Is Accessing Usb From A Web Application For Cross Browser Cross Os Possible At All?

I am wondering if there is a way we can achieve this. I heard different things about Silverlight 4, JavaScript or ActiveX control, but I have not seen any demo of code for any of t

Solution 1:

Web browsers are deliberately isolated from the filesystem for security reasons. Only Java (not "Java Script"), Flash or browser plug-ins can accomplish this.

Solution 2:

JavaScript cannot directly access your local disk (including a flash drive) for security reasons (would you really want any web site you look at to access, change, or even delete your files?), and ActiveX controls are IE-specific, so you should probably use a Java applet (not JavaScript). While Java's security policy normally does not allow access to local disks, signed applets can with the user's permission.

Solution 3:

If you're willing to introduce a dependency on Flash (10), you can use the FileReference class to get access to one file at a time, first for reading using the browse method, then for writing using the save method.

Note that for security reasons, each call to these methods must be triggered as a result of user input (e.g. clicking a button), and each time they are called an OS-specific File Open/Save As dialog box is displayed.

There's a video tutorial which gives some sample code for editing a text file (load + save) directly in Flash, without needing any server-side help. It should be enough to get you started in the right direction.

Solution 4:

What about WPF in browser mode...I read that I can host my wpf apps inside browser and sort of like smart client.