Using a local file as a data source in JavaScript

Here is the code I used for Firefox, which is not portable, but works:

As OP commented, enablePrivilege() has been deprecated, this should be considered usable. But as my Firefox using previous profile still work with my code, so I dig a little into the prefs.js (as about:config is hiding these settings,) And here is the settings you need you get it work.

user_pref("capability.principal.codebase.p0.granted", "UniversalXPConnect");
user_pref("capability.principal.codebase.p0.id", "file://");  // path to the html file.
user_pref("capability.principal.codebase.p0.subjectName", "");

And here goes the code:

var File = function(file) {
  netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege('UniversalXPConnect');
  var ios = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/network/io-service;1"]
                            .getService(Components.interfaces.nsIIOService);
  if (!File.baseURI) {
    File.baseURI = ios.newURI(location.href.substring(0, location.href.lastIndexOf("https://stackoverflow.com/")+1), null, null);
    File.baseFolder = File.baseURI.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIFileURL).file.path;
  }
  var URL = ios.newURI(file, null, File.baseURI);
  this.fptr = URL.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIFileURL).file;
}

File.prototype = {
  write: function(data) {
    netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege('UniversalXPConnect');
    var foStream = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/network/file-output-stream;1"]
                             .createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIFileOutputStream);
    foStream.init(this.fptr, 0x02 | 0x08 | 0x20, 0666, 0);
    var converter = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/intl/converter-output-stream;1"]
                              .createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIConverterOutputStream);
    converter.init(foStream, null, 0, 0);
    converter.writeString(data);
    converter.close();
  },
  read: function() {
    netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege('UniversalXPConnect');
    var fstream = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/network/file-input-stream;1"]
                            .createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIFileInputStream);
    var cstream = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/intl/converter-input-stream;1"]
                            .createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIConverterInputStream);
    fstream.init(this.fptr, -1, 0, 0);
    cstream.init(fstream, null, 0, 0);
    var data = "";
    // let (str = {}) { // use this only when using javascript 1.8
    var str = {};
      cstream.readString(0xffffffff, str);
      data = str.value;
    // }
    cstream.close();
    return data;
  }
};