JS and timestamp of file on server

[cooch17]

There are lots of ways to use javascript to embed the current
date/time in a page. But, what I would like to do is the following -
have a script pop up a box when the user hovers over a link,
indicating the timestamp of the file the link points at.

Suppose, for example, you're hosting a setup.exe file, which is
periodically updated. You have a download link - something like

Click <a href="setup.exe "> here</a> to download the file.

The file is very large, so you'd like the user to be able to determine
if the setup.exe is more recent that they one they might already have-
basically, they need to know the timestamp of the file. So, something
that, when the user hovers over the link, reports the timestamp of the
file (or, second best, spawns a download popup, with the file
timestampe embedded in it - asking the user if they still want to
download the file).

Is there a simple (or even complicated) way to do this, using
javascript? Or is this a CSS-type problem?

Thanks in advance...

[Martin Honnen]

co*****@NOSPAMv erizon.net wrote:

Click <a href="setup.exe "> here</a> to download the file.
Is there a simple (or even complicated) way to do this, using
javascript?

If you want a solution for all browser users (whether the browser
supports client-side script or not and whether the user has client-side
script enabled) then consider solving it on the server where you can
read out file information and include them directly in your HTML.

If you want to solve it with client-side script then you can try to do a
HTTP HEAD request and check whether you get a Last-Modified header. Then
you need to display it.

Example for doing a HEAD request is here
<http://jibbering.com/2002/4/httprequest.htm l#HEAD>
--

Martin Honnen
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[bobzimuta]

Easiest way is to use the 'title' attribute of the anchor (tested IE 6,
Firefox but nothing else).

<a href="" title="40KB">Cl ick here</a> to download file.

But for a better 'tooltip' like feel, you can use one of the libraries
available. One of the most popular is at
http://www.walterzorn.com/tooltip/tooltip_e.htm

[cooch17]

On 28 Mar 2006 09:56:25 -0800, "bobzimuta" <ej******@gmail .com> wrote:

Easiest way is to use the 'title' attribute of the anchor (tested IE 6,
Firefox but nothing else).

<a href="" title="40KB">Cl ick here</a> to download file.

But for a better 'tooltip' like feel, you can use one of the libraries
available. One of the most popular is at
http://www.walterzorn.com/tooltip/tooltip_e.htm

I know how to generate tooltips - what I need is a way to pull the
timestamp from the file to be downloaded, and have it presented in the
tooltip.

[cooch17]

On Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:55:37 +0200, Martin Honnen <ma*******@yaho o.de>
wrote:

co*****@NOSPAM verizon.net wrote:

Click <a href="setup.exe "> here</a> to download the file.

Is there a simple (or even complicated) way to do this, using
javascript?

If you want a solution for all browser users (whether the browser
supports client-side script or not and whether the user has client-side
script enabled) then consider solving it on the server where you can
read out file information and include them directly in your HTML.

If you want to solve it with client-side script then you can try to do a
HTTP HEAD request and check whether you get a Last-Modified header. Then
you need to display it.

Example for doing a HEAD request is here
<http://jibbering.com/2002/4/httprequest.htm l#HEAD>

Perfect - does exactly what I'd like it to do. Thanks very much!

[Dr John Stockton]

JRS: In article <v8************ *************** *****@4ax.com>, dated
Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:44:35 remote, seen in news:comp.lang. javascript,
co*****@NOSPAMv erizon.net posted :

There are lots of ways to use javascript to embed the current
date/time in a page. But, what I would like to do is the following -
have a script pop up a box when the user hovers over a link,
indicating the timestamp of the file the link points at.
In general, the time-stamp on the server does not necessarily indicate
the date/time of origin of the file. It just indicates that the file
has not changed since then.

Server-side script should be able to put the dates of files into pages
served.
... Is there a simple (or even complicated) way to do this, using
javascript? Or is this a CSS-type problem?

Not in generally-available CSS, AFAIK. It's not CSS-type IMHO, but I've
not read the latest standards and drafts.
The job should be done on the system which edits the master copy of the
site. The editor-person can hand-edit the information on the page, in
one form or another, when a new version is released; or a process can be
regularly run which captures and formats the information for upload.

Note, though, that there may be material in the package which the author
wants to maintain current, but which does not justify the average end-
user in downloading a new version. Consider, for example, a product
package including a text file saying "Product has had XXX downloads!".
A fully-automated process would update that figure with each download,
leading to a change in time-stamp, showing on the Web page, and if the
client refreshed this page, a new download would seem needed, ...

--
© John Stockton, Surrey, UK. ?@merlyn.demon. co.uk Turnpike v4.00 MIME. ©
Web <URL:http://www.merlyn.demo n.co.uk/> - w. FAQish topics, links, acronyms
PAS EXE etc : <URL:http://www.merlyn.demo n.co.uk/programs/> - see 00index.htm
Dates - miscdate.htm moredate.htm js-dates.htm pas-time.htm critdate.htm etc.