FireFox (version 2) Ajax call to update page times out if child window is closed

[Frinavale]

I have 2 FireFox (version 2) browser windows opened.

One is the child of the other.

When the user is finished with the child window, a method in the parent window is called to refresh a section of the page.

This is the JavaScript code that I'm using to refresh the content in the parent page:

<script type="text/javascript">           
            function UpdateList() {
                showUpdatingMessage();
                document.getElementById('myHiddenFieldForStuff').value = true;
                __doPostBack('myASPButtonClientID', '');
}
 </script>

Please note that the __doPostBack() method is supplied by ASP.NET. This method submits the page to the server and indicates that the control that caused this to happen was a button with the ClientID of "myASPButtonCli entID". This method determines whether or not the whole page should be updated or if an asynchronous call to the server should take place. Since the button with the clientID of "myASPButtonCli entID" is within an ASP.NET UpdatePanel, the __doPostBack() method preforms an asynchronous call to the server and only a portion of the page is updated.

This is the JavaScript code in the child page that is used to call the UpdateList JavaScript method in the parent page:

  <script type="text/javascript">
            window.onbeforeunload = CloseEvent;
 
            function CloseEvent() {
                if (window.opener && !window.opener.closed) {
                    window.opener.UpdateList();
                }
            }
            function CloseBrowserWindow() {
                //window.close();
                CloseEvent();
            }
        </script>

The "CloseBrowserWi ndow" method is called when a Button is clicked. It's supposed to close the window, which triggers the window.onbefore unload event to fire, which calls the method in the parent window.

Right now the JavaScript responsible for closing the browser window is commented-out. The reason is because in FireFox version 2, when the child window is closed, the postback to the server times out.

When the child window remains opened, the request does not time out and everything works as it should (as it does in FireFox 3).

I'm not sure why this is happening (in FireFox version 2..) It'd be nice to know the reason but I'm not expecting JavaScript experts to know the mysteries of FireFox (version 2)

As a work around, I was thinking that if I were able to close the child window from the parent window the problem could be averted.

The only thing is, I have no idea how to do this.

I'd really appreciate any insight on this topic.

Thanks,

-Frinny

[gits]

could you try to trigger the close event after the request is completed? i guess that the problem is that by closing the browser-window the reference to the current request object is dropped ... you could even try a timeout for the close-operation which should even avoid that behaviour ... i say i guess it because i don't know the exact reason but anytime we have that problem both of the solutions fix it ...

may be i'll investigate it a bit and could give a better answer ;)

kind regards

[Frinavale]

@gits
I'm not following? I don't understand what you're getting at here.....

@gits
I have no idea how long the update's going to take. It's a very complicate page with many things that need updating. So, it's not a very quick process...and when you combine that with a little bit of lag, how can you tell how long it's going to take?

[edit]
Oh wait, do you mean put put a timeout in the parent window to allow the close-operation in the child window to take place before raising the post back to the server?
[/edit]

[gits]

is UpdateList() an Ajax-operation? then you could just call to close the window in the callback of the request.

in case you want to use the timeout then you just need a short one ... as i said ... it fixes such issues and i guess again :) that the timeout just avoids the reference dropping and let the browser instantiate and bind the requestobj correctly

[gits]

regarding your edit ... i thought that something like this:

function CloseBrowserWindow() {
    CloseEvent();
    window.setTimeout(function() { 
        window.close(); 
    }, 100);
}

should help.

kind regards

[Frinavale]

So, you don't close the child window from the parent window then?

[gits]

as far as i'm aware of this behaviour that doesn't matter ... it is a problem of closing a window 'the same time' when starting a request ... so it could be circumvented by using a timeout ... that is just the experience i made ..

[Frinavale]

I added the suggested code and it did not solve the problem.
I'm still getting a time out message in the parent window if the client window is closed even though there is a timeout set.

[Frinavale]

@gits
This behaviour seems to be linked to my earlier question...

[gits]

is it an Ajax-Request that does the update?