What are HTA's capabilities?

[Tripredacus]

I am trying to figure out a method to get Flash to update an XML file while running from the PE. I have built my flash test app and it can do everything I need it to except the following. My workflow is as such (at the moment):

1. Flash App prompts for serial number. Type in serial number, click Submit and it sends that information to a program that writes it to XML.

Right now I am looking at using Flash's POST to URL method, and a target HTML file that writes the serial number to an XML file. Without a server architecture on the PE I can't use the standard ASP or PHP methods of writing to an XML file, which would leave me with the HTA and Javascript. But the other issue is that you can't send a POST method to input.hta?

2. The HTA writes to an XML file.

3. Another App reads the serial number from the XML file and finds an XML file with that name on the server and copies it to the Ramdrive.

4. Flash would then use the new XML file to determine how to image the computer.

The thing that is stopping me from using the App in step 3 is because its really hard/confusing to write an XML file with it. I can do it easily with PHP or ASP but you can't run those in the PE.

My biggest thing right now is to figure out how to pass the info out of Flash to an HTA or another program. Sending to XML sounds like the best choice for me, since Flash is really limited and I don't know how to get other programs to read the Flash Share Object, or where in the PE Flash even puts that file.

Any ideas on how to continue?

[WreX]

I'm not well versed in Flash or XML, but if you build a PE image with the XML and Scripting add-in components you could probably accomplish what you need with a single HTA. HTAs give you the ability to display HTML code, but also to run VBScript or JScript routines within.

It sounds like you don't really need all the fancy XML stuff at first, you just need to identify the file you want to retrieve from a server. You should be able to write an HTA that prompts for a serial number, finds a file with that name on a server, copies the file to the RAM drive, then calls your Flash App that uses that XML file as input.

[Tripredacus]

Is the shell that runs the HTA have the same security limitations of Internet Explorer? The reason being is that IE sometimes doesn't allow you to do certain things concerning system files or it pops up messages wanting to get permission to accomplish certain tasks. The method I choose can't do things like that, but needs to run executables and also copy files to the hard drive after imaging.

[WreX]

HTML Applications

HTML Applications (HTAs) are full-fledged applications. These applications are trusted and display only the menus, icons, toolbars, and title information that the Web developer creates. In short, HTAs pack all the power of Microsoft Internet Explorer—its object model, performance, rendering power, protocol support, and channel–download technology—without enforcing the strict security model and user interface of the browser. HTAs can be created using the HTML and Dynamic HTML (DHTML) that you already know.

[Incroyable HULK]

You can write to a XML file without any problem with a HTA. My only concern would be in the WinPE environment...

[Tripredacus]

In my efforts to keep it simple I ended up with an idea with too many parts. I think I'm going to have to ditch this flash/hta/app method and see how just writing an app will turn out. My reason for picking flash was because my app method had a complicated way of handling XML, and we will be using XML because we will do a data exchange with an Oracle server as well.

[geezery]

I have made an HTA that writes encoded xml. I think it would be very easy to add the send method also. You can find the class that I used from this link.

XML Writer class

I'll think I can add the send method also to the class if you want?