Why does named anchor fail on first reference?

[deko]

I have a long page with several sections and want to link to these sections from
another page like this:

<a href='http://www.mysite.com/content.html#se ction12'>Sectio n 12</a>

Here's what the anchor looks like in content.html:

<h2 id="section12"> <a href=http://www.mysite.com/index.html
target="_self"> Return to Table of Contents</a></h2>

If I clear my browser's cache and click on the Section 12 link in index.html, I
do not go to the correct position in content.html. But If I go back to
index.html and try again, the link will (on subsequent attempts) take me to the
correct position.

This behavior is consistent in FF and IE.

I've also tried using a stand-alone anchor like this:

<a name="section12 ">

Same results.

Am I missing something? Is there some trick to getting a named anchor to work
the first time?

Thanks in advance.

[Els]

deko wrote:

I have a long page with several sections and want to link to these sections from
another page like this:

<a href='http://www.mysite.com/content.html#se ction12'>Sectio n 12</a>

Here's what the anchor looks like in content.html:

<h2 id="section12"> <a href=http://www.mysite.com/index.html
target="_self"> Return to Table of Contents</a></h2>

If I clear my browser's cache and click on the Section 12 link in index.html, I
do not go to the correct position in content.html. But If I go back to
index.html and try again, the link will (on subsequent attempts) take me to the
correct position.

This behavior is consistent in FF and IE.

I've also tried using a stand-alone anchor like this:

<a name="section12 ">

Same results.

Am I missing something? Is there some trick to getting a named anchor to work
the first time?

I think the page is too long, or has too many images and stuff to be
loaded? I've seen it happen too, and I'm just guessing that the
browser finds the ID before all the content that preceeds it is loaded
into the browser.

--
Els http://locusmeus.com/
accessible web design: http://locusoptimus.com/

[Spartanicus]

"deko" <de**@nospam.co mwrote:

>Am I missing something?

We are (an URL).

--
Spartanicus

[deko]

browser finds the ID before all the content that preceeds it is loaded

into the browser.

That's something I considered - the page is dynamically generated with php and
does have some larger images.

While troubleshooting , I took the page source and made a static page out of it -
still had the same problem. Yet this is the only thing that makes any sense,
since, at that point, everything was generic HTML with simple anchors.

I think you may be correct. If so, this is browser bug. And both IE and FF
have it. A browser should be able to recognize an anchor in a URL, render the
page, then position itself accordingly.

[deko]

>browser finds the ID before all the content that preceeds it is loaded

>into the browser.

That's something I considered - the page is dynamically generated with php and
does have some larger images.

While troubleshooting , I took the page source and made a static page out of
it - still had the same problem. Yet this is the only thing that makes any
sense, since, at that point, everything was generic HTML with simple anchors.

I think you may be correct. If so, this is browser bug. And both IE and FF
have it. A browser should be able to recognize an anchor in a URL, render the
page, then position itself accordingly.

I just loaded IE7 and tested with that - I could not duplicate the problem.
This is indeed a browser bug and the IE7 team squashed it. Let's hope the
Firefox folks catch on as well.

As an aside, IE is pretty speedy as far as page loading goes. I think I like
it. Too bad it breaks my ability to access my hotmail email account from
Outlook Express. Otherwise I might make it my default browser.

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

deko wrote:

I have a long page with several sections and want to link to these
sections from another page like this:

<a href='http://www.mysite.com/content.html#se ction12'>Sectio n 12</a>

Here's what the anchor looks like in content.html:

<h2 id="section12"> <a href=http://www.mysite.com/index.html
target="_self"> Return to Table of Contents</a></h2>

Aside: are you sure that "Return to Table of Contents" is a second
level heading? Sounds more like a navigational aid that perhaps should
be a <divor at worst a <p>.

BTW, I looked at http://mysite.com/ but couldn't find your links. If you
are using that for an example, please use .. well .. example.com, which
is reserved for the purpose.

--
-bts
-Warning: I brake for lawn deer

[Mark Parnell]

Deciding to do something for the good of humanity, Els
<el*********@ti scali.nldeclare d in
comp.infosystem s.www.authoring.html:

browser finds the ID before all the content that preceeds it is loaded
into the browser.

I find that happens quite often with w3c.org - the HTML and CSS specs
for example.

--
Mark Parnell
My Usenet is improved; yours could be too:
http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

[Els]

Mark Parnell wrote:

Deciding to do something for the good of humanity, Els
<el*********@ti scali.nldeclare d in
comp.infosystem s.www.authoring.html:

>browser finds the ID before all the content that preceeds it is loaded
into the browser.

I find that happens quite often with w3c.org - the HTML and CSS specs
for example.

That's exactly where I've seen it before :-)

--
Els http://locusmeus.com/
accessible web design: http://locusoptimus.com/

[deko]

>>browser finds the ID before all the content that preceeds it is loaded

>>into the browser.

I find that happens quite often with w3c.org - the HTML and CSS specs
for example.

That's exactly where I've seen it before :-)

I discovered that if I remove all style directives and images the problem goes
away. Perhaps there's a CSS trick or work-around that will help...

[Els]

deko wrote:

>>>browser finds the ID before all the content that preceeds it is loaded
into the browser.

I find that happens quite often with w3c.org - the HTML and CSS specs
for example.

That's exactly where I've seen it before :-)

I discovered that if I remove all style directives and images the problem goes
away. Perhaps there's a CSS trick or work-around that will help...

Does the problem go away if you only take out the images and leave the
styles in?

--
Els http://locusmeus.com/
accessible web design: http://locusoptimus.com/