CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javascriptjavajquery
Jerry
Jerry

Reputation: 1007

Open Files in Browser instead of downloading (including files like .doc, .xls etc)

I am using Java Rest APIs to upload files in my project. Based on the configuration my files either goes into s3 bucket, google drive, one drive or even in local file system (in the same machine where my application is running). During download again I am making an ajax call which returns the file in response with Content Disposition header attachment; and browser downloads the file irrespective of its format. I want an option to view these files in the browser instead of downloading it directly. How can I do that ? (Especially formats like doc,xls etc)

Upvotes: 2

Views: 16754

Answers (2)

Kamal
Kamal

Reputation: 64

Browsers don't have any built-in way to view Word docs so unless the user has configured their browser to open it with some plugin (which 99% of the world hasn't done), the browser will prompt them to download the file.

However, if you only need to display the Word Document, but don't need to edit it, you can use Google Documents' Viewer via an to display a remotely hosted .doc/.docx.

<iframe src="http://docs.google.com/gview?url=http://url-of-the-file&embedded=true"></iframe>

you can generate temporary URL for your s3 documents by keeping them private.

if you are interested in giving users privilege to edit them online then you can go with any tool like onlyoffice

Upvotes: 1

M B Parvez
M B Parvez

Reputation: 816

As far as I know, there are no client-side libraries exist that can open .doc, .docs, .xls in browser. There is a way to render render your files using browser is to use Google Documents' Viewer or Microsoft Office 365 viewer via an <iframe>. Using this inside an <iframe> you can open your file in side your browser but can not edit.

Google Documents' Viewer inside <iframe>

<iframe src="http://docs.google.com/gview?url=http://example.com/path/to/your/document.doc&embedded=true"></iframe>

Google Documents' Viewer clickable link <a>

<a href="http://docs.google.com/gview?url=http://example.com/path/to/your/document.doc&embedded=true">Open your doc file</a>

Microsoft Office 365 viewer <iframe>

<iframe src='https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/embed.aspx?src=http://example.com/path/to/your/document.doc' width='1366px' height='623px' frameborder='0'></iframe>

Upvotes: 5

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