Downloading files

[Simon Canning]

Is it possible to detect when a download link is clicked in a browser and then run an application that can also get the file name of the file that is wanted to download?

[jmcilhinney]

Are you talking about a .NET WebBrowser control or just any old web browser application like IE or Firefox?

[Simon Canning]

Any old web browser application like IE or Firefox.

I know that there are applications like Getright and other pieces of software that detect when a file is clicked on to download. How do these applications work?

[stanav]

Any old web browser application like IE or Firefox.

I know that there are applications like Getright and other pieces of software that detect when a file is clicked on to download. How do these applications work?

Those applications almost always install an add-on for the specific browser that they supports. Take the well-known Internet Download Manager application for instance, when you install the app, it'll ask you whether you want to integrate IDM to the browsers it found installed in your computers. If you answer yes, it will install the add-ons/plugins and those are what monitor/analyze the links and comunicate back to the main app.

[waddle1463]

Well you could keep constantly refreshing the downloads folder

[Simon Canning]

@waddle1463:

Well you could keep constantly refreshing the downloads folder

That will not work as I want to run my application before the file downloads, not after it has finished or has just started.

@stanav: I understand how they work, I am wanting to know how to do the same thing myself, via VB.NET. So I would need to write my own plugin then? How/where can I get some sample code to do this sort of thing?

[Simon Canning]

@stanav: Do you know how to do this in VB.net?

[jmcilhinney]

@stanav: Do you know how to do this in VB.net?

Maybe for IE you could but, for other browsers, you almost certainly wouldn't use VB.NET. For instance, while I could be wrong (I've never actually done it) I think that Firefox extensions are written in JavaScript. If you want to learn how to write an extension/add-in for a particular browser then you should check the documentation for that browser.