[K12OSN] launch an application via php script?

[Debbie Schiel]

Hi - Thanks for the replies. What you all say about php being 
server-side so can't activate local apps makes sense, so I tried a 
different search, and found:

http://www.whirlywiryweb.com/q/%2Flaunchinie.asp
"...LaunchinIE ActiveX Control that will enable HTML pages to start 
whatever application on the client's machine, without security warnings.
To ensure security, LaunchinIE needs to be carefully configured 
client-side; due to this restriction it's only fit for intranet use."

But it seems like it's only for (ew!) internet explorer...

I'll keep looking though and reply with the solution when I find it.

Debbie

Huck wrote:
> can you actually open an executable via  <a href> tag?
> I tried...it asked me where I wanted to save the executable...
> (was on a windows machine) dunno how linux will handle it...
> 
> Javascript might be able to launch something for you ?
> 
> --Huck, not even a mid-level web programmer =)
> 
> Petre Scheie wrote:
> 
>> I don't think this can be done, at least not with PHP (or CGI, etc.).  
>> PHP is a server-side scripting language, meaning whatever is called is 
>> owned by the server ID; I think you want, say, the gimp session to be 
>> owned by the user who clicks on an icon.  I can't think of any way 
>> that you could pass the $DISPLAY variable to the server, that the 
>> server would be able to make sense of, such that the gimp would appear 
>> on the correct terminal.  The problem, as I see it, is one of context: 
>> clicking the icon happens in the user's context, but it triggers a 
>> (PHP) script that runs in the web server's context.
>>
>> Even if you could have apache call the gimp and pass it the correct 
>> display, you still have the issue of who owns and therefore controls 
>> the gimp pid.
>>
>> It's an interesting concept, though, and I'd love to be proven 
>> wrong...but I just can't see how one would make it work.  I don't 
>> think you can get there from here.
>>
>> Petre
>>
>> Debbie Schiel wrote:
>>
>>> Hi, This is for the PHP gurus...
>>>
>>> Is there a way to launch an application (eg: 'gimp') via a php script?
>>>
>>> I'm thinking of an intranet page for Preppies (kindergarten) with 
>>> icons linked to flash games on external sites but also icons linked 
>>> to internal applications. So I would need something like:
>>>
>>> <a href="go.php?launch=myapp">TUX PAINT ICON</a>
>>>
>>> and then
>>>
>>> <? if ($launch==myapp) {
>>>             some php script here...
>>>         }
>>> ?>
>>>
>>> I've tried exec() and shell_exec() without success.
>>> Any ideas?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Debbie
>>>
>>> ps - is this considered 'off topic'?
>>>
>>
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>>
> 
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