an Email that creates a Desktop Icon

[Larry K]

Anyone know how or what it would take accomplish this task:

1) you get an email
2) you click a link or image in the email in that it creates a desktop icon
3) this icon then links you to a web page

NO!!!
This is not some sort of spyware or illegal activity. I'm trying to figure out how I can do this for a client of mine... who wants to do this for their clients.

I can use php, javascript, etc.
need something that works in all situations, so it needs to be generic.

Just the end result is an icon appearing on the PC desktop and the owner of the computer did VERY LITTLE to get it there.

Also, each URL in the icon will be unique to that person.. AS that is the real purpose of the icon being on the desktop...
the user gets special discounts because their discount code will already be in the URL/ICON..

thanks

 

[Larry K]

wow... nothing

okay.. . I think I just need a VERY simple installer program....
and all it will be doing is installing an icon.

anyone know of any?



thanks

 

[furtivefelon]

nope, unless of course, you only want windows users to be able to, and of course, you must get the permission of the users.. then they have to use IE.. apparently you can accomplish alot of things with the (i forgot the name of the technology, it's when the website want you to download something, then they give you those signed page notices.. and you click always trust the site and away you go, that's how they installed MSN Messenger on my dad's computer a while ago).. i have no idea how well it works in popular e-mail services such as hotmail, gmail, yahoo, etc. it's always cool to try Internet is meant to be a sandbox, so you can't really get to user's desktop without a special connection or, you can just instruct the user to click on the link, drag the link onto desktop, thus creating an icon

 

[bla!!]

Couldn't you just e-mail a batch file along with a shortcut that when clicked will copy the shortcut (should be located in the user's temp folder) to their desktop.

You could mass produce the shortcut with a simple program that increments the discount code each pass.

The code should be as simple as this

@echo off

copy shortcut c:\documents and settings\%username%\desktop

In thinking a bit more, the batch file will be downloaded to the same directory as the shortcut, so you shouldn't need to include a path to the shortcut file.


The only downside to this might be if they have their e-mail program set to not download attachments until requested.