Run command on client side from browser - windows

For our intraNET we need to run application, when user clicks on link. Security is done another way (apache, firewall). This is only for users in our company. Operation system is WindowsXP+ (some Linux).
I tried link to script file (http://intranet.domain.com/run.bat):
Chrome
can't change mimetype
browser downloads it, and after doubleclick and warning it works with .bat
Opera
with mimetypes tunning, it works with .lnk file, immediatly after click
Firefox
with mimetypes tunning, it works with .lnk file, immediatly after click
Explorer
.bat file works after warning and click on 'Run'
Safari
.bat file works after warning and click on 'Run'
It works, but with warnings and clicking. Maybe there are some other solutions (i read here) using AIR2 plugin or NPAPI plugin, but i have no experiences.
I am looking for ready to use plugin written for this purpose (commercial too). Of course we can install any application/plugin on client computer. Plugin which i can render on webpage and configure to run some command with parameters on click event (command and parameters could change on every page load, can not be compiled in plugin).
I know, there are some questions on this topic, but.. i did not find good solution. Thank you for any help.

All those warnings are there for a reason! If you could run a batch file in this way without warning this would be a huge security risk.
The best way to get this to work would be to write a signed ActiveX control that users download to their PC, install (which would require that the user confirm that they wish to install the control) and then have the ActiveX control run the batch file. This would then allow the ActiveX control to run batch files without prompting the user, however is probably way more hassle than its worth for a one-off action.

Related

Script or executable to set homepage for default browser, and auto-load browser on PC startup

We're launching our new company intranet soon and to ensure that everyone uses it (or at least see's it), we'd like to create an automated procedure for changing the default browser's (IE11, FF, Chrome) homepage to the new URL for the intranet. We'd also like to make the browser load on computer startup.
Is there a way to do this via a batch or VB script, executable or GPO?
I had a feeling that GPO's would be the easiest way to enforce the home/start page change.
One small problem though - not all of our offices are running Server 2012 or above and some aren't even running a DC. Those few only have 3-4 staff and are just running standalone desktops.
So I was hoping to create a compressed package for them to download with a few shortcuts (.lnk), registry fixes, VB scripts and the like all to run from a single batch file.
I have the shortcut, the icon, a registry tweak for IE, a batch script for FF and I was going to create a batch file to automate the procedure. But I'm missing a start page modifier for Chrome.
And maybe there's a better way to do all of it... because the batch file will need to be run with administrative privileges.
I'd like to make it as seamless and easy as possible for those staff that are not very computer literate.
Also - one of our offices uses Macs... Is there a Mac equivalent to this? They mostly use Safari or Chrome.

How to handle File Download pop up in Firefox using AutoIT in (selenium RC)

I need to download a file from application in my selenium RC test.
When i click on the link/button to save a file, first i get a pop up which asks me to either open or save the file, when i select 'Save' and click 'OK' then i get one more pop up asking me to provide the path where file is to be saved and file name also.
I goggled and found that this could be done via AutoIT but i am facing some problems while doing that.
so could some one please provide me the .exe file for file_download in Firefox and also where i can mention the path to save that file too.
and also if you could provide me what exactly the code, i need to write in my test case.
Please let me know how to handle this.
You can achieve that without using autoit also. follow below steps.
Create new firefox profile.
Change the preferences in that profile manually before starting the automation with that profile. (Change the settings like below)
Now start the automation using that profile so that files will be downloaded to default location.
Starting selenium server using specfic profile
java -jar selenium-server.jar -firefoxProfileTemplate "C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\234saddsf.customProfile"
I found this link: http://qtp-help.blogspot.com/2009/07/selenium-handle-dialogs.html
Unfortunately it is for the old style dialog boxes that do not have the open vs save radio buttons. I'm searching for a solution to this part of the problem.

Installing firefox extension for all users [system wide installation]

I have written a Firefox extension which is packed as an .xpi file. I want to install this extension for all users. Somewhere I found that we can achieve this by putting the file in the Mozilla\Extensions folder, then the extension will be available to all users.
But the problem is after installing the extension, on first launch of Firefox
for an administrator, a pop-up tab will appear to ask whether to enable or disable the extension, but
for the non-admin user, no pop-up will be there and the extension will be disabled for them initially.
Is it possible to notify every user by launching a pop-up tab when they start the browser the first time after installation?
Just to provide the old answer, which no longer worked flawlessly:
If you want to do a silent administrative install [...]:
uncompress the .xpi file yourself (as a ZIP file) to an appropriately named (extension's ID) folder. On Linux/Unix platforms you can use a helper script to determine extension IDs in an automated fashion.
Put this directory into the browser/extension folder.
See also this answer about Thunderbird (by me). The same steps worked for Firefox before application signing was enforced. In Firefox 43, the signature checks can be disabled via about:config. The about:config workaround will supposedly stop working in Firefox 44.

