is an application installed ?

[Stroller]

Hi all

from an html page , I would like to find out if an application i.e. prog.exe is installed, dont know if this can be achieved in HTML,VB Script or Javascript.

Would like to detect it so that i know what .ext to attach to a file to get the preferred app to launch.

If prog.exe is installed then use .abc, if not the use .png an view via IE.

Maybe I am going about this the wrong way but any help would be appreciated.

[Roy Sinclair]

This is not possible, and a good thing too. Imagine what it would be like if every web site you visited could tell what programs you have installed. While it could be used beneficially (which is what I'm assumming you wish to do) it's also clear from the multiple abuses already in place on the web that such a capability would inevitably be used destructively. Because of that, it's not allowed.

[Stroller]

Thanks for pointing out the flaw in my master plan, guess the only option left open to me is to asked the user if the application is installed.

[Spookster]

And actually it doesn't matter what programs they have installed anyways.... even if they have a specific program installed it does not mean a particular file type is going to open in that specific program as they may have other programs associated to that file type.

On the other hand you can detect certain plugins to the browser in case that was what you were referring to.

[Stroller]

What i intended to happen was, using pulldown menus the user can select images usually in .png format, these images are SPC diagrams and are viewed in IE, however if the spc program is installed on the computer I would have liked to change the .png ext to a .plt ext which would launch the program by association,

Currently i can use either IE to display the images or launch the app by using seperate html pages, would have liked a simpler and therefore single page to maintain.

I have the javascript code to change the ext but looks like i have to ask the user if the app is installed and go from there.

Thanks for your input anyway

much appreciated

[brothercake]

Two links would seem the obvious solution ... something like

Please selection an image format :
- PNG
- PLT

[oracleguy]

Yeah I agree with brothercake, just have two links or an option that changes the menu to plt versus png.

You could have a button or link saying something like "Do you have SPC? If so you can open the files directly by clicking here."

[Quiet Storm]

Originally posted by Roy Sinclair
This is not possible, and a good thing too.

Now wait a minute...

I have pages that can tell if the visitor has the Google Toolbar (http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/cbch21/TEST/Check.Google.html) or QuickTime (http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/cbch21/TEST/Check.Quicktime.html) installed...

Can find IE, NS, Flash, etc. Just depends on how you code the sniffer. :)

What program are you looking for on your visitor's computers, Stroller, "Scheme" (http://www.plt-scheme.org/)?

[Roy Sinclair]

There's a difference between browser extensions and other applications.

[Quiet Storm]

Just thought of something...

<script>
function ImgError() {document.test.src = "OtherImage.png";}
</script>

<img name="test" onerror="ImgError()" src="OriginalImage.plt">


Maybe you could do something like that?

[Stroller]

Thanks to all for your input, have decided to use a button to change ext.