spreadsheet download dialog box (IE)

Post #114,624

8/20/03 6:11:23 PM

If the Windows Web browser (IE 5 or 6) opens an XLS file (spreadsheet), how it handles it depends on a file association setting within Windows. There is a setting called "confirm open after download" in Windows Explorer under Tools, Folder Options, File Types, XLS (in list), Advanced (button). This setting will determine if a "Save File" dialog box pops up or not when user clicks on a spreadsheet link. If this option is switched off, then a spreadsheet will directly open in the browser window. We don't want this to happen. We want the options dialog box to appear for users.

The options dialog box has "Open", "Save", and "Cancel" options, but also allows the user to switch off this dialog in future downloads (links to spreadsheets); but since it never appears again once off, there is no easy way for users to set it back on.

The problem is that this option is not controllable on the server side that we know of. It is not realistic to expect the user to go into the Folders Options described above. We tried changing the MIME headers to indicate binary (octet) in ColdFusion, but it did not work. Apparently the file extension ("XLS") overrides any MIME headers.

Does anybody know of a fix or workaround that is convenient for the users?

________________
oop.ismad.com

Post #114,631

by altmann

8/20/03 7:20:36 PM

content-disposition ?

look at "content-disposition" , especially the "attachment" option

[link|http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2183.html|http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2183.html]

also look into "application/x-msdownload"

Have no idea if any of these work. Was just curious and googled it up.

--
Chris Altmann

Post #114,664

by static

8/20/03 11:33:12 PM

Blame Microsoft.

We battled with this, too. In essence, IE ignores the MIME setting under some circumstances, especially when based on the file name it thinks they're wrong. The solution is complex.

Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="blah.xls"

works as a start. IE 5 and 5.5 also should get Content-Type: application/download.

And make sure the URL contains the filename after the last slash! This we found would trick IE into using the correct filename when saving.

Finally, try making your web server respond as HTTP/1.0 for IE 5. We found some comments a month or three ago that suggested IE forgets how MIME handling works when it receives HTTP/1.1, but we haven't tested this.

Wade.

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