Force Save As box in Chrome / Safari when clicking on a Data URI anchor link

<a href="data:text/csv;base64,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开发者_高级运维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">Export This</a>

The above is a Data URI containing a base 64 encoded csv data export. On my app's report page, I embed the export within each page view so that an export doesn't require another trip to the database.

In Firefox 3, clicking this link opens a save-as download dialog box. Clicking it in Chrome 9 does nothing. I can right-click-save-as in Chrome, and it will write the decoded csv to a file. Clicking it in Safari opens the decoded CSV data in the browser window, which I can then save manually.

In IE... who cares, am I right?

You can reproduce this to test for yourself by copying that <a> tag in it's entirety into a blank file called test.html and open it in each browser. It acts exactly the same way as it does in the context of my app.

Question: Is there a way to force a Save As dialog to pop up, as in Firefox, when the user clicks the Data URI link? Or some other way to get around this inconsistency?

In theory, Firefox, Chrome and Safari all support Data URIs. In practice.......

Unfortunately, application/octet-stream doesn't work too well in Safari (at least Safari 6). It just saves the file as "unknown" with no Save dialog box. To my knowledge, there's no cross-browser way to do what you're trying to do except to bounce the content off a server.