HTML link to a certain point in a webpage - slight twist

Here's the use case: A user clicks on a link that opens a window displaying the contents of a text log. Easy enough. But is there a way of using POST, to open that text log to a certain location (i.e., search for a particular timestamp given in the post, and show the file at that specific location)?

(Assume I can't put html tags inside the text log -- it's a raw file).

Template of log:

+++ 2009/06/19 10:47:12.264 ACTION +++
+++ 2009/06/19 10:49:12.111 ACTION +++

So I want the page to load a specific timestamp.

Thanks,
Michael

Solution

Since you can't modify the file, the only way would be to wrap it in a <frame> or an <iframe> and drive the searching and scrolling from JavaScript in the neighbouring/containing page.

Here's an example, which you can try out online at http://entrian.com/so-container.html

<html><head><script>
function go() {
    // "line" is the <input> for which line to jump to; see the HTML.
    var line = document.getElementById('line').value;
    if (document.body.createTextRange) {  // This is IE
        var range = frames['log'].document.body.createTextRange();
        if (range.findText(line)) {
            range.select(); // Scroll the match into view and highlight it.
        }
    } else {  // Non-IE.  Tested in Firefox; YMMV on other browsers.
        frames['log'].find(line); // Scroll the match into view and highlight it.
    }
}
</script></head><body>
<input type='text' size='5' name='line' id='line' value='10'>
<button onclick='go()'>Go</button><br>
<iframe name='log' width='100' height='50' src='so-data.txt'>
<!-- so-data.txt contains the numbers 01-20 on separate lines -->
</body></html>

I've tested that in IE7 and FF3; I'd be surprised if it worked elsewhere without edits, but you never know your luck!

Obviously in your case you'd be driving the scrolling programmatically rather than via an <input> box, but you can see how it would work for you.