invoke application in user's desktop

I need to implement a button on my web page that fires up an application on the user's desktop, say Notepad, when clicked. Anyone know how to do this?

You would have to write an ActiveX dll that is downloaded and registered on the client side. As a user, I would have to be smoking crack to allow you to do that. (i.e. if you can open notepad, you can also run Format, or FDisk, Del etc..)

hmm.. yea i was affraid that this might be the case.. is there no other way?

actually i am trying to create an intranet application, with shortcuts to other tools that a user would need to use, problem is, some of these tools are desktop installations and i need to be able to launch it from within the web page...

what are my options? :confused:

Um... I told ya already :c)

You have to write an ActiveX dll that invokes the apps on the client side. The users will get a security warning though because there is no way you can mark something like that as safe. Unless their security settings were set to allow unsafe activeX on the Intranet only.

if i wrote an ActiveX component, with say one one-liner sub for each tool i need to start up, say like

Code:

---

sub LaunchTool1

  Shell "C:\path1\tool1.exe")

end sub

sub LaunchTool2

  Shell "C:\path2\tool2.exe")

end sub

---

would I be able to distribute this marked as save?

No in order for an activeX control to be marked as safe, it can not have even a chance of doing damage to the client system. Launching external programs inherently breaks that rule because nothing would stop you from launching say a virus or a program to delete files or format the drive.

Hve a look at this thread:
http://forums.vb-world.net/showthrea...threadid=61690


Another option would be an ActiveX Doc


If it is only for use on an intranet you don't really need to worry about signing and stuff

thanks, the code in that thread can be an option...

also, you mention ActiveX Doc, can you elaborate more on this?

is there a way to make this work in netscape as well??