Does anyone know how to access the users favorites list through javascript, assuming he wants to..? Let's assume a HTA file (so security is not a problem), and that yes the user wants to do it.

All google tells me is how to ADD a favorite, but not how to access them. ImportExportFavorites seems to be a feature no longer supported by MS.

I could write an application that the user could download, then send those favorites to the server, but that wouldn't work on a MAC. I could also ask the user to export his favorites, then upload the exported file and parse it, but I think that could be too complicated for most people.

Ideas?

JM

I'm almost sure that it isn't possible. You'll probably be able to do it through ActiveX, though.

Well it is possible if I just read the directory at c:\windows\favorites. But then I need to figure out where that directory is on all machines in all browsers. Mac? FireFox? Yuk...

Just to add......

You can't use client-side JavaScript to read directories.
Reading bookmarks/favorites is a privacy issue so will not be supported in client-side JavaScript.

Hmm, well ok, let me confirm:

It IS possible to make directories, add files, execute DOS programs from client side Javascript. The issue is to make HTA applications instead of a htm pages.

So I could indeed read the WINDOWS / WINNT direcotory and read the favorites, but I don't really want to do that. It doesn't sound very "standard".

I guess nobody knows the "correct" way to do this... Hmm...maybe I need to find a programmer forum..

I shall return with the answer.

Can you post the code you have so far?

I dont have any code so far. I am just researching the accepted way to do it. I am thinking there is no general accepted way to do it and I need to write custom read functions for each browser. I just figure if the guy has Netscape installed, go to his netscape folder, figure out the fileformat that and export it, if he has explorer, go to favorites and export those.

That is not how I want to do it, I would prefer to know if there is a universally accepted way to do it, without having to write hacks for each browser. But I think there may not be a universal way to do it.

What you are doing is illegal and as of IE6 not turned on by default. It used to be you could use vulnerabilities in IE to run vb code. Nowadays it comes disabled. If users want to bookmark your site then they will. You don't need to force it on them and especially not invade their privacy.

Sorry but $respect-- for trying to screw with other people's stuff

-dk

I think there is some misunderstanding here. In the first line of this subject, I wrote it:

The user WANTS to send me his favorites. There is a button: "Send us your favorites". He clicks on the button. It downloads an EXE, (or HTA), he clicks YES to run it.

It runs and exports his favorites. Just like the user wanted to.

I am looking for the best way to allow the user to do this. Not illegally, but rather he WANTS to do it.

JM

Ahhhhh..... my apologies. I misunderstood. I don't know how to go about this then.

Again sorry. Hope someone can help.
-dk

Wouldn't it be easier to provide your users with instructions on how to export their bookmarks/favorites themselves, and then allow them to upload the exported file to your server? That way there's no security issues involved with running code on the clients machine.

That was what I started thinking, but when I did it myself, I found it to be kind of complicated. If I could get the user to click on a button to download an EXE or HTA, and have it "magically" done it would be better.

I am leaning toward HTA files, since they are machine independant, and browser independant (well sort of). So I won't have to make an EXE for each machine / browser.

I think in the end it will exactly end up as an export and upload scenerio.