an interesting challenge

[Derek]

I am very sorry, apparently this list does not like HTML emails, so I now see
my first email was blank! Glad to see that it nevertheless sparked the
creativity of the group!

Now that I am famous for my minimalist approach, here is the lengthy email I
*meant* to send:

Hello all, I have an interesting challenge:

I have a standalone that a user downloads by clicking a button on a download
web page. My conundrum is, I would like the standalone to know from what
website the user originated when they clicked a link to jump to the download
page.

For example, let's say http://bob.com has a link that says "Go download this
thing now!", and the link on Bob's web page is something like:
http://thedownloadsite.com/downloadpage.html?referrer=bob

It's easy for PHP code in the landing download page to get the information
that "Bob sent them" with a $GET. But how on earth will the Revolution
standalone know about Bob?


Here are a few options my feeble brain has been considering:

1. Have the landing page write a cookie to the drive, then have Rev scan all
browsers on the computer for the cookie? (no, sounds really dicey,
permission privilege problems?)

2. Have Rev somehow read the URL in the browser (no, days could have elapsed
before they launch the standalone, won't work)

3. Revlet (no, we can't make the user install two things)

4. a secret text file gets generated and downloaded to the drive along with
the standalone, the standalone finds it, reads it and deletes it? (no, the
user might be confused and delete it before they launch the standalone)

5. make different standalones for the dozens or hundreds of potential
referrers (no, way too much trouble)

6. give them a code to type into the standalone, or choose who sent them
from a menu (no, they'll forget)

7. make sure they don't forget by offering a discount (no, client said no
discounts)

8. capture the user IP and tie it to Bob with code on the landing page (no,
several people in an office (same IP) might be doing this at the same time,
no way to distinguish between them)

9. ask them for their email address on the landing page before downloading
and link their email and bob in a database (yes, this will work, but it is a
last resort, because some people will resent the trouble and not download)


How can the standalone link the user and Bob, who sent them? Is this an
impossibility? Or is it very simple and I can't see what is right in front
of my face?


Thanks in advance for any ideas,

Derek
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