Resolved IE compatibility issue

gizmo1650 · 04-13-2010, 10:18 PM

EDIT: i think the problem was i had an html element named 'comment' so IE was getting confused when i made a js variable 'comment'
(don't use IE it is the worst browser)

i am in the process of debugging a website, it works wel in Google Chrome and firefox but not in IE
i am putting all the relevant code below.
this is in the head tag, and is the only JavaScript executed when the debugger show the error

Code:

function first_run(){
answer_state=document.getElementById('state');//set node for 'show_answer' function
answer_ab=document.getElementById('ab');//set node for 'show_answer' function
answer_capitol=document.getElementById('capitol');//set node for 'show_answer' function
answer_next=document.getElementById('next');
comment=document.getElementById('comment')//line marked with error
ui=document.getElementById('UI');//sets 'ui' to form location
score_right=document.getElementById('right');//returns null
score_wrong=document.getElementById('wrong');
score_right=score_wrong.previousElementSibling//score_right work around
score_show_ans=document.getElementById('show_ans');

runs above code on page load

Code:

<body onkeydown="if (event.keyCode == 13){check()}" onload="first_run()">

in body tag, node that erred line refers to.

Code:

<div id=comment>
</div>

the error message in IE's developer tools debugger is "Object doesn't support this property or method" States javascript.html, line 395 character 1"

i've done all of my coding in Chrome and have no expirence in IE's syntax, any ideas what the problem is?

Old Pedant · 04-13-2010, 11:18 PM

I think you have the wrong line.

That message would occur because you tried to do something like

Code:

   comment.framitz = 17;
or
   comment.zam();

MSIE's line numbers are often off by 1 or 2 in the error messages.

Can you show us the next 5 or 10 lines, right after the ones you showed?

gizmo1650 · 04-13-2010, 11:29 PM

i added a few lines to the code
using the javascript console shows everything up to and including comment=document.getElementById('comment') works (putting in the variable name doesn't return undefined) but the following few lines, putting in the variable name returns undefined

Old Pedant · 04-14-2010, 12:03 AM

Almost surely this line:

Code:

score_right=score_wrong.previousElementSibling//score_right work around

If you look here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...(v=VS.85).aspx
and scan the properties, you will see previousSibling but no mention of previousElementSibling.

gizmo1650 · 04-14-2010, 01:00 AM

changing to Previous sibling didn't help,
also this time i noticed when i ran the debugger thare was a balloon that popped up for a few seconds over the comment= line that said "breaking on JS runtime error-Object doesn't support this property or method" so i don't think it is even looking at the code beyond this

Old Pedant · 04-14-2010, 01:12 AM

I'm convinced it is *not* that line.

But convince yourself.

Put an alert() just after the comment= line.

Then put one just before and just after the previousElementSibling line. Betcha that narrows it down.

gizmo1650 · 04-14-2010, 01:17 AM

solved.
I ided the div element to html_comment, and that solved the problem. Unfortuantly now i am fining alot of other problems (including previusElementSibling)

Old Pedant · 04-14-2010, 01:40 AM

Bizarro. I'd have to guess that you also had a form field with that name, right? And so MSIE tries to find the form field as well as the div. And so getElementById() is trying to process two objects by what it thinks is the same id??? Still...why *that* error message. Joy and light.

Philip M · 04-14-2010, 08:24 AM

Note that in Internet Explorer, names and IDs are global variables and thus you should NEVER use a global variable or function name which is the same as an HTML element name or ID.

comment=document.getElementById('comment')

You should also avoid giving names or id's to your variables/functions/arguments/forms words which are JavaScript methods/properties/attributes such as 'name' or 'id' or 'value' or 'text' or 'checked' or 'submit' or 'replace' or 'button' or 'radio' or 'parseInt'.

And of course you may not give a variable a name which is a Javascript keyword or event such as alert, case, char, false, int, onload, return, this, void, and so on.

Also avoid words such as description, author, keyword and generator which may appear in META tags.

There is no point in saying "Don't use IE". IE has 62% of the market and any useable web page must be IE compatible.