Specify file download

[Aronya1]

Is there a way to specify that a file be downloaded (either saved or opened in the appropriate app)? I've never seen any special code for this, but the site I'm working on just doesn't seem to function properly. If I click a link to a Word doc, it opens as if Word is a plug-in to IE. Ditto for .pdf files. Acrobat opens as a plug-in. There is a BACK button to return to the page that contains the original link.

Any ideas what's going on?

[ennui]

place the file you want to be downloaded into a zip file and then have the link hook to the zip file.. it will then promt them to either open or to save to disk

[Aronya1]

Thanks for the suggestion, but is that the only way? There are going to be people (read AOL users, for one) who won't know what to do with a zip file. Besides, the zip file shouldn't be required.

[ennui]

lol sorry mate I dont cater to AOL users .. thats the only way I know how to do it .. if you figure it out let me know

[The Cheat]

i came across this thread the other day... hope it helps :)

http://www.flashkit.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=498299

[Aronya1]

Thanks for that. Not looking very promising, is it? Guess we'll just have to live with having the documents open in the browser.

Thanks again, guys.

[The Cheat]

You could always tell them to right click and press 'save target as' ;)

[Aronya1]

Yeah, but I don't want to get into teaching people how to use their computers. There will be a large number of older users, and it needs to be as close to point-and-click as possible.