How to put Download Links on a Jsp Page?

Question

Hi,
I am a student and I am working as an intern. This is my question:
My boss wants me to put some download links(pdf and flash files) on to a jsp page. when a user clicks on the link, all the user info (i.e. name, filename, download time etc) should be stored in a database and then a pop up should appear asking user where you want to download the file.
I have done most of the part but there is a problem. when a user "left click" on the link then it opens the PDF file in the browser. but if the user "right click and select save target as" then it brings up the box. My boss dont need the user to VIEW the file by left clicking it. I mean on both clicks a pop-up box should appear.
one more thing to note is that, the PDF are not on the same server. I mean they do not have the same context path.
Here is what I am doing:
on the link page:
sample
on the other page (which stores information):
// ... this is downloadfile.jsp
response.setContentType("application/force-download");               
String filename = request.getParameter("file");          
String path = "http://www.domain.com/pdf/" + filename;
bean.addDownloadDetails(session.getAttribute("email").toString(), filename, request.getRemoteAddr());  // save info in database
response.sendRedirect(path);
// ...any ideas or help is appreciated.
Thanks.

Answer 1

Straight to the question in the topic title: just use <a> links. But you already found that out. In the future please invent clear topic title covering the actual problem :)
I have done most of the part but there is a problem. when a user "left click" on the link then it opens the PDF file in the browser. but if the user "right click and select save target as" then it brings up the box. My boss dont need the user to VIEW the file by left clicking it. I mean on both clicks a pop-up box should appear.Change the content disposition to "attachment" instead of "inline".
one more thing to note is that, the PDF are not on the same server. I mean they do not have the same context path.
Here is what I am doing:
// ... this is downloadfile.jsp
response.setContentType("application/force-download");               
String filename = request.getParameter("file");          
String path = "http://www.domain.com/pdf/" + filename;
bean.addDownloadDetails(session.getAttribute("email").toString(), filename, request.getRemoteAddr());  // save info in database
response.sendRedirect(path);
// ...any ideas or help is appreciated.
Thanks.Better obtain its InputStream by java.net.URLConnection and write it to the OutputStream of the HttpServletResponse. A redirect would create a brand new request, hereby dropping the current request and the response (so setting the content type makes really no sense).
You can find some pointers in this FileServlet example: [http://balusc.blogspot.com/2007/07/fileservlet.html].