Setting Cookies using JavaScript in a local html file

Question

I have the following directory tree:

+ folder1
|--- folder2
|------ page1.html
|--- page2.html

If I set some cookie in page1.html using JavaScript, what is the path used for that cookie?

Edit:
Let me explain it better. I'm working with a local file. page1.html is being accessed through /home/user/.../folder1/folder2/page1.html and not through a client machine using a HTTP Server.

Just to clarify:
It seems that some browsers (like Chrome) do not store cookies when using file:///, but both Firefox and Internet Explorer do.

Cookie it independent of the page where it was created, the "path" consists only of the website domain. (Assuming you mean the cookie name as it appears in browser's cookie list) — user447356
– user447356, Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 20:33
Sorry, thought you didn't check some basic information - disregard. — user447356
– user447356, Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 20:36
Anybody know whether this "feature" has been added in Firefox 57? I'm trying to debug a problem--my local script used to work in FF until 57, and now it seems to lose the cookie. That FF has gone over to a no-local-cookies default is one of my hypotheses. However, it's nearly impossible to web search; all you get is noise about how to enable/disable cookies, or about add-on cookie managers. This question is the closest I've come. — Mars
– Mars, Commented Nov 20, 2017 at 17:42
Seems no longer available bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=470482 — Ishan Fernando
– Ishan Fernando, Commented Mar 25, 2020 at 5:06

lonesomeday · Accepted Answer · 2011-06-03 20:38:32Z

24

From the MDC page for document.cookie:

If not specified, [the path argument] defaults to the current path of the current document location.

So in your case, it will be /folder1/folder2/.

I didn't initially see that you'd specified "local" in the question title -- not sure if this was updated while I was writing my answer. Cookies are not set when browsing using the file:/// protocol, depending on the browser.

edited Jun 3, 2011 at 20:38

answered Jun 3, 2011 at 20:32

lonesomeday

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2 Comments

lonesomeday Over a year ago

@Oscar see mine, about 20 pixels from yours!

Oscar Mederos Over a year ago

yes, that seems the be the thing. IE and Firefox do set cookies using file:/// but Chrome doesn't do that :) Anyway, I think your answer is correct for IE and Firefox.

Alex Wayne · Accepted Answer · 2011-06-03 20:32:22Z

22

Browsers do not store cookies for the file:// url protocol, it will simply and silently fail to set anything at all. So if this is truly "local" and not on a domain you may have a problem.

answered Jun 3, 2011 at 20:32

Alex Wayne

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3 Comments

Oscar Mederos Over a year ago

It seems they do. I'm setting a cookie in page1.html, then close the browser, open the page again (locally, of course) and then I ask for that cookie and it is still there :?

lonesomeday Over a year ago

@Oscar I think this is a cross-browser thing. Chrome has a slightly different interpretation of the same-origin policy compared to Firefox or Internet Explorer, particularly when it comes to the file:/// protocol.

Pouria Moosavi Over a year ago

In my case it works in Firefox 77 and does not work in Chrome 83. Both on Ubuntu 20

Carl Sednaoui · Accepted Answer · 2013-06-12 18:52:54Z

13

If you're on a mac, you can close Chrome and relaunch it like so:

/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --enable-file-cookies

You'll then be able to set cookies on local files.

answered Jun 12, 2013 at 18:52

Carl Sednaoui

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2 Comments

FreeAsInBeer Over a year ago

+1: This worked. Used in Terminal. I had to remove the second dash on "--enable-file-cookies" flag, so it should look like: open /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome -enable-file-cookies

hwgn Over a year ago

This flag no longer works as the feature has been removed: bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=470482

craniumonempty · Accepted Answer · 2011-11-18 10:00:43Z

5

set --enable-file-cookies for chrome and it should work for you. Also, there are some features that you'll have to set "accept all cookies" also to make work, but if you do, make sure you set back before going back online.

answered Nov 18, 2011 at 10:00

craniumonempty

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2 Comments

Mostafa Over a year ago

How set --enable-file-cookies it's some where on chrome://flags ??

Sopalajo de Arrierez Over a year ago

@Mostafa , I think he means running chrome --enable-file-cookies . But it is not working for me on Windows 7 SP2 for Chrome v81.0.4044.138 64 bits.

user5654768 · Accepted Answer · 2021-05-05 11:11:34Z

For those who are still looking for a way, try setting URL parameters instead of cookies

I had downloaded some novels in HTML for offline reading and there was no way to pass previously set font size to next chapters using cookies so what I did is shown below :

First add a widow event listener that adds the font size parameter whenever a link(to next ch) is clicked
And then window.onload function that takes the parameter value and changes the font size

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" dir="ltr">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title></title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <a href="ch-02.html" >Next Chapter</a>
    <p id="content">Hope this helps</p>
    
<script>
var fontSize = 1;
window.addEventListener("click", function(e) {
    var href = e.target.getAttribute("href");
    if(href) {
        location.href = href + "?fontSize=" + fontSize;
        e.preventDefault();
     }
})
window.onload = function(){
  var url = new URL(window.location.href);
  var value = url.searchParams.get("fontSize");
  if(value != null){
    fontSize = parseFloat(value);
    document.getElementById("content").style.fontSize = fontSize + "em";
  }
}
</script>
    
  </body>
</html>

Yaroslav Wally · Accepted Answer · 2020-03-30 14:39:30Z

0

As workaround you can use Tampermonkey with access to local files ( How to include Local htm pages in a Tampermonkey script? ) By that way you will use Tampermonkey's storage, and will be able to set and get your data by functions GM_getValue(data) and GM_setValue(data). I used that for my local HTML page, which i used as customizable alternative to Windows Explorer

answered Mar 30, 2020 at 14:39

Yaroslav Wally

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