how to fwrite to client's directory ?

mduran

Hi,

I really don't know whether this is possible: I would like to dump some php generated data to a txt file in the local directory of the client. How can I do this ? when I use for example

$hFile = fopen( "c:/file.txt", "a+" );
fwrite( $hFile, "\nText: $title\n$poem" );
fclose( $hFile );

the file 'file.txt' is created in my server, not in the client !
Is this possible ?

thanks a million,
m.

Natty_Dreadlock

of course u MUST not modify the clients filesystem, just imagine the security problems this would cause....
PHP has no access to the client's hdd, the only possibility to give some data to the client's machine is outputtin 'em to his browser via echo or print or embedded html or whatever. Simply dump the data to the browser and don't try to store them on the user's filesys, it's actually impossible (maybe you can do it if u use some nice hacks 😃)
hth

phrater

Due to the possibilities derived from knowing how to write to
a visitor's machine thru a webpage I'm not going to divulge
the How. But I will tell you that it is possible in ActiveX. I did
it to prove to content filter admin @ my company that it could
be done... he nearly cried lol. I wrote gotcha.txt to his c:\

Natty_Dreadlock

activex can do it... but its only supported by ie, and many people refuse to install controls due to the danger of gettin some dialer.... Actually, servers should not try to do something without the permission of the reader on his local system.

Natty_Dreadlock

phrater

Natty, I agree with you. But in this case, like the rest of my life,
everything is driven by the underlying question 'Can It Be Done'.

Most of my life's work has been done simply to prove a nay sayer
wrong. :p

leatherback

Hehe..

Phrater.. I understand your point completely!
Hehe.. Isn't it nice to show somebody <he></she> is not only arrogant, but also wrong!?

Natty_Dreadlock

but u should not do everything that can be done... and u should not manipulate your client's pc and write to their hdd without their permission...🆒

phrater

It is only by concept, trial, error and success that we know our
own true limits.

Of course we ought to try everything that is possible, that
is how we learn and progress.

Of course all of this is simply my opinion.

Natty_Dreadlock

sure, but there's something else: experience. And when u think of the dialer problem caused by activex, u gotta admit that many users experienced a lot of trouble with controls that write to their hdd. So I think that today most users will only accept activex-controls on pages they trust completely (e.g. eBay). A small site will not be able to convince the user to allow an activex-control to be run or even modify his hdd.

phrater

I agree with you.

He asked for a 'How' and having done this before
I gave it. I never said it was a good idea...

How people conduct themselves is up to them,
I just provide the answers I am privvy to and
hope people would do the same for me.