Download

practisevoodoo · 06-21-2002, 10:06 PM

How do you set up a link so that a file is downloaded when it is clicked.

prezbedard · 06-21-2002, 10:19 PM

You usually have to right click on a link to save the file.

You you could do some form of onclick event to handle it.

Nightfire · 06-22-2002, 05:13 AM

<a href="file.ext">Click here to download</a>

<edit>Of course the above depends on what type of file you want to be downloaded.</edit>

jkd · 06-22-2002, 05:17 AM

If you have access to the .htaccess file:
http://www.javascriptkit.com/howto/htaccess9.shtml

neil.c · 06-26-2002, 08:28 PM

i'm also looking for something similar, i.e. a link that saves a file to disk instead of the file being opened by the browser. is there some easy way to do this? can js replicate the browser's file > save command or is there a setting in the <a> tag that might work? or is it another of these things that can't be done without server-side access? i don't have access to .htaccess or any server-side languages.

Nightfire · 06-26-2002, 08:31 PM

Can;t you just put it in a zip file?

neil.c · 06-26-2002, 08:41 PM

fair enough but id already thought of that. but what about that winzip plugin that opens zips immediately in a temp folder?
its not exactly essential that i can do this, i just thought there might be a way to save stuff.

jkd · 06-27-2002, 12:40 AM

I believe IE has some sort of behavior you can use that forces the File Save As box... I'd search msdn.microsoft.com for it.

tommysphone · 06-27-2002, 08:11 AM

If you don't mind the material being saved as a .htm document then this could be used -

In the <head> tag put

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript">
var now = false;
function saveIt(){
if (document.execCommand){
if (now){document.execCommand("SaveAs");}
}
}
</script>

In the <body> tag put
<body onLoad="now=true">

The link on the page to be saved put

<a href="javascript:;" onClick="saveIt();">

<p>Save This Page</a></p>

I saw this a few days ago from another post on this site by boxer_1! Credit where its due.

I would ask, what are the document types you want to allow users to download? .doc .xls .pdf .jpg .gif?
This would have some bearing on other possible download methods/solutions.

EG - Save doscuments as .pdf Yep, you need the software but I'd say a majority of users have the plugin so viewing is straight fwd.
You could post instructions for the saving of the documents and hey presto. Done.

neil.c · 06-27-2002, 11:23 AM

ok what about .docs and .jpegs? i can hardly put a link on them, no matter where the script is. and i'd rather have it so that the files are downloaded and saved without opening - like doing a right-click on link > save target as.

thanks for the .html one, this will be useful somewhere.

i'll look on msdn to see if IE has anything like this.

Jeepers · 06-27-2002, 11:42 PM

The only reason a file is opened by an app is because the extention is recognised. If you put a totaly wierd extention that would not be recognised then it would download to disc. On the download page just put instructions on how to rename once downloaded.

oracleguy · 06-28-2002, 04:55 AM

If you don't want to require that your clients have winzip or compatible decompressor, WinZip does make a program that will let you convert .zip files to .exe files that can automatically extract.

practisevoodoo · 07-15-2002, 12:10 PM

Thanks, I've sorted out the problem now.

SYP}{ER · 07-15-2002, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by practisevoodoo
Thanks, I've sorted out the problem now.

How'd you do it, then? Just in case someone else has your problem and searches the forum for it

Plus I'm curious