Book Image

HTML5 Data and Services Cookbook

Book Image

HTML5 Data and Services Cookbook

Overview of this book

HTML5 is everywhere. From PCs to tablets to smartphones and even TVs, the web is the most ubiquitous application platform and information medium bar. Its becoming a first class citizen in established operating systems such as Microsoft Windows 8 as well as the primary platform of new operating systems such as Google Chrome OS. "HTML5 Data and Services Cookbook" contains over 100 recipes explaining how to utilize modern features and techniques when building websites or web applications. This book will help you to explore the full power of HTML5 - from number rounding to advanced graphics to real-time data binding. "HTML5 Data and Services Cookbook" starts with the display of text and related data. Then you will be guided through graphs and animated visualizations followed by input and input controls. Data serialization, validation and communication with the server as well as modern frameworks with advanced features like automatic data binding and server communication will also be covered in detail.This book covers a fast track into new libraries and features that are part of HTML5!
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
HTML5 Data and Services Cookbook
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Using file inputs at the client side


HTML has always lacked a convenient method to read the user's files. Before HTML5, the only way to access user files on the client side was to use an input element of type file, upload that file to the server then send it back to the browser.

HTML5 brings the ability to read user files locally, inside the user's browser using JavaScript code. The implementation is an extension of the functionality of a file input element with additional API.

In this recipe, we're going to display a text file that is selected by the user by using the new HTML5 file API (http://www.w3.org/TR/FileAPI/).

How to do it...

Let's write the code.

  1. Create an HTML page with a file input field and a content div to show the contents of the selected file:

    <!DOCTYPE HTML>
    <html>
      <head>
        <title>File API example</title>
      </head>
      <body>
        <input type="file" id="file" value="Choose text file">
          <div id="content"></div>...