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Allow user to download text files

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    #1

    Allow user to download text files

    This is probably dirt simple and part of standard HTML, but I'm stumped for now. I know how to allow the user to download a PDF report, but what if I have a text file that I want the user to be able to download? I can display the text file in a <textarea>, but I want the user to be able to download it.

    This code lets the user see the text in a textarea:
    Code:
    <%a5
'  fn="sample.txt"
source="[PathAlias.adb_path]XFER"+"\\"+fn
html=<<%t%
<html>
<body>
<p>Text of %t%+fn+<<%t%
</p>
<textarea name="file" rows="30" cols="100" wrap="off">%t%+\
file.to_string(source)+<<%t%
</textarea>
</body>
</html>
%t%
? html 
%>
    And this code shows the txt file in the entire browser:
    Code:
    <%a5
source="[PathAlias.adb_path]XFER"+"\\"+fn
html=<<%t%
<html>
<head>
</head><body>%t%+file.to_string(source)+<<%t%
</body>
</html>
%t%
? html 
%>
    But I haven't figured out a simple way to let the users download the .txt file to their computers, in the way that a PDF file is transferred to the user's computer, shows up in Acrobat reader and then can be saved or printed out. Using this code doesn't work:
    Code:
    <%a5
source="[PathAlias.adb_path]XFER"+"\\"+fn
dest=session.session_folder+"\\"+fn
file.copy(source,dest)
response.redirect(session.session_url+fn)
%>
    Please note, I'm not interested in an FTP download. What I want is to allow the user to click on a link to a text file and have it open in Notepad or Wordpad on their computer, just like a PDF file opens in Acrobat Reader. I'm probably missing something really simple here!
    Thanks.
    - Peter
    Last edited by Peter.Wayne; 05-21-2006, 12:01 PM.
    Tags: None
    #2
    hi Peter

    have you tried
    HTTP_DOWNLOAD()

    i had good luck with it before i changed to a secure server
    sorry i couldn't test it here but
    my server is now secure and it wont run anymore
    i never tried to open the txt files on download but the function
    has a switch that should do it

    it would be nice if we had a HTTPS_DOWNLOAD() function


    just a thought
    martin
    regards

    martin
    www.jollygreenthumb.com

    Comment

      #3
      Martin,
      Thanks for your reply but I think you missed the point. HTTP_DOWNLOAD() is for a user with Alpha Five on the desktop. I'm referring to users who just have a browser open.

      I'm not sure there is a way to tell the user's browser to open Notepad or Wordpad when receiving a text file; what I would like, though, is a way to prompt the user to save a file to a folder on their hard drive.

      - Peter

      Comment

        #4
        Could the user not do a control A and then open word pad or some other word processor and paste the text?

        Jim

        Comment

          #5
          Originally posted by urbanski
          Could the user not do a control A and then open word pad or some other word processor and paste the text?

          Jim
          That's a level of sophistication that they don't have. Take it from me.

          Comment

            #6
            I devised a bass-ackwards workaround: reading the text file into a memo field of a table, and then using Alpha Five's report writer to create a PDF report showing the data in the memo field. So I now have a web page that shows the data in a textarea and then below it I have a link to produce a printable version of the file. Works OK, I just wondered if there was a way to force the browser to open whatever accessory application is associated with files of type ".txt".
            - Peter

            Comment

              #7
              Code:
              <%a5
source="[PathAlias.adb_path]XFER"+"\\"+fn
'tell the browser you are about to send plain text
response.mime_type = "text/plain"
'send the text
? get_from_file(source)
%>
              At this point though, the browser will decide what to do with the text file based on the local computer's configuration. This could mean using Notepad, some other text viewer, or even displaying the text directly in the browser.

              Lenny Forziati
              Vice President, Internet Products and Technical Services
              Alpha Software Corporation

              Comment

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