IE5 OK, IE5.5 OK, but IE6 wont play nice. 1

[colcrys]

Problem is this;
I use three Java scripts on our site and they show fine in IE5, better in IE5.5 (I feel better because IE5.5 shows the colored scroll bar) but 'some' people using IE6 get a broken site where the scripts don't work.

I know IE6 doesn't have Native Java support but I received a couple of comments in another thread from experienced people that I am sure would have downloaded the missing JVM for their IE6 and they still can't get the scripts to show correctly when they view our site - and yet it seems they viewed another site with one of the same scripts and it worked!

Any ideas why this would occur?

 

[xutopia]

I don't think JavaScript and the JVM have anything to do with one aother.

JVM is a Java Virtual Machine. JavaScript uses an interpreter, not a JVM.

What is the site? Can other people check it out? What is the code causing the problem? Gary

http://www.xutopia.com

Haran

 

[colcrys]

Hi xutopia,
Me again, and apologies for the length.

It is the same site from the Web Designers forum you were kind enough to view and comment on.

Guju also visited - using IE6 - and the 'slide out' nav bar by 'Maximus' that I use wouldn't work for him (but apparently an older script by Maximus on another site does work for him???) and neither did another java script on the homepage for a drop down style link list. The slide out menu stays 'out' and doesn't scroll with the page and the 'link list' also stays 'dropped' instead of hiding until clicked.

You had also mentioned that visually you had the same result - also with IE6.

In our office, when IE6 is used 'fresh out of the box' this occurs but after a download of the JRE or JVM or MVM or whatever our site works - mostly - but with our IE5/5.5 machines (90%) it works without problems.

My confusion about the JVM etc. comes from things like first this mention on the Sun site under the heading of "Sun's NEW Java Virtual Machine for...."
"So Sun made the Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE) -- featuring Java Plug-in -- available for free download through the "Get Java Technology" web site. While the site is aimed at Windows XP computer users who have no Java platform support, the JRE with Java Plug-in is available for a range of other Windows systems,..... " Later on another page they mention that the JVM is included in the JRE.

I also came across articles like this from:
"

http://www.smallbiztechtalk.com/news/archives/tips081301-bn1.htm"

Which begins:
"In case you missed the news last month, Microsoft's newest web browser (IE6) and operating system (Win XP) won't include a Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

And at:
"

http://softwaredev.earthweb.com/msnet/vc/article/0,,12081_808561,00.html"

within the article:
"Last week, The Wall Street Journal revealed that Microsoft will discontinue installation of the Java VM in its forthcoming business and consumer OS, Windows XP, as well as Internet Explorer 6.0."

I also note on MS's website they are calling their 'new' system the MVM (Micrsoft VM of course) instead of JVM.

They also mention that IE6 SP1 will have 'native' Java support included. Their (MS) SP1 for IE6 though mentions:
"Total download size for a typical installation is approximately 25 megabytes (MB). However, because setup downloads only those files that are necessary for your computer, this size can vary between 11 and 75 MB."

Also mentioned: "In Internet Explorer 6 Java is disabled by default with a security level of High,..." and:
"MORE INFORMATION - If you are not running Microsoft Windows XP, Internet Explorer offers to install the Microsoft VM if you open a Web page that contains a Java program and your current Microsoft VM version is earlier than version 4.79.2252."

In Windows XP, Internet Explorer no longer offers the Microsoft VM via Install on Demand. Only the update that is mentioned in the "Summary" section of this article is available for Windows XP computers. This update is available only if you are already running a version of the Microsoft VM."

The many thousands of hits that show up on Google serve mostly to confuse the issue further except for one helpful hit I found for a thread in the Tek-tips Win 98 forum from August (yes we show up on Google - and regularly!)

So very confusing for us old guys. After all, it may say "Technical User" after my handle but that is only because I couldn't find a classificaton for "Old guy stumbling around in the dark looking for a candle" when I registered on Tek-tips.

