Content-Disposition Doesn't Set Filename in IE

[Guest]

I have looked everywhere and cannot find a resolution for this. I have read
several post on this forum that allude to similar issues but I have not found
a solution.

I am sending dynamic content to the browser to be opened in Excel. On some
browsers including on the mac it works fine, but in other browsers it sets
the filename to the script instead of to the name specified in the
content-disposition.

I am at my wits end. Here is a snapshot of my code, but I have tried dozens
of permutations. It works on my local machine but not on the server. The
server is running under HTTPS which may be an issue? I have tried without
and with the mime type defined in the IIS on the server. The request is
launched from a javascript window.open and I have tried both relative and
absolute urls.

FYI: this is part of a function and the context is the current httpcontext.
I am doing all this from an HttpHandler with session state enabled.

XslTransform xslt = new XslTransform();
xslt.Load(xslPath);
System.IO.MemoryStream stream = new System.IO.MemoryStream();
xslt.Transform(xmlDocument, xargs, stream, new XmlUrlResolver());
context.Response.Buffer = true;
context.Response.Clear();
context.Response.ClearContent();
context.Response.ClearHeaders();
context.Response.Cookies.Clear();
context.Response.Charset = System.Text.UTF8Encoding.UTF8.WebName;
//string.Empty;
context.Response.ContentEncoding = System.Text.UTF8Encoding.UTF8;
context.Response.AppendHeader("Content-Length", stream.Length.ToString());
//context.Response.AppendHeader("Content-Disposition-Type","inline");
//context.Response.AppendHeader("Pragma","cache");
//context.Response.AppendHeader("Expires", "-1");
//context.Response.AppendHeader("Cache-Control","no-store, no-cache,
must-revalidate, post-check=0, pre-check=0");
context.Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel";
context.Response.AppendHeader("Content-Disposition",
"inline; " +
"filename=\"" + "Download.xls" + "\"; " +
"size=" + stream.Length.ToString() + "; " +
"creation-date=" + DateTime.Now.ToString("R") + "; " +
"modification-date=" + DateTime.Now.ToString("R") + "; " +
"read-date=" + DateTime.Now.ToString("R"));
context.Response.BinaryWrite(stream.ToArray());
stream.Close();
context.Response.Flush();
context.Response.Close();
stream = null;
context.Response.End();

 

[Bruce Barker]

well its up to the browser to honor the content file name. as you found,
many don't. you have two options:

1) live with it.
2) use an http module, and use url remapping to get around the problem, so
that

Download.xls get remapped to producexml.aspx


-- bruce (sqlwork.com)

..

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Bruce,

Maybe that is what I should do. Can you explain why it works in my local
development environment but not on the live server?

Obviously, the browser is the same in both contexts.

Thanks again.

 

[Guest]

OK,

I went with the extension mapping option and it doesn't work.

I mapped the xls extension and am handling it with an HttpHandler. It
behaves exactly the same as running it through an aspx. It works locally
where there is no SSL but it doesn't work on the server where the request is
secured. So even though the "file" has the xls extension, it still won't
download.

I don't think it is an MSOffice issue, I think it is a security issue. I
have seen unanswered posts about Cacheability having an effect, but I have
seen no answers on the subject.

I am stumped.

 

[Guest]

Well, I think I have it resolved, though I am not sure what of the following
fixed it.

Here are a couple useful resource links:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=317208
http://www.generation.net/~hleboeuf/downfile.htm

Here is the header code:
context.Response.Clear();
context.Response.ClearContent();
context.Response.ClearHeaders();
context.Response.Cookies.Clear();
context.Response.Cache.SetCacheability(HttpCacheability.Private);
context.Response.CacheControl = "private";
context.Response.Charset = System.Text.UTF8Encoding.UTF8.WebName;
context.Response.ContentEncoding = System.Text.UTF8Encoding.UTF8;
context.Response.AppendHeader("Content-Length", stream.Length.ToString());
context.Response.AppendHeader("Pragma","cache");
context.Response.AppendHeader("Expires", "60");
context.Response.ContentType = "application/vnd.ms-excel";
context.Response.AppendHeader("Content-Disposition",
"inline; " +
"filename=\"" + fileName + "\"; " +
"size=" + stream.Length.ToString() + "; " +
"creation-date=" + DateTime.Now.ToString("R") + "; " +
"modification-date=" + DateTime.Now.ToString("R") + "; " +
"read-date=" + DateTime.Now.ToString("R"));

According to the KB article above, Office cannot open files that have not
been cached by IE. I changed the cache settings to accommodate this
"limitation". Though the following may have been enough.

One of the Advanced settings in the IE options is "Do not save encrypted
pages to disk" I had this option checked and I believe this is why neither
download (attachment) nor open (inline) worked for me in HTTPS/SSL but did
work for others.