Execute exe-file from html-page?

I want to share my experience.

The accepted response says that it is not possible but it is quite possible indirectly.

If you want to execute an exe on a pc, it means that you have acces on this pc and you can install your exe on that machine.

In my case, I had to take a 3D scan from a 3D scanner via a web application. It seemed impossible at the beginning.

After lots of research, I found that we can send socket messages via javascript.

It means that if we had an application which listens a specific port, it can communicate with a website.

Let's explain how I did this.

In my web application, I created a javascript method like this :

    function openCapron3DScanner(foot) {
      $("#div-wait").show();

      //Creates a web socket pointed to local and the port 21000
      var ws = new WebSocket("ws://127.0.0.1:21000");
      ws.onopen = function () {

      //Sends the socket message to the application which listens the port 21000  
      ws.send(foot + "-" + @ProjectHelper.CurrentProject.Proj_ID);

     };
      ws.onerror = function myfunction() {
          $("#div-wait").hide();
          alert("Erreur connection scanner.");
      }

      ws.onmessage = function (evt) {
        //Receives the message and do something...
        var received_msg = evt.data;
         if (received_msg == "ErrorScan") {
            alert("Erreur scan.");
         }
         else {
            refreshCurrentProject();
         }
     };
    ws.onclose = function () {
        $("#div-wait").hide();
    };
};

And I created a windows forms application who listens the localhost and port 21000. This application is hidden, only shown in icon tray. The only thing to do is to add the application on windows startup via code on the first load to assure that the next restart of windows it will be executed and listen the port.

      private static WebSocketServer wsServer;
      static WebSocketSession LastSession;

      private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
      {
        wsServer = new WebSocketServer();
        int port = 21000;
        wsServer.Setup(port);

        wsServer.NewMessageReceived += WsServer_NewMessageReceived;

        wsServer.Start();
      }



    private static void WsServer_NewMessageReceived(WebSocketSession session, string value)
    {
        if (value.StartsWith("ScanComplete-"))
        {
            //If the scan is ok, uploads the result to the server via a webservice and updates the database.
            UploadImage(value);

            //Sends a confirmation answer to the web page to make it refresh itself and show the result.
            if (LastMacSession != null)
                LastMacSession.Send("ScanComplete");
        }
        else if (value == "ErrorScan")
        {
            //If the C++ application sends an error message
            if (LastMacSession != null)
                LastMacSession.Send("ErrorScan");
        }

        else//call the 3D Scanner from the web page
        {
            LastSession = session;//Keeps in memory the last session to be able to answer via a socket message

            //Calls the C++ exe with parameters to save the scan in the related folder.
            //In could be don in this same application if I had a solution to consume the scanner in C#.
            var proc = System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(@"C:\Program Files\MyProjectFolder\MyScannerAppC++.exe", projectID + " " + param);
        }
    }

I hope it will help.

Use System.Diagnostics.Process.Start() method.

    protected void LinkButton1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("notepad.exe");
    }

You'll have to use C#, but since that's on your post, it should work. You'll also need the full path, if the file is not in your environment path that's loaded in memory.

For a 'regular link' you'd still need to place this in an ASPX page.....

<a href="test" onclick="<% System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("notepad.exe"); %>">Click me</a>

We're getting really fugly now though.

You can't run an exe file on a website. (First, if it's a Linux server, exe files won't run on it and second, if you're on a Windows server, your host would kill the program immediately. And probably terminate your account.)

That link (assuming it was Play Now!) will just allow your user to download the file. (C:\Program Files\World of Warcraft\ exists on your computer, but it doesn't exist on the web server.)

You could setup a custom protocol on your local OS, if it's Windows, in regedit. Check out this and this.

Then you create a simple HTML page, and place a link, something like this :

<a href="presentation://C:\\start.exe/">Start!</a>

Given that you registered your custom "presentation" protocol, and configured it correctly in the registry, the application should launch when you click that link.