How do I make a button that will bring up the download box for something on my website, without the user having to right-click and select "Save Target as..."
Thanks
:lol: Martin :lol:

You can't. This is fundamental "user interface" 101. A programmer shouldn't attempt to force actions that are historically under user control. Also, what you're attempting violates the browser security model. Just imagine the havoc that would be caused if a web page could "silently download" anything as soon as you browse to it.

I understand you simply want the dialog to pop up, but it's still not allowed.

Oh well...
Thanks anyway

The future is web applications, and needs to provide the same capabilities as a WinForms, if the developer deems so. 90% of my sites are intranet based, so I do not have the fear of anonymous users. If you are using the .NET framework you have some options. You have the ability to create a server-side method or page dedicated to writing the document to the response stream. This will cause the parent page to postback, but it will prompt for download. If you are looking to do this without postback you this can achieved using AjaxPro, http://ajaxpro.schwarz-interactive.de, or other any other Ajax frameworks.

What ??? - sorry I'm not with that at all can you explain again please?

Martin

P.S. I wanted to make a link on my website so that when someone clicked on it a .zip file would download - to save them right clicking and clicking on "Save Target as..." etc.

Excuse me but the idiot has arrived :o with a question about your answer. Pages seem to download a lot of crap onto my machine when I browse the internet. I have gotten worms, spyware, and other malicious stuff without ever asking for it nor agreeing to it. *thinks I need to hide under the bed now as you are all probably dying laughing* but I really want to know. When you stop laughing at me will you please explain this to me? :rolleyes:

It can't be done with HTML, CSS or JavaScript, the topics covered in this forum. What akadez is referring to are some possible techniques in ASP.NET, a server-side language. Daniweb has an ASP.NET forum, if you code in that language.

Most of your visitors will have .zip files set to offer as download rather than process automatically so you could upload in that format. There is also code that can be put in the .htaccess file to force what you want if your site is running on an apache server.

I don't mind the question, but you're asking it in the wrong spot! Daniweb has a forum specifically for these types of issues: http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/forum64.html

If you'll peruse that forum, I think you'll get the education you seek! If not, feel free to post a new thread there. No one will bite your head off; we try to be a friendly group.

Sorry but your answer just struck a cord in me because I just had such a bad worm that my antivirus company sent me a custom cleaner which killed all my file associations. I did figure out how to get them back. . well most of them . . but I still need to reformat. The guy who sent the custom cleaner when I called him bawling my head off told me that it was something I got from visiting a website. He looked through my history to try and determine where I got it and how and finally concluded that it was just dumped on me. And they said that they were glad that I had called them with info at hand because others would be calling soon as well. You said that guy couldn't do something that I am not sure that I understand because :


But my antivirus guy says that it is why we get viruses and worms and other nasty things on our pc's. So I guess that what I am really asking is what is the real truth here? I don't need help, I want understanding.


Thanks for not laughing too hard at me tgreer.