How do I make a file available for download?

[web-builder]

I am building a website and I have a music file (mp3) that I want
people to download.

I do not want it to play when they click the link. I want the file to
download permanently (not to a temporary folder) and then they can
listen to it whenever they want.

I am using Serif WebPlus X2 and I am not very proficient with html
code. I tried creating a hyper link to "a file" but this simply plays
the file when you click the link. You can "right click" and save the
file but I want the simplicity of "CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD" and people
click it and my mp3 file downloads without the need to "right click"
and save.

I do want want to put my mp3 file on itunes either and have a link to
itunes. I want my donwload to be independent of organisations such as
itunes, available on my site to download.

Any suggestions?

 

[Sherm Pendley]

You can "right click" and save the
file but I want the simplicity of "CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD" and people
click it and my mp3 file downloads without the need to "right click"
and save.

So essentially, you think your users are too stupid to right-click if
they want to save the file, and you want to say "f**k you" to anyone
who prefers their MP3s to play automatically? How rude!

sherm--

 

[Harlan Messinger]

I am building a website and I have a music file (mp3) that I want
people to download.

I do not want it to play when they click the link. I want the file to
download permanently (not to a temporary folder) and then they can
listen to it whenever they want.

What if when they want to listen to it is right now? Why don't you want
them to have that choice? And unless you know anything about their
computer, how can you have an opinion on where they are going to store
the file if they download it? Anyway, fortunately, you have no control
over that.

I am using Serif WebPlus X2 and I am not very proficient with html
code. I tried creating a hyper link to "a file" but this simply plays
the file when you click the link. You can "right click" and save the
file but I want the simplicity of "CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD" and people
click it and my mp3 file downloads without the need to "right click"
and save.

In what way is it simpler for them to download it and then have to go
figure out where it is so they can play it?

 

[web-builder]

What if when they want to listen to it is right now? Why don't you want
them to have that choice? And unless you know anything about their
computer, how can you have an opinion on where they are going to store
the file if they download it? Anyway, fortunately, you have no control
over that.

The .mp3 file is 26 mins long so according the experience I am
presenting via my website I decree they should not listen to it
NOW.... they should listen to it at a later date. But this is
irrelevent... I simply want to know how to make a file download with
the left click, if you don't know how to do this please keep quiet. I
also want the file to donwload to a permenent location on the viewers
computer (a location that the user specifies, such as "where do you
want to save this file" and then the user saves it to "My documents"
or "My music" or wherever), and providing they are not retarded they
can then remember where they saved it to and listen to it at the right
moment. Due to it being 26 mins long it feel it is not something that
they should listen to in the middle of their journey through my site.
It you think otherwise you can go and build your own site. If you
don't know you how to help me there is no point telling me to do
something different. I know what I want to do.... I want the person
viewing my site to left-click a download button, and then a mp3-file
dowloads to a permenent location (of their choice) and while it
downloads they carry on browsing through my site.

 

[Sherm Pendley]

I simply want to know how to make a file download with
the left click, if you don't know how to do this please keep quiet.

Get over yourself - you don't own usenet. That's a stupid idea, and I
don't need your permission to say so.

If you
don't know you how to help me there is no point telling me to do
something different.

I do know how to configure my server to send .mp3 files with a MIME
type that usually triggers a download. But I'm not going to tell you
how to do it, because it's a horrible idea. Telling you not to do it
*is* how I choose to help you. If you don't like the advice, you can
get back the money you paid for it.

Oh, and your attempt at "reverse psychology" is pathetic. Do you
seriously expect everyone who's telling you not to do this to suddenly
explain it to you, just to "prove" to you that we can? Puhleeze...

sherm--

 

[J.O. Aho]

I simply want to know how to make a file download with
the left click

You rename it so it don't have the .mp3 extension, but at the same time it
shouldn't have an extension that will trigger some other application to do
something, of course this has the disadvantage that the user has to rename
the file before it will work properly as thought on the users system (there
are those who uses DirectoryOpus, which don't care as much about the file
extension, but file header, which would start a mp3 player when clicking on
the misnamed file icon on the end users system).

Another option could be to archive/compress the file with something else than
gzip (some browsers will automatically unpack those files and let the
browser to do the default action, like play the mp3 directly and not offer a
"save").

The whole point is, you don't know which browser the end user will be using,
which settings the user has selected, so you never will be sure about an
action, so regardless of what you wish, the end user may not want to store it
on their hard drive in a more permanent way.

 

[Harlan Messinger]

The .mp3 file is 26 mins long so according the experience I am
presenting via my website I decree they should not listen to it
NOW.... they should listen to it at a later date. But this is
irrelevent... I simply want to know how to make a file download with
the left click, if you don't know how to do this please keep quiet.

Giving orders now, are you?

<plonk>

 

[Chris F.A. Johnson]

The .mp3 file is 26 mins long so according the experience I am
presenting via my website I decree they should not listen to it
NOW....

You CANNOT decree anything that happens on my computer; only I can
decide that. You may, at most, make suggestions.

 

[Blinky the Shark]

You CANNOT decree anything that happens on my computer; only I can
decide that. You may, at most, make suggestions.

Not even with the right chant and some magic chicken bones?

 

[Bergamot]

The .mp3 file is 26 mins long

Instead of trying to force your will upon your users, put that 26 mins
(and the file size) on the page in plain sight so the visitor knows what
they're getting themselves into. If they still want to listen to it now,
it's their choice.

 

[Raymond SCHMIT]

I am building a website and I have a music file (mp3) that I want
people to download.

I do not want it to play when they click the link. I want the file to
download permanently (not to a temporary folder) and then they can
listen to it whenever they want.

I am using Serif WebPlus X2 and I am not very proficient with html
code. I tried creating a hyper link to "a file" but this simply plays
the file when you click the link. You can "right click" and save the
file but I want the simplicity of "CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD" and people
click it and my mp3 file downloads without the need to "right click"
and save.

I do want want to put my mp3 file on itunes either and have a link to
itunes. I want my donwload to be independent of organisations such as
itunes, available on my site to download.

Any suggestions?

The best way is to tell the user that this file is very big ....so
they can choice to click or right-click(if they want to download the
complete stuff).

Listen it immédiately is a good solution, that will permit the user to
appreciate if he want to kill the listen action and decide himself
after that if a download is a good solution.