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HTML Help: Broken Image

When I tried to put a picture on my web page it doesn't work, I just get an icon. Help!
I get emails like this all the time, and that was the entire contents of the email. There just isn't enough information available to be able to say what the problem is.

When you write to someone for help, detail the problem as best you can. Include the web address where the problem is and any other pertinent information you can think of, including telling the person you're seeking help from what YOU'VE done to trying to solve the problem.

While you might see it as one problem needing one answer, it's really a problem that has many possible answers. If it's too much bother for you to be as helpful as you can when seeking help, why should anyone spend their valuable time trying to help you? Think about it.

Having said that, here are some possible things that might be wrong:

  • The image name, extension, and path to the image are all case sENsiTiVe - in other words, you must capitalize all three of those items in your code in the exact same way they are saved.
  • You could have uploaded the image in ASCII mode rather than in binary mode as images require, or may have even forgotten to upload the image at all.
  • The image could be mislabeled or is the wrong image type. It could be a GIF image with a JPG extension or vice-versa; or you could be using an image format that browsers do not read. Images must be JPG or GIF format for all browsers (except text only browsers) to read them. Some browsers will read PNG images, but not all.
  • You could have a mistake in your code. Typing errors are probably the most common problem with web page errors.
  • You could have coded the image to be viewed from your hard drive rather than your web host's server. In this case though, you'd still see it but no one else would because they won't have access to your hard drive.
  • You might be linking to the image on someone else's server, which is illegal, and their server does not allow images to be called from other domains.
  • Your server might be misconfigured and is sending the wrong mime type.
  • That broken image icon could just be a dirty trick, an image painted onto your screen by a drunken, smelly monkey living in your basement who only comes out when you're not home.
As you can see, there are many things that could be wrong. Go over your code letter by letter, then check the rest of the items I listed . . . well, all but that one about the monkey. It's best to leave them alone.
This concludes the

HTML Help about Broken Images on Web Sites

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