How can I create a file for storage on the client side with JavaScript?

Question

I need to create a temporary file to store user settings on the client side. Is it possible to create a simple log file using JavaScript?

Answer 1

You have a few options:

• Cookies
• localStorage
• database

Check this link:

• HTML5: Client-side Storage

Creating a file is possible only in IE using ActiveX objects.

Answer 2

If you want to store user settings, you should:

1. use cookies
2. store client information on the server

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The ability for a webpage to access an individual's hard disk would be hazardous. However, as Trey pointed out below, you can use:

• HTML 5 Client Side Storage (browser support still limited)
• ActiveX/FileSystemObject (Windows/IE only)

Answer 3

If you can live with the user having to actively store the file, Downloadify allows you to generate a client side "download" on the fly.

Answer 4

You cannot! This violates browser security protocols.

All client-side code in a browser (HTML/CSS/Java-Script) is supposed to get executed inside a security sandbox. As soon as you close the browser session, this sandbox is destroyed. This sandbox protects your local filesystem from malicious attacks.

Ideally, if you were able to do this, then, by just browsing through several links, those sites should be able to write viruses on your system as you do so!!

Answer 5

You can't create file on fly to the client side as there are Security restrictions

but i found a nice article on file by JavaScript have a look http://www.nczonline.net/blog/2012/05/31/working-with-files-in-javascript-part-4-object-urls/

Answer 6

Try this anyway

var fso = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
varFileObject = fso.OpenTextFile("C:\\Sachin.txt", 2, true,0); // 2=overwrite, true=create if not exist, 0 = ASCII
varFileObject.write("File handling in Javascript");
varFileObject.close();

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/scripting/JavaScript__File_Handling.aspx

But i dont think you have to do this type of experiments. You can create and do many file manipulations using server side languages.Thats better

Answer 7

A library that lets you create a plain text file (or an image file or a rich text file) on the client-side for download is FileSaver.js.