source
<HTA:APPLICATION>

<script type="text/javascript">
   ForReading = 1;          // global variable for mnemonic use

   function loadFile()
   // ...useful commenting...
   {
         var a, fs;

    fs = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
    a = fs.OpenTextFile("hello.txt", ForReading);
    alert(a.GetAbsolutePathName);
    alert(a.ReadLine());
    a.Close();
   }
</script>
</head>
<body scroll="no">
<h3>Reading From a File</h3>
<a href='http://users.fmg.uva.nl/rgrasman/programming/HTA_Programming.html'>source</a><br />
<input type="Submit" id="btnQuit" value="Quit App" onclick="window.close();">
<input type="Submit" id="Read" value="Read" onclick="loadFile();">