HTML Coding Problem

[DouginUtah]

I can't figure out how to get a program on my HD to run when I click on the link.

The grey line is a sample of what works, but it is linking to a website. The red line does not run the program. I've tried altering it in different ways but the closest I can get is Firefox asking me if I want to save the program.

Code Select Expand

<a href="http://www.filehippo.com/"target="_blank">FileHippo</a><HR>

<a href="file:///C:\Program Files\Araneae5\araneae.exe"target="_blank">Araneae</a><HR>

I have a feeling I am just brain dead at the moment and that this is simple but I need help.

When it comes to coding HTML the expression is "Use it or lose it."  :D

[Radar67]

Try this

<a href="C:\Program Files\Araneae5\araneae.exe"target="_blank">Araneae[/a]<HR>

It will ask you if you want to open or save the file.

[DouginUtah]

Terry,

I appreciate the reply but I didn't get it to work yet.

Code Select Expand

<a href="C:\Program Files\Araneae5\araneae.exe"target="_blank">Araneae[/a]<HR>

Code Select Expand

First I changed [/a] to </a> then I tried it and got this error:

"Firefox doesn't know how to open this address, because the protocol (c) isn't associated with any program."

???

[Jeff]

You can't do it. Not with html. If you could it would be a huge security issue. Whats to stop me from creating a link that would execute a file I know is on your hard drive and where. What would stop me from formatting your machine? Nothing.

[DouginUtah]

Ah, yes. Now I remember. Some 'noobie' asked this same question on a newsgroup (alt.html, I believe) several years ago when I was into coding HTML. He got the same answer.

But I got my brain in gear and realized it's not so difficult to run the program with one click without minimizing/restoring my local web page so I'm good to go.  ;D

[SwampDonkey]

You couldn't access his hard drive anyway, it would only access yours (local) and look for the file location on your drive. You'd also have to know his login and pass on his website if your where trying to mess with his secure web account if he was running a web daemon on his home machine instead of being hosted.


The code in red has no IP to direct it away from your local drive. I'm speaking here from the stand point of someone trying to launch a program on your drive from a remote computer on the internet. If someone was fool hardly to set up "Root" access then he's wide open to attack.

I understand you want to launch your own program from your drive. Seems you have it figured out already. They can be launched through shellexecute command in Javascript.

http://www.sourceinsight.com/docs35/ad917966.htm

[Jeff]

Yer not sneaky enough swampdonkey.   There are any number of ways (not near as many as in the olden days, back on the late 90's) to plant a program on a users computer, including programs to format. html can't be allowed as a trigger.

[SwampDonkey]

You can launch a program, but Firefox won't let you (I have not fiddled with the options enough to see if it's possible), IE 6 at least will. Gives you the option to run, save or cancel. And depending on what Doug has for settings, he only has to tell it to run once from IE.

I made a simple HTML page with a link in Thunderbird that executed a program on my hard drive. It gave me the three options mentioned, in IE.

I know what your saying though about being able to launch a file remotely from HTML.

Make a link in an html document on your own system Jeff and use:

"shellexecute open" in front of the path to your executable program on your drive, like Word.exe or something.  Use IE on it. ;) You'll get some warning about security first.