Run an executable with arguments from an HTML mail message

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nbrege

I want one of my applications to send an HTML email message to a user with a

hyper link in it to start up an executable with arguments passed to it. It

works fine if I just specify the executable path with no arguments. But if I

pass the arguments then Outlook says it can't find the file.

Here is the line that I add to the email message body to start the exe only:

"<a href="""C:\program files\someFolder\myApp.exe""">Click here</a> to run

program."

but if I add the arguments it doesn't work:

"<a href="""C:\program files\someFolder\myApp.exe cust=1234

order=5678""">Click here</a> to run program."

Has anyone done this before or know what I need to do to make it work with

arguments? Thanks...
 
I am very ignorant when it comes to HTML, but I think I see where your

problem is.

Here's some coding, which includes an ampersand to join two strings, and

therefor probably isn't proper in an HTML context, but the following might

give you an idea that you could code properly in HTML:

"<a href="""C:\program files\someFolder\myApp.exe""" & """cust=1234

order=5678""">Click here</a> to run program."

Sorry if I wasted your time.

MarceepooNu

MarceepooNu

"nbrege" wrote:


> I want one of my applications to send an HTML email message to a user with a
> hyper link in it to start up an executable with arguments passed to it. It
> works fine if I just specify the executable path with no arguments. But if I
> pass the arguments then Outlook says it can't find the file.

> Here is the line that I add to the email message body to start the exe only:

> "<a href="""C:\program files\someFolder\myApp.exe""">Click here</a> to run
> program."

> but if I add the arguments it doesn't work:

> "<a href="""C:\program files\someFolder\myApp.exe cust=1234
> order=5678""">Click here</a> to run program."

> Has anyone done this before or know what I need to do to make it work with
> arguments? Thanks...
>
 
I'm very ignorant when it comes to HTML, but I think I see the vbscript

problem. If I'm right, it has to do with the spaces in the path.

I think HTML doesn't use the amperand (&) to join two strings; so the

following code probably won't work; but I bet you'll know how to correct my

error. So, here's my [wrong] code:

"<a href="""C:\program files\someFolder\myApp.exe""" & """cust=1234

order=5678""">Click here</a> to run program."

I apologize if this wasn't helpful, and instead a waste of your time.

MarceepooNu

"nbrege" wrote:


> I want one of my applications to send an HTML email message to a user with a
> hyper link in it to start up an executable with arguments passed to it. It
> works fine if I just specify the executable path with no arguments. But if I
> pass the arguments then Outlook says it can't find the file.

> Here is the line that I add to the email message body to start the exe only:

> "<a href="""C:\program files\someFolder\myApp.exe""">Click here</a> to run
> program."

> but if I add the arguments it doesn't work:

> "<a href="""C:\program files\someFolder\myApp.exe cust=1234
> order=5678""">Click here</a> to run program."

> Has anyone done this before or know what I need to do to make it work with
> arguments? Thanks...
>
 
nbrege <nbrege> wrote in

news:C14FB3AD-923E-4D68-B4A7-634BC94C47AC@microsoft.com:
> I want one of my applications to send an HTML email message to a user
> with a hyper link in it to start up an executable with arguments
> passed to it. It works fine if I just specify the executable path
> with no arguments. But if I pass the arguments then Outlook says it
> can't find the file.


There's no way to do this, URLs can't contain command-line arguments.

Outlook doesn't matter here, it's just not possible.

Here's some alternative approaches, assuming you control the server

that it's being downloaded from, and the code that's being run:

1. Request is "dostuff.exe?order=1234"; the server 302 redirects to

"dostuff_order_1234.exe", and dostuff.exe checks its own filename and

pulls command-line arguments out of there

2. Server drops a cookie with "order=1234" when it gets the request;

dostuff.exe reads cookies back out when it starts (this is probably

impossible on newer versions of Firefox, they changed the cookie code so

this is much more difficult than it used to be)

3. append bytes with the arguments to the executable, executable reads

its own binary at launch time. Works fine, but breaks code signing.

4. server downloads a zip file with a batch file in there, user runs

the batch file, batch file contains "dostuff order=1234"

5. define new file extension, '.dostuff'; user downloads a .dostuff

file containing "order=1234", associate .dostuff with your executable.

-- dan
 
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