I think I,ll stop worrying as after IE6 gets to IE6.5 things will work themselves out. I'll stick with IE5.5 and use other methods to block the 'security holes' until then. Visitors to our site using IE6 that have problems can use our Site Directory and I have a note to that effect to help above the nav bar.

Thanks again for your help xutopia.

 

[KevinAr18]

What xutopia was trying to explain.

Java and Javascript are two completely different programming languages. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is for java applications and applets; it in no way affects javascript. As a result, having a different JVM won't cause javascript to work any different.

Thus, what we really need is the javascript code or a link to the page so that we can look at the code and find out what is causing the issue.

 

[colcrys]

Hi Kevin,
Thanks for the explanation.

Here is the link:66.78.17.150

The calls are to ssm.js and ssmItems.js

Since the problem only shows up on some computers using IE6 though I am a bit(?) confused as to how it could be a code problem.

 

[KevinAr18]

Looking at it now...
In ssm.js what is bssm?

For example:
bssm.top=parseInt(bssm.top)+smooth


BTW, if you will double click on the icon on the bottom, left hand of your status bar in Internet Explorer it will tell you the exact line that the error is occuring on and what the problem is.

 

[KevinAr18]

Nevermind I found where bssm is defined.

 

[KevinAr18]

I found one source of the error:

In ssm.js...
The buildMenu() function where it uses document.write

if (IE||NS6) {document.write('<DIV ID=&quot;basessm&quot; style=&quot;visibility:hidden;Position : Absolute ;Left : '+XOffset+' ;Top : '+YOffset+'px; Z-Index : 20;width:'+(menuWidth+barWidth+10)+'px&quot;><DIV ID=&quot;thessm&quot; style=&quot;Position : Absolute ;Left : '+(-menuWidth)+' ;Top : 0px ;Z-Index : 21;'+((IE)?&quot;width:1px&quot;:&quot;&quot+'&quot; onmouseover=&quot;moveOut()&quot; onmouseout=&quot;moveBack()&quot;>')}


you need to include px after the numbers, for example:
<div id=&quot;basessm&quot; style=&quot;top:32px; width:43px&quot;>

 

[KevinAr18]

Here is that line of code corrected:
if (IE||NS6) {document.write('<div id=&quot;basessm&quot; style=&quot;visibility:hidden; position:absolute; ;left:'+XOffset+'px; top:'+YOffset+'px; z-index:20; width:'+(menuWidth+barWidth+10)+'px&quot;><div id=&quot;thessm&quot; style=&quot;position:absolute; left:'+(-menuWidth)+'px; top:0px; z-index:21; '+((IE)?&quot;width:1px&quot;:&quot;&quot+'&quot; onmouseover=&quot;moveOut()&quot; onmouseout=&quot;moveBack()&quot;>')}


By doing that, the menu will now expand when you move your mouse over it.
Interestingly, the menu does not work in Mozilla (which is what NS6 is built from).

 

[colcrys]

Wow, thanks Kevin.

A question or two just to clarify please:

In the second script call to ssmItems.js is the following:
<!--
YOffset=80;
staticYOffset=20;
XOffset=20;
slideSpeed=5
waitTime=300;
menuBGColor=&quot;FFFFFF&quot;;
menuIsStatic=&quot;yes&quot;;
menuWidth=80;

and px is not noted. All of the modifications to YOffset and XOffset are done in ssmItems. Will changing the code in ssm have an effect on the ssmItems?

I also note the changes in 'case' you made - Position, Absolute etc., to position, absolute - and the removal of several spaces.

I just obtained the new build of the menu - Vers. 6.6 through the author's generator - and the points you note as being the ones causing the problem with IE6 as regards px, case, and spaces are still in existence in the new menu which again works fine in my 5.5. Can I assume that it will also then not work in IE6 without fullscale change?

There are other differences in the new script - including now a use of CSS for color and font - and if you are interested I can send it to you. My catch-all email is colcrys&#64;lycos.com.

Regardless of any further interest, thanks greatly for taking the time.