Customizable Windows right-click file uploader?

I'm looking for a "right-click upload" application like RightLoad - an application that can upload media files to a remote FTP server from the Windows Explorer's context menu. I want to customize the application to serve as a customized image uploading tool to a PHP-based CMS.
The user would upload images and other media files to a defined FTP account (I'm also very open for other methods of transport, as long as they are supported by run-off-the-mill web hosting stacks) that they could then use in the CMS they log in to.
For me to be able to do these customizations, the application would have to be Open Source - RightLoad is "only" Freeware. Alternatively, I'm open for closed-source and commercial suggestions as long as they allow "pre-packaged" server settings that can easily be deployed to the user.
Does anybody know such a tool compatible with at least the most current versions of Windows (XP, Vista, 7)?
Bounty
Thanks all for the great input. In the case at hand, I decided it's easiest for me to stick with RightLoad and create a workflow in which the URL presented by RightLoad after the upload is copy+pasted into the CMS. I am putting a bounty on this because I think it's a worthy question for future generations, and I want to be the first one to put up a 500 bounty under the new bounty system :)
You could just use the send to menu using window's My network Places like this http://techie-buzz.com/how-to/right-click-and-send-to-ftp.html
I think WinSCP might have everything you want:
Open Source under GNU GPL
Windows Explorer's 'Send To' Context Menu
Drag 'n Drop Shell Extension
lots of additional features
and it can be scripted and is more secure than FTP due to using SSH
If you insist on open source, why not create a custom context menu handler and send it using some open source FTP client?
I would have to check the details, if it's really viable, but I would start with it.
I just had an idea, tested and working:
use regedit to edit HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/*/Shell
add a key in shell called FTP to Mysite, in the default value set it to FTP to Mysite.
then add a key to the FTP key you just created called command, in the command default value use:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe http://www.mysite.com?file=%1
what this will do is open IE and the address www.mysite.com?file=C:\path\to\file.jpg
now using $_GET you can get the file address, upload it via php to where ever, even add an interface...
now when the user right clicks on any file, they can upload it via your web site by clicking FTP
1) another software is RightLoad , i use it that this moment!
2) The nice software I used over years, was FLING. It adds Right Click menu in windows explorer... However, I have left the software, because till today (version 2.35) fling DOESNT support SFTP (And nowadays on all sites I use SFTP!!)
3) I DONT like SEND-TO menu! (because I think passwords saved in WINDOWS can be easily stolen by virus..)

Correct way to restore Firefox preferences when Add-On uninstalled by external application

I have written an application suite on Windows which amongst other things installs a Firefox add-on which once run modifies the Firefox network preferences by interfacing with nsIPrefService.
The extension itself resides in a folder under Program Files along with other parts of the application which work together with each other.
Since the application consists of a number of components, the correct way to uninstall it is via the Control Panel or via an uninstall shortcut I provide for the users.
I have no control over whether Firefox will be running or not when the user chooses to uninstall (possibly I could try to detect if it's running in the uninstaller and request the user close it to continue).
Since the purposes of the uninstaller is to remove all traces of the program from the end-users system i.e:
all the files under the Program Files folder, including the extension components
remove the add-on from Firefox (by removing the registry key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mozilla\Firefox\Extensions, causing the add-on to unregister on next Firefox restart)
remove application specific registry keys
Then after uninstall there isn't any of my code left on the users system capable of restoring the network preferences to what they were before the component was installed. This results in end-users not being able to browse the web and being very frustrated!
The only way I can figure out how to do this at the moment is to have my component write to the window's registry the location of the users profile folder - which I can do with my add-on:
Components.classes["#mozilla.org/file/directory_service;1"]
.getService(Components.interfaces.nsIProperties).get("ProfD",
Components.interfaces.nsIFile).path
And then have my uninstaller modify the prefs.js file in that location directly. But this will only work if I can guarantee Firefox isn't running during uninstall (since prefs.js is re-written on FF close)
To me this is not an elegant solution:
It seems not to be future proof since it is dependent on the format and symbols used prefs.js which may change in future FF releases.
Firefox has a nasty habbit of not always closing properlly (sometimes other installed add-ons prevent it from completely unloading from memory. This would break my uninstaller).
This wouldn't work (without elaborate modification) if the user has multiple FF profiles setup all using my add-on.
Is there a better or "standard" way to achieve this simple task?
Did you try to package defaults files (defaults/preferences/myprefs.js) in your extension? I didn't check if it works for overriding Firefox-wide defaults, but it should.
Can't the uninstaller "insist" that Firefox be closed? eg,
check if FireFox is open
if open, inform user "FF must be closed, or cancel uninstall" ok/cancel
loop
I've had several installers do this to me. Not unistallers, though, that I can remember.
Also, this doesn't future-proof the solution, nor deal with profiles.

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