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I would like to know if there is any way to generate a text/xml file in javascript. I want users to be able to fill out a page form when they are offline, save the data, and then use the saved file at a later point in time. The browser will be IE, most likely IE7.

Thanks

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2 Answers

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The files should be stored on client filesystems, right?

In general, saving data on client's computer by a web script would be considered a security breach. I would avoid doing so but if it's one of your project requirements, you can give it a try.

Since the target platform would be IE, you can try ActiveX. Example code (not tested):

var fso  = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
var fh = fso.CreateTextFile("c:\\path\\file.txt", true);
fh.WriteLine("Some text");
fh.Close();
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Thanks. I suppose all IE versions support this? At least down to ie7? And if i want to save the file as an xml, all i need to do is to change ".txt" to ".xml", right? – Johan Oct 7 '11 at 8:39
ActiveX was introduced abaut IE3 :). And for extensions - yes. – Przemek Oct 7 '11 at 8:48
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You might have to use Flash in order to access the user's filesystem to save the file. That is the way most client-side components work if they need to create a file wholly on the client.

Time to learn ActionScript, and say goodbye to iDevices compatibility!

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