Client Filesystem Access

[StupidScript]

Hi,

I want to deliver subscripted content to users on CD. They then place
the CD into their CD drive and navigate to my site. Once logged in, I
want to be able to draw content from the CD and incorporate it with
content from my server.

I understand that access to the user's filesystem is not normal or even
allowed by default. However I am wondering if there is a workaround to
this limitation.

In Javascript, I can offer the user a security certificate that, if
acknowledged, will allow me to access their filesystem. Is there
something like that in PHP?

Thanks in advance.

(I admit to cross-posting this to PHP Hacks. Was I wrong?)

[Jamie Davison]

Re: Client Filesystem Access

On 9/9/05 2:16 PM, in article
1126289788.7239 99.134020@g14g2 00...legr oups.com, "StupidScri pt"
<stupidscript@h otmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> I understand that access to the user's filesystem is not normal or even
> allowed by default. However I am wondering if there is a workaround to
> this limitation.[/color]



You may be better off with some type of ActiveX control for something like
this but letting a web site have access to your CD drive also means it can
also have access to other shared (or maybe not shared) resources. There's a
good chance that your average user won't like that fact at all.

[Carl]

Re: Client Filesystem Access

StupidScript wrote:[color=blue]
> Hi,
>
> I want to deliver subscripted content to users on CD. They then place
> the CD into their CD drive and navigate to my site. Once logged in, I
> want to be able to draw content from the CD and incorporate it with
> content from my server.
>
> I understand that access to the user's filesystem is not normal or even
> allowed by default. However I am wondering if there is a workaround to
> this limitation.
>
> In Javascript, I can offer the user a security certificate that, if
> acknowledged, will allow me to access their filesystem. Is there
> something like that in PHP?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> (I admit to cross-posting this to PHP Hacks. Was I wrong?)
>[/color]

Hello,

My first suggestion would be to rethink carefully what it is you are
trying to accomplish.

Second, if you are sure this is what you want to do, explain why. Based
on the description you gave us my only suggestion would be...(see 1)

Third, I would suggest a different approach. If your specs require you
to distribute content on local media, use the local media as the driver
program using something like flash/javascript/java and have the driver
on the local media fetch the necessary data from your webserver, not the
other way around. If your application requires certain functionality
while the client is disconnected from 'net, a more 'application like'
foundation will be required.

Carl.

[StupidScript]

Re: Client Filesystem Access

I like (3), Carl. I may have had it bass-ackwards. I'll work on the
approach suggested by (3), I think.

As an explanation:

I'm working on an app to be delivered over the web. I need centrailized
control to update major portions of the app's interaction with many
vendors. The app will use several very large files, like big VR files
and high-res graphics that would be tedious to download each time the
user wanted to work with their customized instance of the app. These
large files are static, and they interact with the app's
vendor-supplied data in such a way as to give the user current options
for the display and modification of their "project". I thought I'd put
the big files and various static stuff onto CD/DVD and deliver those to
registered users to (a) minimize the bandwidth required to work with
the app content and (b) maintain some measure of control regarding
which users have access to the full-blown app capabilities (deter
unauthorized app access ... as, without the disk, an unauthorized user
would have little to work with).

I'm thinking, now, of placing an XAMPP (or similar) installation on the
CD along with the big files and such and running the base app from the
client, pulling updated, centralized content from the server under some
auth scheme. Maybe I won't need it, but it gives me more options than I
had with the other idea. Thanks for the suggestion!