Flash or HTML running locally with a socket connection?

January 23, 2008 9:42 AM

I want to write a Flash or HTML Telnet client that would run locally in Windows. Is this possible?

I have tried using Flash CS3, but when I compile and run the swf I get a security error. I would also not mind using an ActiveX control and writing an HTA, but I don't know which ActiveX control to use, or even if there is one for telnet. This is not for commercial software; it's just a small app that I want to maintain for my own purposes and I find it most enjoyable to write GUIs in HTML or Flash.

I would also not mind interfacing with a telnet exe. Basically, I don't care what hoops I have to jump through, I just really want to have a DHTML or Flash GUI for telnet.

I also tried writing a Java applet that opens a socket connection, but this also ran into security problems.

posted by ducksauce to Technology (6 answers total)

You can try Adobe Air. I haven't played with it yet, so it may not work, but it's the first* thing I would try for making Flash act more like a real app (File IO, etc)

*I used to use SWFKit, but I will be testing out AIR on my next app...
posted by blind.wombat at 10:22 AM on January 23, 2008

The guy on this page claims to have written one and says he'll share the source on request. Maybe you could build on what he put together.
posted by JaredSeth at 10:22 AM on January 23, 2008

exactly what is the error you get with flash?

here are a couple of documents on fp9 security, which you've probably already seen.

fp9 security whitepaper (pdf)

Socket connection
posted by klanawa at 12:08 PM on January 23, 2008

Response by poster: I get "Adobe Flash Player has stopped a potentially unsafe operation. The following application on your computer or network: <path to swf> is trying to communicate with this Internet-enabled location: <telnet server>. To let this application communicate with the Internet, click Settings. You must restart the application after changing your settings."

If I click Settings, the modal error dialog disappears, the same as if I click "OK".

From the second link you posted it looks like the server is outside my security sandbox. I wonder if I could run a telnet server on localhost that just relays any commands to a telnet client, then connect to localhost via flash... I'd rather avoid hacks like that, though.
posted by ducksauce at 1:25 PM on January 23, 2008

Response by poster: One solution to this problem was to add the folder where the app lives to
c:/WINDOWS/system32/Macromed/Flash/FlashPlayerTrust/.cfg

Then it becomes a trusted application and Adobe allows it to do what it wants.
posted by ducksauce at 2:16 PM on January 23, 2008

Best answer: In Flash CS3, if you publish as Windows Projector (exe), you are not subject to Adobe's security policy, and the compiled file can be run anywhere.
posted by ducksauce at 3:01 PM on January 23, 2008