // conditional statement here and return every time fixed key with message
    $file['error'] =  $file['name']. ' is invalid format.';
    return $file;
}

add_action( 'project_media_handle_upload', 'save_file_meta_content_id', 10, 2 );

function save_file_meta_content_id( $fid, $type ){
  if( $type == 'file')
  update_post_meta($fid,'is_prj_file','1'); 
}


function project_media_handle_upload( $file_id, $pid, $type= "image" ){

  $action = 'image_upload_action'; //  change custom action name easy to understand

  if( $type !== 'image')
  $action = 'file_upload_action'; 

  if( function_exists('check_upload_size') )
  add_filter(  "{$action}_prefilter", 'check_upload_size'); // wordpress default filter to check upload size

  add_filter(  "{$action}_prefilter", 'image_and_files_validate_handle'); // both conditional validation for images and files
  add_filter(  "file_upload_action_prefilter", 'file_upload_validate_handle');

  require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/image.php');
  require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/file.php');
  require_once(ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/media.php');
  $result =  media_handle_upload( $file_id, $pid, array(), array( 
    'test_form' => false,
    'action' => $action
  ));

  if( ! is_wp_error($result) )
  do_action( 'project_media_handle_upload', $result, $type );   

  return $result;
}

Answer 2

Everybody has been very useful and I say THANK YOU guys for having helped me out. The problem seems really to be into $_FILES variable which overwrite itself throughout 2 loops. After several tries I've found this solution that works for me and allows to upload both images and files.

if ($_FILES)
    {
        // I've firstly declared main variables
        $images = $_FILES['moreimages'];
        $files = $_FILES['morefiles'];

        //then I check for both if they're empty. That was just it.
        if(!empty($images)) {
            foreach ($images['name'] as $key => $value)
            {
                if ($images['name'][$key])
                {
                    $image = array(
                        'name' => $images['name'][$key],
                        'type' => $images['type'][$key],
                        'tmp_name' => $images['tmp_name'][$key],
                        'error' => $images['error'][$key],
                        'size' => $images['size'][$key]
                    );
                    $_FILES = array("moreimages" => $image);
                    foreach ( $_FILES as $image => $array ) {
                        if ( $_FILES[$image]['error'] !== UPLOAD_ERR_OK ) __return_false();
                        require_once( ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/image.php' );
                        require_once( ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/file.php' );
                        require_once( ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/media.php' );
                        $image_id = media_handle_upload( $image, $pid );
                        update_post_meta( $pid, 'project_image',$image_id);
                    }
                }

            }
        }
        if(!empty($files)) {
            foreach ($files['name'] as $key => $value)
            {
                if ($files['name'][$key])
                {
                    $file = array(
                        'name' => $files['name'][$key],
                        'type' => $files['type'][$key],
                        'tmp_name' => $files['tmp_name'][$key],
                        'error' => $files['error'][$key],
                        'size' => $files['size'][$key]
                    );
                    $_FILES = array("morefiles" => $file);
                    foreach ( $_FILES as $file => $array ) {
                        if ( $_FILES[$file]['error'] !== UPLOAD_ERR_OK ) __return_false();
                        require_once( ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/image.php' );
                        require_once( ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/file.php' );
                        require_once( ABSPATH . "wp-admin" . '/includes/media.php' );
                        $file_id = media_handle_upload( $file, $pid );
                        update_post_meta( $file_id, 'is_prj_file', '1');
                    }
                } 
            }
        }
    }

Maybe this code is not really efficient and perfect but it does the job. Furthemore it's still without file validation server-side which I'm going to implement later as suggested before.