Have you ever heard of HTA files aka HTML Applications? If you not here is what you need to know about HTA:
- HTA files look very similar to HTML files but when you save them you need to give them the .hta extension.
- HTA understands everything the browser understands including HTML, Javascript and CSS code.
- Microsoft described an HTA as running much like an .exe file.
- HTAs will run from your system so they are not bound by security or privacy concerns that are found on the Internet.
- Which means for example that HTA can be used to read and write on local text files using Javascript.
- HTA will appear in a window that can be customised (Icon, toolbar…), so they look more like a Desktop application rather than a webpage.
- HTA applications need the following tag in the <HEAD> section of the code:
<HTA:APPLICATION border="thin" borderStyle="normal" caption="yes" icon="./favicon.ico" maximizeButton="yes" minimizeButton="yes" showInTaskbar="no" windowState="maximize" innerBorder="yes" navigable="yes" scroll="auto" scrollFlat="yes" />
Why should you try HTA applications when learning to code using JavaScript?
- For all your HTML/Javascript projects where you need to bypass browser security restrictions such as accessing local text files.
- If you want to create Desktop applications (rather than webpages). You can build them in HTML, CSS, Javascript but the application will look like a desktop application with its own window. It will not be displayed using the web browser.
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