Re: Desperately I need the specifics!

by =?iso-8859-1?Q?=22Alberto=2E=B7=2EVallini=22?= <vallinis(at)yahoo.com>

 Date:  Sun, 28 Jan 2001 16:50:01 +0100
 To:  hwg-techniques(at)hwg.org
 Cc:  hwg-languages(at)hwg.org
 References:  yahoo
  todo: View Thread, Original
Hi,

thank you Frank.
Yes I have that book too from o'reilly. But for instance it says nothing=20
about getElementById !
Maybe I should try to explain better what I have not understood.
         assumption 1): if I want my scripts being compatible with NS4 and=
=20
IE4 I am forced into script branching: one script for IE4 and one script=20
for NS4. Obviously, I want my dhtml being compatible with the real world,=20
where users will go on using these browser without the slightest awareness=
=20
they'd be updated. So I will have to create one script for NS4 and one for=
=20
IE4. Correct?
         assumption 2) NS6 forces me to add a third script. Correct?
         assumption 3) The script which works on NS6, will work also on=20
IE5, so I can apply it also to IE5 since I'm there instead of relying upon=
=20
the backward compatibility of IE5 with its previous 4th version. Correct?
         assumption 4) document.body.clientWidth is a specification=20
implemented by IE4 and IE5 only. Correct? Or NS6 too does? Because NS4=20
certainly not.

There  comes the confusion. I believe you agree the whole issue is=20
confused, and certainly the w3c is *not* who is to blame for it.
So the confusion is this: if IE4 has its own dom, and IE5 adds a new dom,=20
how's possible that the former version implemented by IE4=20
(document.body.clientWidth) is also the one of the new IE5 dom and not of=20
its backward compatibility? The assumption of a dumb scripter like me is:=20
IE5 must use new css properties with the newest dom, which must be=20
different from IE4 ones and Ns4 ones: what are they?=20
document.body.clientWidth (just the same example)?
I mean, I cannot make scripts using document.body.clientWidth on the=20
assumption this is the correct new specifications implemented by *both* NS6=
=20
and IE5, since it was the specifications implemented by IE4, which followed=
=20
its own dom... I must be sure, and I'm not going into testing all of the=20
oldest Ie4 css/dhtml properties on both Ns6 and IE5 to work out on my own=20
if all of them are.
Again, there is no clear documentation about the use of getElementByTagName=
=20
and the other new paraphernalia. I used once getElementById to make a=20
script for a client who absolutely needed to print out on another page the=
=20
contents of a frame, but I just stuck to common sense, as no manual was=20
available, and aware that it could work only on Ns6 and Ie5.
Last but not least: even a full page where all the css properties of the=20
new dom implemented by ns6 and ie5 both would be helpful, sort of:
LATEST SPECIFICATIONS FOR NS6 AND IE5:
1)to get the screen width: screen.width
2)to get the innder width: body.innerWidth
3) to position: document.left (?)
etc....
Great confusion under the sky... :(

At 01.56 28/01/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>hwg-techniques(at)hwg.org

To: "Alberto.=B7.Vallini" <vallinis(at)yahoo.com>
Cc: <hwg-techniques(at)hwg.org>
Subject: Re: Desperately I need the specifics!

IE4/(IE5 too):

document.body.clientWidth

this is a property of the document object, from the so called DOM 0
(see the W3C spec).

If you can get hold of a copy of javaScript: The definitive Guide from
O'Reilly, it will explain it all.

Frank


Alberto.=B7.Vallini
vallinis(at)yahoo.com - vallini(at)altavista.it
"Under the sun of the sleepless"  [Byron]


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