How to Open Local Folders through Hyperlinks in Web Browsers?

Opening Local Folders Through Hyperlinks

In the realm of web browsing, the ability to explore local system content directly from a hyperlink can be a convenient feature. However, opening a local folder view from a link poses technical challenges.

Background:

Traditional methods, such as using "file:///D:/Tools/" in a hyperlink or employing an "onclick" event handler, are often unsuccessful due to security restrictions in web browsers. These restrictions prevent the browser from accessing local file paths or opening directory views directly.

Solution:

To circumvent these restrictions, the solution lies in launching a downloadable link that points to the desired local folder. This can be achieved using either a .URL or a .LNK file, both of which are recognized by web browsers as appropriate shortcuts to local resources.

.URL File:

A .URL file is a text-based shortcut that contains the path to the target directory. Dynamically generating a .URL file is straightforward using any web language or framework. To embed a .URL link in an HTML document, simply use the "href" attribute:

<a href="path/to/file.url">Open Folder</a>

Browser Behavior:

The behavior of web browsers when opening a .URL link varies. Chrome and Firefox will typically download the .URL file before opening it, while Internet Explorer will skip the download step and open the directory directly.

Conclusion:

By leveraging downloadable shortcuts such as .URL files, developers can provide users with the ability to open local folders from hyperlinks, offering a convenient and secure way to access and browse local content from the web.

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