Debugging IE

M

marksmith5555

I am writing a few scripts, primarily using firefox, with firebug
debugging is easy.

However when I try to run the script on IE7. I get the very unhelpful
error:

"Unknown runtime error": Line 38.

Line 38 doesn't even contain any javascript!!

After inserting lots of alert statements, I've tracked the error down
to this line of code:

cbs.innerHTML='<img src="../images/checkfalse.png"
onclick="checkBoxClick(this);" id="checkbox'+i+'" ><br>';

This works without problems on firefox and safari.

So actually I have 2 questions:

1) Can you suggest any way to modify the above line to work on IE7?
2) Are there any good debuggers for IE (that give better errors, and
allow you to set breakpoints etc)?

Thanks
 
M

marksmith5555

See the FAQ:http://www.jibbering.com/faq/index.html
Click to expand...

Thanks, unfortunatley the MS Script editor didn't shed much light on
the problem. It can see the object and innerHTML property just fine.
Yet it still throws an unknown error when I try to write to it.

Also, from the FAQ: "After enabling Script Debugging, a Script
Debugger option will appear in the View menu. "

I only have the option to open the debugger when an error gets thrown
as there is no view menu in IE7. Any idea where to find this option in
IE7?
 
R

rf

I am writing a few scripts, primarily using firefox, with firebug
debugging is easy.

However when I try to run the script on IE7. I get the very unhelpful
error:

"Unknown runtime error": Line 38.
Click to expand...

IE always lies about the line number. It's probably the line number in the
HTML file that included the .js. And probably that plus one.
After inserting lots of alert statements, I've tracked the error down
to this line of code:

cbs.innerHTML='<img src="../images/checkfalse.png"
onclick="checkBoxClick(this);" id="checkbox'+i+'" ><br>';
Click to expand...


What is in cbs? Have you alerted it? It just may be that whatever you
put there is not what you think it is (null for example) and you need to do
some feature detection.

If cbs is acually a DOM node then start with cbs.innerHTML = "" and
progress slowly from there.

Debugging 101.
 
M

marksmith5555

[email protected] said:
I am writing a few scripts, primarily using firefox, with firebug
debugging is easy.
Click to expand...
However when I try to run the script on IE7. I get the very unhelpful
error:
Click to expand...
"Unknown runtime error": Line 38.
Click to expand...

IE always lies about the line number. It's probably the line number in the
HTML file that included the .js. And probably that plus one.
After inserting lots of alert statements, I've tracked the error down
to this line of code:
Click to expand...
cbs.innerHTML='<img src="../images/checkfalse.png"
onclick="checkBoxClick(this);" id="checkbox'+i+'" ><br>';
Click to expand...


What is in cbs? Have you alerted it?  It just may be that whatever you
put there is not what you think it is (null for example) and you need to do
some feature detection.

If cbs is acually a DOM node then start with cbs.innerHTML = "" and
progress slowly from there.

Debugging 101.
Click to expand...


Yes, its definitely not null. I can read from it, and it all looks
fine in the debugger.

I've reproduced the problem on a stripped down html file:

<html>
<head>
<script language="javascript">
function test()
{
var tags=document.getElementsByTagName("test");
for(i=0;i<tags.length;i++)
tags.innerHTML='<p>Test';
}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="test();">
<test></test>
<test></test>
</body>
</html>
 
M

marksmith5555

Try playing around in the 'immediate' window to see if you can shed some
light on it. Can you assign anything simpler to innerHTML?





Press the Alt key: the menus are still there but only become visible when
you try to use them. There is also an option somewhere to make them always
visible but I can't remember where.
Click to expand...

Excellent, thanks!
 
H

Henry

On Dec 15, 11:17 am, (e-mail address removed) wrote:
var tags=document.getElementsByTagName("test");
Click to expand...
<body onload="test();">
<test></test>
<test></test>
</body>
Click to expand...

HTML does not contain any elements with the tag name "test" so there
are no reasons for expecting any particular outcome here.
 
M

marksmith5555

On Dec 15, 11:17 am, (e-mail address removed) wrote:



HTML does not contain any elements with the tag name "test" so there
are no reasons for expecting any particular outcome here.
Click to expand...

Not sure I follow. There are 2 <test> tags in that HTML document.

This works under Firefox and Safari.
 
E

Erwin Moller

(e-mail address removed) schreef:
Not sure I follow. There are 2 <test> tags in that HTML document.

This works under Firefox and Safari.
Click to expand...

What works?
Do you see any difference between:

<test>I am in nonexistant tags named test</test>
and
I am in NOT nonexistant tags named test

Also try:
<hitherehowdoyoudo>Hi<hitherehowdoyoudo>

and

<DOYouLikeBananas>banana</DOYouLikeBananas>

Regards,
Erwin Moller

--
"There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to
make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the
other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious
deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult."
-- C.A.R. Hoare
 
G

Gregor Kofler

(e-mail address removed) meinte:
Not sure I follow. There are 2 <test> tags in that HTML document.
Click to expand...

HTML doesn't know "test" tags. Period. Why do people always come up with
such, well, idiotic examples? Why no spans, divs, whatever?
This works under Firefox and Safari.
Click to expand...

But not under IE apparently.

