onload event doesn't work

[Andy Fish]

Hi,

I have an asp.net web application which uses a pop-up form that works a bit
like a dialog box. when the user clicks "OK" it does a postback (basically a
form post if you don't know .net) to save the contents of the form, and then
I put an onload event to do a window.close.

this works fine for hundreds of people on different browsers. However, for
one user the window does not close.

The user has a brand new PC from Dell with Norton Internet Security and is
using IE. other javascipt on the site seems to work fine. She has tried
adding the site to her IE "trusted sites" list with no effect. We have tried
enabling javascript errors in IE and none are shown.

Does anyone know of any settings in NIS or any other browser security
add-ons (especially supplied by dell) that might cause this behaviour?

Is there a better way to achieve the result I'm after (i.e. posting a form
and having the window close as soon as the data is posted) other than using
an onload event to do window.close?

TIA

Andy

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

Andy Fish wrote:

I have an asp.net web application which uses a pop-up form
What is a "pop-up form"?
that works a bit like a dialog box. when the user clicks "OK" it does a
postback (basically a form post if you don't know .net) to save the
contents of the form, and then I put an onload event to do a window.close.

this works fine for hundreds of people on different browsers.
Well, probably it will not work for me.
However, for one user the window does not close.

The user has a brand new PC from Dell with Norton Internet Security and is
using IE. other javascipt on the site seems to work fine. She has tried
adding the site to her IE "trusted sites" list with no effect. We have
tried enabling javascript errors in IE and none are shown.
Has she Active Scripting enabled for either Security Zone?
Does anyone know of any settings in NIS or any other browser security
add-ons (especially supplied by dell) that might cause this behaviour?

As a result of its built-in popup blocker, Norton _InSecurity_ probably
disables the `onload' event handler by injecting code not written by you.
Furthermore "does not close" can mean anything. For example, it is likely
that the window "does not close" because the user is presented a security
confirm box that is there in order to protect her from losing her window
history. Or the security settings of IE with XP SP-2 (indicated by the
new Dell PC) simply prevent windows not opened through scripting to be
closed by scripting.

Recommending her to uninstall pseudo-security applications like NIS and
to get informed about system and network security being a Good Thing[1]
aside:

Never ever mess with browser windows without the users' explicit consent,
that is, do not suppose anything to work regarding this without their direct
interaction (and the `onload' event handler does not classify as such).
Followup-To comp.lang.javascript

PointedEars
___________
[1] <URL:http://www.iks-jena.de/mitarb/lutz/usenet/Firewall.en.html>

[Randy Webb]

Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn said the following on 12/16/2005 6:24 AM:

Andy Fish wrote:

I have an asp.net web application which uses a pop-up form

What is a "pop-up form"?

I will try to explain this to you as simple as can be so that maybe you
can understand it since English is not your native language PointedHead.

pop-up - Generally refers to a - gasp - popup window.
form - If you don't know what a form is, give up the web.

Put them together:

popup form - form in a popup window.

I know, that is a stretch for you to comprehend but try, you can manage it.

that works a bit like a dialog box. when the user clicks "OK" it does a
postback (basically a form post if you don't know .net) to save the
contents of the form, and then I put an onload event to do a window.close.
this works fine for hundreds of people on different browsers.

Well, probably it will not work for me.

As well it may not work for a lot of people that have window.open
disabled or it is not present for some other reason.

However, for one user the window does not close.

The user has a brand new PC from Dell with Norton Internet Security and is
using IE. other javascipt on the site seems to work fine. She has tried
adding the site to her IE "trusted sites" list with no effect. We have
tried enabling javascript errors in IE and none are shown.

Has she Active Scripting enabled for either Security Zone?

Indication 1: "other javascript on the site seems to work fine"
indicates that Scripting is indeed enabled. Learn to read, and
comprehend what you read, and you will go a lot further than you already
are Thomas. Your idiotic pedantics get old after a while.

Does anyone know of any settings in NIS or any other browser security
add-ons (especially supplied by dell) that might cause this behaviour?

As a result of its built-in popup blocker, Norton _InSecurity_ probably
disables the `onload' event handler by injecting code not written by you.

NIS doesn't block popups by disabling the onload, it disables popup
windows by disabling the window.open call by redefining it to return
false when called.
Furthermore "does not close" can mean anything.
No, it is simple. It doesn't close. Thats not that difficult to understand.

For example, it is likely that the window "does not close" because the
user is presented a security confirm box that is there in order to protect
her from losing her window history.
Hmmm. You open a popup, you close that popup. There is no "window
history" to lose. If the user is presented a security confirm window on
a popup that was opened by script then your UA is severely broken. And I
know of *no* UA that when you manage to open a window with window.open
that will, by default, give you a confirm box when you attempt to
execute window.close() on that window.

Or the security settings of IE with XP SP-2 (indicated by the
new Dell PC) simply prevent windows not opened through scripting to be
closed by scripting.
Where did you come up with that Rubbish?
Recommending her to uninstall pseudo-security applications like NIS and
to get informed about system and network security being a Good Thing[1]
aside:
But totally 100% irrelevant to anything but your diatribe about NIS.
Never ever mess with browser windows without the users' explicit consent,
that is, do not suppose anything to work regarding this without their direct
interaction (and the `onload' event handler does not classify as such).
More Rubbish that is irrelevant to the question.

Followup-To comp.lang.javascript
microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.aspnet added back as it should have
been left alone to start with.
[1] <URL:http://www.iks-jena.de/mitarb/lutz/usenet/Firewall.en.html>

More irrelevant rubbish.

--
Randy
comp.lang.javascript FAQ - http://jibbering.com/faq & newsgroup weekly
Javascript Best Practices - http://www.JavascriptToolbox.com/bestpractices/

[Csaba Gabor]

Andy Fish wrote:

Is there a better way to achieve the result I'm after (i.e. posting a form
and having the window close as soon as the data is posted) other than using
an onload event to do window.close?

There is another approach. First, have a hidden iframe in your main
page looking something like this (you may need to futz with some of the
attributes. For example, you may wish to hold off on that style
setting till after you get everything else working):
<iframe name=receptacle style="display:none" src=""></iframe>

In the popup, make sure your form declaration includes a target:
<form ... target=receptacle id=myform ...>

Finally, right after submitting the form via javascript, close the
window:
....
document.getElementById('myform').submit();
window.close();

The point of this is to close the window upon submission as opposed to
waiting for the sumission to be successful. There is a danger, which
PointedEars alluded to, that the submission may not be successful for
any number of reasons. In fact, you can count on it happening from
time to time, so your app should be prepared to deal with this
situation. Oh yes, and make sure to change the text on the button from
'OK' or 'Submit' to 'Submit and close window' so nobody claims the
button does more than it promised ;).

Sometimes, windows put up a confirmation dialog when being closed by
script. You may forego a class of such confirmations by doing
window.opener = "me";
(I have encountered this when sequencing windows with VBScript).

Csaba Gabor from Vienna