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Subject:Re: Running executables and HTML From:Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- jci -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 30 May 2001 15:03:03 -0500
Unfortunately, everything I've seen about Microsoft's ActiveX (guess it's
called .NET now) technology suggests that it *would* be rather trivial, at
least for a techie of average competence (hence my suggestion she may need
a bit of technical help). Were I setting up to tackle the problem in a
Windows-based environment I might:
1) Place the actual applications on a network file service which all
clients would be expected to have mounted (procedural issue, trivial on an
intranet).
2) Create an ActiveX component which does nothing more than launch a file
at a specified location (probably done fairly easily via the shell/execute
capabilities of WSH or VB or whatever your chosen language is).
3) Make sure the client browsers trust that particular ActiveX component.
(Again a procedural issue, trivial for an Intranet).
4) Write the links to tell the ActiveX component which application to run.
As you can see, only step 2 may harbor difficulties. As I haven't looked
into it, I can't comment on it, but it would surprise me, given what has
been written about ActiveX, if it were very difficult to manage.
Note, this is a completely different animal than trying this over the
Internet, as steps 1 and 3 would be nearly impossible to manage in an
environment which you had no influence over.
Alternatively, I might try using the HTA capabilities of Explorer (HTML
Applications) which, in the case of a trusted server, might just allow you
to open the application in a window/frame in Explorer. In this case, you
would probably also need to identify the file's MIME type as
"application:hta" to work, but possibly not.
Again, I haven't tested these ideas (don't have time to) but I'm tossing
them out as starting points for some research. I'd start out by reading
about "IFRAME Linking" and take it from there. It might not be *exactly*
what she was looking for, but it may serve (pardon the pun).
I'm sure there are other ways to do it; I've just tossed out a couple of
ideas on the subject.
One thing I *have* learned: like its predecessor "Computer Security" the
term "Web Security" is an oxymoron.
Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224
Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
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In God we trust; all others must provide data.
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Opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
If JCI had an opinion on this, they'd hire someone else to deliver it.
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