Gregor
 
M

marksmith5555

(e-mail address removed) schreef:








What works?
Do you see any difference between:

<test>I am in nonexistant tags named test</test>
and
I am in NOT nonexistant tags named test

Also try:
<hitherehowdoyoudo>Hi<hitherehowdoyoudo>

and

<DOYouLikeBananas>banana</DOYouLikeBananas>
Click to expand...


If you embed valid HTML tags in undefined tags it does work:

Like this:

<ILikeBananas>
<p>Hello
</ILikeBananas>

Anyway, the problem is not a blank screen. The problem is a JavaScript
runtime error, when I access the method document.getElementsByTagName
("test") it DOES return a DOM node in every browser I have tested in
(including IE). It's only IE that crashes when I try to set the
innerHTML property.
 
G

Gregor Kofler

(e-mail address removed) meinte:
If you embed valid HTML tags in undefined tags it does work:

Like this:

<ILikeBananas>
<p>Hello
</ILikeBananas>

Anyway, the problem is not a blank screen. The problem is a JavaScript
runtime error, when I access the method document.getElementsByTagName
("test") it DOES return a DOM node in every browser I have tested in
(including IE). It's only IE that crashes when I try to set the
innerHTML property.
Click to expand...

Does it crash with, say, div, too? If not (which is likely) - what's
your question?

It's kind of FF et all, that they don't crash - it's just that browsers
are so forgiving and try to make sense of the utmost (markup) crap being
served to them. (Is ILikeBananas an inline or block-level element?)

Even when working with valid elements/tags innerHTML has it's issues.
"innerHTML problem" is the search term.

Gregor
 
H

Henry

Not sure I follow.
Click to expand...

I mean that hypertext mark-up language does not include a 'test'
element.
There are 2 <test> tags in that HTML document.
Click to expand...

There are 4 'test' tags, 2 each of opening 'test' tags and closing
'test' tags. But the document is not HTML as there is no such thing as
a 'test' tag/element in HTML.
This works under Firefox and Safari.
Click to expand...

Browsers often tolerate web authors making it up on the spot, but you
still have no reason for expecting it to work, and so shouldn't be too
surprised when you find out where it doesn't.
 
M

marksmith5555

Does it crash with, say, div, too? If not (which is likely) - what's
your question?
Click to expand...

OK, I'm trying to do it using a <span> tag now instead. Only,
obviously I don't want all span tags, so I'm using .getElementsByName
instead.

Works under FF. But IE returns an empty list.

<html>
<head>
<script>

function test()
{
var i = document.getElementsByName('image');
i[0].innerHTML='<img src="http://www.google.com/intl/en_ALL/images/
logo.gif">';
}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="test();">
<span name="image"></span>
</body>
</html>
 
G

Gregor Kofler

(e-mail address removed) meinte:
OK, I'm trying to do it using a <span> tag now instead. Only,
obviously I don't want all span tags, so I'm using .getElementsByName
instead.
Click to expand...

Spans don't have names.
Works under FF. But IE returns an empty list.
Click to expand...

Understandable.

Gregor
 
T

The Natural Philosopher

OK, I'm trying to do it using a <span> tag now instead. Only,
obviously I don't want all span tags, so I'm using .getElementsByName
instead.

Works under FF. But IE returns an empty list.
Click to expand...

1/. names strictly apply only to form elements, not to random tags. FF
is kind to you. IE is not, in this respect.

2/. IE7 has a bug where it cannot distinguish between ids and names that
are the same.

so use IDs and getelement by id instead, and make sure with ie, that no
ids are the same as named form elements.



<html>
<head>
<script>

function test()
{
var i = document.getElementsByName('image');
i[0].innerHTML='<img src="http://www.google.com/intl/en_ALL/images/
logo.gif">';
}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="test();">
<span name="image"></span>
</body>
</html>
Click to expand...
 
D

David Mark

1/. names strictly apply only to form elements, not to random tags. FF
is kind to you. IE is not, in this respect.
Click to expand...

Will you *please* stop repeating that (and other nonsense.) Are you
completely mental?

[snip]
 
M

marksmith5555

so use IDs and getelement by id instead, and make sure with ie, that no
ids are the same as named form elements.
Click to expand...

Aren't IDs supposed to be unique?

How should I tag and select a specific group of span elements on a
page?

Thanks
 
G

Gregor Kofler

(e-mail address removed) meinte:
Aren't IDs supposed to be unique?

How should I tag and select a specific group of span elements on a
page?
Click to expand...

Traverse the DOM tree "tradionally" with childNodes collections.

Gregor
 
M

marksmith5555

Aren't IDs supposed to be unique?

How should I tag and select a specific group of span elements on a
page?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Solved it... Applied a class to all the span elements I wanted.
Selected all span tags, then iterated through them and only did what I
wanted to the ones where className matched the string I wanted...
Works on IE, FF and Safari. Phew! Thanks everybody for your help.
 
T

The Natural Philosopher

Aren't IDs supposed to be unique?
Click to expand...

yes, but IE7 searches both name='x' and ID='x' tags when you ask for a
by name or by ID.. and returns the name first IIRC.

How should I tag and select a specific group of span elements on a
page?
Click to expand...
by ID.
 

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