Way to save form data locally w/o server?

[greg_e]

Is there a way to create a form in a local html file where the
contents of the form are written to a local file when a 'save' button
is selected?

It would be nice if it was as easy as changing "somesite.com" to
"file:///C:/whatever" and "post" to "save"... in the following form:
<form action = "somesite.com" method="post">
<p> <textarea name="Text" rows="20" cols="80"> </textarea>
<input value="Send" type="submit"><input type="reset"> </p>
</form>

I would like to do this without using javascript, and without having
to set up a local server to serve the form.

Any help appreciated.

 

[mbstevens]

Is there a way to create a form in a local html file where the
contents of the form are written to a local file when a 'save' button
is selected?

It would be nice if it was as easy as changing "somesite.com" to
"file:///C:/whatever" and "post" to "save"... in the following form:
<form action = "somesite.com" method="post">
<p> <textarea name="Text" rows="20" cols="80"> </textarea>
<input value="Send" type="submit"><input type="reset"> </p>
</form>

I would like to do this without using javascript, and without having
to set up a local server to serve the form.

Any help appreciated.

It is not really that hard to set up a local server with CGI or LAMP, if
you feel you really *must* use a local html file.

On the other hand, Python comes with Tk and has hooks to other
easy to use GUI packages, which might make more sense to use locally.
Perl and Ruby have similar hooks. Is there anything really magic
about an html file for your uses?

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

Is there a way to create a form in a local html file where the
contents of the form are written to a local file when a 'save' button
is selected?

It would be nice if it was as easy as changing "somesite.com" to
"file:///C:/whatever" and "post" to "save"... in the following form:
<form action = "somesite.com" method="post">
<p> <textarea name="Text" rows="20" cols="80"> </textarea>
<input value="Send" type="submit"><input type="reset"> </p>
</form>

I would like to do this without using javascript, and without having
to set up a local server to serve the form.

Any help appreciated.

No. This is a job for local scripting. Use a batch file.

 

[greg_e]

It is not really that hard to set up a local server with CGI or LAMP, if
you feel you really *must* use a local html file.

On the other hand, Python comes with Tk and has hooks to other
easy to use GUI packages, which might make more sense to use locally.
Perl and Ruby have similar hooks. Is there anything really magic
about an html file for your uses?

I basically just need a local page I can load in Firefox that will
make Firefox act like notepad, where you can save a text area to a
file, but I don't even need to be able to select the filename, like
you can do with notepad - the filename can be hardcoded.

If there is no way to do this without setting up a server and
installing Perl, etc. to process the script, what is the smallest &
simplest server, and what is the smallest and simplest script
processor? I don't need more functionality, and doubt I will ever use
it for anything else.

I learned and used 'c' several years ago, but I don't even have a 'c'
compiler now.

Thanks

 

[Jonathan N. Little]

I basically just need a local page I can load in Firefox that will
make Firefox act like notepad, where you can save a text area to a
file, but I don't even need to be able to select the filename, like
you can do with notepad - the filename can be hardcoded.

No you cannot. HTML forms post to server-side scripts, so you *need* the
server. If you don't want the server then your must use the OS, put a
shortcut to a text file and be done with it...

 

[Harlan Messinger]

I basically just need a local page I can load in Firefox that will
make Firefox act like notepad, where you can save a text area to a
file, but I don't even need to be able to select the filename, like
you can do with notepad - the filename can be hardcoded.

Is this because Notepad is missing from your computer and you need a
work-around?

Anyway, no: there is no "save" option for HTML forms.

 

[J.O. Aho]

I basically just need a local page I can load in Firefox that will
make Firefox act like notepad, where you can save a text area to a
file, but I don't even need to be able to select the filename, like
you can do with notepad - the filename can be hardcoded.

In the Mozilla.org browsers you can use XUL together with JavaScript to
do what you want, a simple search at Google gave the following llink:

http://www.captain.at/programming/xul/

If there is no way to do this without setting up a server and
installing Perl, etc. to process the script, what is the smallest &
simplest server, and what is the smallest and simplest script
processor?

If looking for the smallest simplest http server, then thttp,
http://www.acme.com/software/thttpd/

For handling text, Perl may be the best language to use, otherwise php
is easy to learn and a lot more stable than visualbasic.

I learned and used 'c' several years ago, but I don't even have a 'c'
compiler now.

Poor excuse, you get one for free at http://gcc.gnu.org