JS Error when accessing an element from another frame

[sayid]

Hello,

I have a problem when altering a DIV-element from another frame.
The frameset looks like this:

<frameset rows=0,0,* border=0>
        <frame name=header src=/header.htm scrolling=no noresize="true" frameborder=0>
        <frame name=border src=/border.htm scrolling=no noresize="true" frameborder=0>
        <frameset cols=200,* border=0>
            <frameset rows=*,0 border=0>
                <frame name=bodytree src=/emptytree.asp scrolling=no noresize="true" frameborder=0>
                <frame name=bodyref src=/ref.asp scrolling=no noresize="true" frameborder=0>
            </frameset>
            <frameset rows=*,0 border=0>        
                <frame name=body src=/login.asp noresize="true" frameborder=0>
                <frame name=bodycom src=/comm.asp scrolling=no noresize="true" frameborder=0>
            </frameset>
        </frameset>
    </frameset>

Frame 'ref.asp' (bodyref) is not viewed on the screen and is used to maintain the login session object by refreshing it every 4 minutes using this simple piece of code:

<META HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" CONTENT="250; url=/ref.asp">

Now I want to check (every 4 minutes) in 'ref.asp' if things have changed in my database. If so, then update an element in frame 'bodytree' using this code:

parent.frames["bodytree"].document.getElementById('alerting').innerHTML = '<ul><li>Changed!</li></ul>';

The element 'alerting' is a simple DIV-element in the bodytree-frame.
Weirdest thing is that the element is being updated but I get this JS error:

'parent.frames.bodytree.document' is empty or not an object

When I place the JS-code in a webpage from the body-frame then everything works fine. But when I place it in ref.asp I get the error. Does anyone have an idea why I get the error?

Thx...

[rnd me]

when you call it from ref.asp, it is not in any frame.


likely using simply document.getElementById('alerting') to find it will work.