Changing the way IE launches files (Word, Excel, etc.)

[marc weber]

We have Windows XP/2000 users accessing files like Word, Excel, etc. on an intranet using IE. Sometimes these files open in the browser window, and other times the associated application is launched.

I know that this can be set from Windows Explorer (or My Computer) by selecting Tools > Folder Options > File Types. Then selecting the desired file type (e.g., DOC or XLS), clicking on the "Advanced" button, and checking or unchecking "Browse in same window."

However, some of our users are on "locked down" Citrix desktops and are not able to access these settings.

Is there another way to change the way IE launches files?

[Ben Souther]

From the server, you can suggest which way the browser open the file by setting the Content-Disposition header.

The keyword "inline" will ask the browser to open the associated application in the browser where "attachment" asks it to prompt the user with a "Save As", or "Open With" dialog.

There is an example in the JspAndExcel FAQ.
[ November 16, 2007: Message edited by: Ben Souther ]

[Tim Holloway]

BTW, don't forget that Microsoft lost a patent lawsuit over embedded functions in a web browser and as a result has had to patch IE to open apps in external windows. It may be that you're encountering post-lawsuit versions of IE here.

I don't know if this is JUST an IE issue or a general MS-Windows one. It's possible that Firefox, for example doesn't have this problem, since Eolas (the winner of the lawsuit) has only pursued Microsoft.

[marc weber]

Originally posted by Tim Holloway:
BTW, don't forget that Microsoft lost a patent lawsuit over embedded functions in a web browser and as a result has had to patch IE to open apps in external windows...

Interesting -- I didn't know about this. I assume that "external windows" means the associated app, instead of an IE window, right?

These users are stuck with IE 6.

[marc weber]

Originally posted by Ben Souther:
From the server, you can suggest which way the browser open the file by setting the Content-Disposition header...

Thanks, Ben! That seems promising. But to complicate things, these native files (like Word and Excel) are actually attachments in Lotus Notes documents being accessed via IE. The URL is something like...

http://abc.mydomain.com/content/db_title.nsf/0/7d15de852d3b45d10025734d0071197b/$FILE/Filename.xls

So I wonder if this behavior can be set in Notes...

[Ben Souther]

I thought the lawsuit had to do with objects embedded with the <applet, <embed, and <object tags.

Not sure if an inline application launched from a hyperlink is affected.

[Anand Hariharan]

Originally posted by marc weber:
However, some of our users are on "locked down" Citrix desktops and are not able to access these settings.

I know I am off on a tangent here, but there is a setting on Citrix Presentation Server that your admin can enable (something like "Enable server client communication", IIRC).

If this is enabled, and you click a URL in a Doc, XLS or email, it will enable you to launch the URL in a browser running in your client.

I wonder if this setting affects your situation (i.e., trying to open DOC, XLS etc from a browser running remotely).

- Anand

[marc weber]

Originally posted by Anand Hariharan:
...I wonder if this setting affects your situation...

I don't know. I'm waiting to hear back from our Citrix administrators, but I'm afraid it would take an act of Congress to get them to change anything.