FAQ Topic - How can I access the client-side filesystem? (2008-02-16)

[FAQ server]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ Topic - How can I access the client-side filesystem?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Security means that by default you can't. In a more restricted
environment, there are options. For example, using LiveConnect
to connect to Java with Netscape, and using the FileSystemObjec t
in IE. Check

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.javascript/topics

for previous posts on the subject.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/z9ty6h50.aspx

http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-10-1998/jw-10-apptowin32.html

--
Postings such as this are automatically sent once a day. Their
goal is to answer repeated questions, and to offer the content to
the community for continuous evaluation/improvement. The complete
comp.lang.javas cript FAQ is at http://jibbering.com/faq/index.html.
The FAQ workers are a group of volunteers. The sendings of these
daily posts are proficiently hosted by http://www.pair.com.

[timothytoe]

Re: FAQ Topic - How can I access the client-side filesystem?(200 8-02-16)

On Feb 15, 4:00 pm, "FAQ server" <javascr...@dot internet.bewrot e:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ Topic - How can I access the client-side filesystem?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
Security means that by default you can't. In a more restricted
environment, there are options. For example, using LiveConnect
to connect to Java with Netscape, and using the FileSystemObjec t
in IE. Check
>

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.javascript/topics

>
for previous posts on the subject.
>

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/z9ty6h50.aspx

>

http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-10-1998/jw-10-apptowin32.html

>
--
Postings such as this are automatically sent once a day. Their
goal is to answer repeated questions, and to offer the content to
the community for continuous evaluation/improvement. The complete
comp.lang.javas cript FAQ is athttp://jibbering.com/faq/index.html.
The FAQ workers are a group of volunteers. The sendings of these
daily posts are proficiently hosted byhttp://www.pair.com.

I expected this FAQ Topic to mention things such as widgets, plus
Adobe AIR, OpenLaszlo, and Silverlight. Isn't one of the main
attractions of, say, Adobe AIR, that you are running JavaScript in a
browser-like environment, but you have access to things like the
filesystem?

[timothytoe]

Re: FAQ Topic - How can I access the client-side filesystem?(200 8-02-16)

>>I take it that you did not understand the meaning of "In a more restricted
environment, there are options". Attempting to enumerate the available
"more
restrictive environments" would be foolish, as the list would be open-
ended,
constantly need maintenance and result in arguments about what was and
was
not included.

You're mistaken. I did understand the meaning.

It seems to me that enumerating a couple of examples of pracctical
solutions would likely head off some questions, which I have always
taken to be the point of a FAQ.

It might even, heaven-forbid, help someone who is trying to solve the
problem of accessing the filesystem. They can take their working
JavaScript code and move it over into a place where they CAN access
the filesystem. Imagine that.

But if the point of the FAQ isn't to answer questions in a useful way,
pardon me--my bad.

And if you prefer to not answer with something that might need to be
updated, by all means keep that nostalgia-inducing reference to
Netscape in there.

[FAQEditor]

Re: FAQ Topic - How can I access the client-side filesystem? (2008-02-16)

timothytoe said the following on 2/16/2008 3:50 PM:

>>I take it that you did not understand the meaning of "In a more restricted

environment, there are options". Attempting to enumerate the available
"more
restrictive environments" would be foolish, as the list would be open-
ended,
constantly need maintenance and result in arguments about what was and
was
not included.
>
You're mistaken. I did understand the meaning.
>
It seems to me that enumerating a couple of examples of pracctical
solutions would likely head off some questions, which I have always
taken to be the point of a FAQ.

"I pasted your code into my website and it didn't work - why?".

That is the type of questions that examples of limited success scripts
will lead into.

It might even, heaven-forbid, help someone who is trying to solve the
problem of accessing the filesystem. They can take their working
JavaScript code and move it over into a place where they CAN access
the filesystem. Imagine that.

Then they should be asking in a forum/newsgroup dedicated to that
limited environment, shouldn't they?

But if the point of the FAQ isn't to answer questions in a useful way,
pardon me--my bad.

Yes, that is the point of the FAQ. And the FAQ does say to search the
archives for potential solutions.

And if you prefer to not answer with something that might need to be
updated, by all means keep that nostalgia-inducing reference to
Netscape in there.

The reference to Netscape has been removed in my local copy. It now reads:

4.3 How can I access the client-side filesystem?
Security means that by default you can't. In a more restricted
environment, there are options. For example, using the FileSystemObjec t
in IE. Check http://groups.google.com/group/comp....ascript/topics
for previous posts on the subject.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/z9ty6h50.aspx

--
Randy
comp.lang.javas cript FAQ - http://jibbering.com/faq/index.html
FAQ Notes: http://www.jibbering.com/faq/faq_notes/faq_notes.html
ECMAScript Language Specification via FAQ2.6