how to download client side content

Question

I want to let the user download the current content of a textarea into a text file on their computer. In the past I would create an iframe pointing to a URL with the data, which would trigger a file download dialog. However this time the data is client side.

So, is it possible to let the user download data without sending it server side?

Answer 1

If it does not need to work in "old browsers" like IE, you could open a new window with the location 'data:text/plain,' + yourTextarea.value. The user can then save that file using the File/Page menu or Ctrl+S.