A simple question... How to start a file download?

Peter Butler

Registered User

A simple question... How to start a file download?

2005-09-01 06:09:00 AM
hi there...
can someone please explain to me how I get a browser to start downloading an
Excel spreadsheet from the host server.
I've experimented with
<a href=ftp"www.site.com/file.xls">Dowload xls NOW!<a>
but not happening. Am I on the right track??? tnx
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Blinky the Shark

Registered User

2005-09-01 06:46:00 AM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Peter Butler wrote:

Quote

hi there...
can someone please explain to me how I get a browser to start downloading an
Excel spreadsheet from the host server.

I've experimented with

<a href=ftp"www.site.com/file.xls">Dowload xls NOW!<a>

but not happening. Am I on the right track??? tnx
Kill the "ftp".

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Blinky the Shark

Registered User

2005-09-01 06:57:00 AM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Peter Butler wrote:

Quote

hi there...
can someone please explain to me how I get a browser to start downloading an
Excel spreadsheet from the host server.

I've experimented with

<a href=ftp"www.site.com/file.xls">Dowload xls NOW!<a>

but not happening. Am I on the right track??? tnx
What I said...and make that final tag a CLOSE anchor tag, if it's

really <a>in your code.
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Benjamin Niemann

Registered User

2005-09-01 07:01:00 AM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Peter Butler wrote:

Quote

hi there...
can someone please explain to me how I get a browser to start downloading
an Excel spreadsheet from the host server.

I've experimented with

<a href=ftp"www.site.com/file.xls">Dowload xls NOW!<a>

but not happening. Am I on the right track??? tnx
I think

<a href="www.site.com/file.xls">Dowload xls NOW!</a>
is what you want.
--
Benjamin Niemann
Email: pink at odahoda dot de
WWW: www.odahoda.de/
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Peter Butler

Registered User

2005-09-01 07:17:00 AM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Quote

What I said...and make that final tag a CLOSE anchor tag, if it's
really <a>in your code.

Yeah.. but that just opens the file in the browser... I actually want to

save the fiel to local...
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SpaceGirl

Registered User

2005-09-01 07:18:00 AM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Peter Butler wrote:

Quote

What I said...and make that final tag a CLOSE anchor tag, if it's
really <a>in your code.

Yeah.. but that just opens the file in the browser... I actually want to
save the fiel to local...

You have no control over that, and there is no way around it. Just put a

line of text that says "Right-click this link and choose 'Save As...' to
save this file to your computer." For most people that will work.
There's no smart way of forcing the file to download to a users desktop.
--
x theSpaceGirl (miranda)
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Blinky the Shark

Registered User

2005-09-01 07:32:00 AM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Peter Butler wrote:

Quote

Quote
What I said...and make that final tag a CLOSE anchor tag, if it's
really <a>in your code.

Yeah.. but that just opens the file in the browser... I actually want to
save the fiel to local...
Okay, Peter.

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Benjamin Niemann

Registered User

2005-09-01 07:45:00 AM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Peter Butler wrote:

Quote

Quote
What I said...and make that final tag a CLOSE anchor tag, if it's
really <a>in your code.

Yeah.. but that just opens the file in the browser... I actually want to
save the fiel to local...
If you are really using the ftp protocol, then there's no way to control

this AFAIK.
With http you can set the Content-Disposition header with either a
server-side language (e.g. PHP) or an appropriate server configuration (and
a user-agent *may* decide to open a 'Save as...' dialog instead of opening
it in the browser).
The same question has been asked a few days ago. Look for the thread 'saving
files to a pc'.
--
Benjamin Niemann
Email: pink at odahoda dot de
WWW: www.odahoda.de/
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Jonathan N. Little

Registered User

2005-09-01 08:55:00 AM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Benjamin Niemann wrote:
<snip>

Quote

I think
<a href="www.site.com/file.xls">Dowload xls NOW!</a>
is what you want.

Will not work unless server is setup for ftp, and ftp usually(always?)

requires a user and password login.
I do remember reading somewhere of some hacks of trying to encode the
user & password in a url...but if there is a way I believe this is NOT
the route your should take.
--
Take care,
Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
www.LittleWorksStudio.com
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Benjamin Niemann

Registered User

2005-09-01 05:12:00 PM

Re:A simple question... How to start a file download?

Jonathan N. Little wrote:

Quote

Benjamin Niemann wrote:
<snip>

Quote

I think
<a href="www.site.com/file.xls">Dowload xls NOW!</a>
is what you want.

Will not work unless server is setup for ftp,

I assume that the OP has a working ftp server and is just struggling with

the proper HTML syntax.

Quote

and ftp usually(always?)
requires a user and password login.
Browsers will usually try to login as 'anonymous' with an arbitrary (or the

email of the user, if available) password. If the ftp server is properly
configured, this will work just fine. Most ftp servers have anonymous read
access enabled as default.

Quote

I do remember reading somewhere of some hacks of trying to encode the
user & password in a url...but if there is a way I believe this is NOT
the route your should take.
That's not a hack.

ftp://username@host/path or ftp://username:password@host/path are valid ftp
URLs - though the latter form should not be used, as the password looses
its meaning, if it available on website or in someones bookmark collection.
--
Benjamin Niemann
Email: pink at odahoda dot de
WWW: www.odahoda.de/
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