Starting an exe

[bob323]

Is there a way to have my asp.net page on my web server start a specific application on my home computer? Lets say when a user clicks on a button notepad starts on my computer, any ideas?

[Musician]

We need a sticky explaining server-side code versus client-side code. Asp.net can't do anything on the client because by the time you view your webpage it has done it's job on the server.
To do what you need you would need to find some javascript, which is client-side code and can run on the client computer.

[bob323]

humm not sure we understand each other. I want notepad to execute server side when a person clicks on a button on user side. Wouldn't jscript force the exection to occur on the client side?

[Musician]

Originally posted by bob323
my asp.net page on my web server start a specific application on my home computer

This implied to me that you wanted norepad to start on the pc accessing the web server which to me meant the client pc. The shell function that runs applications only works with windows applications presumably because asp.net apps are intended for web programming only.
For reference though this is the command that works in a windows application. You might be able to get it to work but I couldn't.

Microsoft.VisualBasic.Interaction.Shell("notepad", AppWinStyle.NormalFocus, True)

[monte96]

I believe security restrictions will prevent you from doing this. (At least I would hope so) Because if you can execute notepad, what would stop you from execuring say... DEL or FORMAT?

[bob323]

true enough, but it would be nice if microsoft gave me enough rope to hang myself with!

I am offering a service on my webpage that basically involves me running an application for the user (editing some word docs, and sending some emails ect.)What I am trying to do is run an executable to edit these word documents and send these emails whenever a order is approved on my webserver- so I don't have to come along and randomly check my database for every new order and manually start the application.

Any suggestions on a better approach then?

[Musician]

Well your word documents could be mail merged with the database or you could write a windows app that runs periodically via task sheduler that checks the db and updates the word docs accordingly.

[monte96]

If you re-direct them to a url containing a .doc file (server side .doc file), and they have Word, IE will open word as a com object client side and they will basically have a read only copy of it. They'd have to save as to save it though. What you're describing kind of sounds like Sharepoint server. You should check it out on MS's site..