Javascript or PHP problem? :(

Anon

I apologize if this is the wrong place, if indeed this does turn out to be a Javascript problem.

Here's my dynamically generated javascript..

echo "\n\n<script Language=\"JavaScript\">\n";
echo "<!--\n";
echo "function Form_Validator() {\n";

for ($x = 0; $x <= $MAX; $x++) {
if((isset($ORDER[$x])) && ($ORDER[$x] == "checked")) {

echo "\t\tif (document.myForm.QUANTITY$x.value == \"\") {\n";

echo "\t\t\talert(\"You must enter a value for the Quantity field.\")\n";
echo "\t\t\tdocument.myForm.QUANTITY$x.focus();\n";

echo "\t\t\treturn (false);\n";
echo "\t\t}\n";

echo "\t\tif (document.myForm.DOCKDATE$x.value == \"\") {\n";
echo "\t\t\talert(\"You must enter a value for the Dock Date field.\")\n";
echo "\t\t\tdocument.myForm.DOCKDATE$x.focus();\n";

echo "\t\t\treturn (false);\n";
echo "\t\t}\n";

}

echo "\treturn (true);\n";
echo "}\n";

echo "//-->\n";
echo "</script>\n";

Done like that because I'm not sure which fields in the array are going to need validation.. it SEEMS to output the correct javascript.. the validation works perfect in IE, but in NS it doesn't seem to check at all, and just complains that the form has no properties.

Even more frustrating is that I have some other javascript validation on another page, and it works in both browsers:

echo "<script Language=\"JavaScript\">\n";
echo "<!--\n";
echo "function Form_Validator(Form) {\n";
echo "\tif (Form.PARTNUM.value.length < 2) {\n";
echo "alert(\"You must enter at least 2 characters for the Part Number field.\")\n";
echo "Form.PARTNUM.focus();\n";
echo "return (false);\n";
echo "}\n";
echo "return (true);\n";
echo "}\n";

echo "//-->\n";
echo "</script>\n";

I've tried taking out the document., putting it back in, etc. Still can't get the first script to work in NS. Any clues? Should I just handle this with PHP validation? If so, is there any way to get the error in a pop-up box?

Anon

you are saying the 1st one doesn't work in IE, but works in NS?

What are you naming your <form>? (i.e. <form name=OrderForm>) It looks like from the Javascript above the name has to be 'myForm' for the 1st script, since you don't pass it a JS form object.

Well, if that doesn't solve it, it narrows the problem down for the next person.

Anon

Yeah, that's what I'm saying, which is why I'm confused as hell.

Here's the form validation..

echo "<form onsubmit=\"return Form_Validator()\" name=\"myForm\" action=\"processorder.php\" method=\"POST\">";

Chad

Anon

An update:

I just took some of the dynamically created code, and put it in a regular
html file, and renamed the dynamic input name boxes to match the script.

And it worked.

Somewhere along the way of dynamically generating it, it's NOT working in
NS.

THIS worked:

The dynamic code in my earlier post does NOT work, even though it outputs
that exact same javascript as above.

Why?

Anon

just a quick note: you may find your code easier to debug if you use the following trick. knowing that you can go into and out of php at will, you can do stuff like

<?
for ($x = 0; $x <= $MAX; $x++) { ?>

document.myForm.DOCKDATE<? echo $x ; ?>.focus()

<? } ?>

anyway. apart from that, if it's a browser dependent bug, it's a javascript problem.

Anon

I notice that your when calling your \"dynamic\" page your form action has an:
onsubmit=\"return Form_Validator()\"

Where your test version that works has simply:
onsubmit= \"Form_Validator()\"

Why does the first one try to execute a return function on the submit event?

HTH

-- Rich Rijnders
-- Irvine, CA US

Anon

Well, I changed it, to no effect.

Browsers such as Mozilla and K-Meleon (0.1!) handle the javascript fine.

Must be a netscape thing, and how it handles javascript on the fly. I don't know. I have no idea what else it could be.

Anon

The problem may be with the different ways NS and IE process forms and javascript.

Try moving the entire validation script so that it is between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags in the resulting page (this is by convention the way that functions should be declared). This will ensure that the function is downloaded and compiled in the browser before it is executed.

Also, I noticed that your "static" page that worked is using single quotes for the value== comparison where the "dynamic" page uses double quotes. May not make a difference, but worth a shot.

-- Rich Rijnders
-- Irvine, CA US

Anon

Sadly, has been tried. One of the first things I did was move it into the head.. made no difference -- still worked in IE and other non-NS browsers, but not in NS.

And yeah, tried changing up single and double quotes. Nothing has worked..

It's quite possibly a bug in Netscape. But since NS 4.7 has been out since the dawn of time, it's not one likely to be fixed.. sigh.. just going to do PHP validation server-side for a backup, leaving that javascript in there, as it works for all non-NS browsers.

Just really sucks. Kinda bitter. And I used to be such a Netscape fan too. 🙁

Anon

OK, call me a glutton for punishment but I am a professional bug finder and fixer by trade...

I copied the source you posted in your original message into a source document and uploaded it to my server. I had to initialize $MAX because I couldn't see where it was coming from, and I commented out the "if" line and replaced it with one that guaranteed that the block would be entered to generate the javascript.

I also put the form html at the bottom of the script (I don't know where yours generates from).

Here is the resulting source:

<head>
<title>hullo</title>
</head>
<body>
<?php

$MAX = 2;

echo "\n\n<script Language=\"JavaScript\">\n";
echo "<!--\n";
echo "function Form_Validator() {\n";

for ($x = 0; $x <= $MAX; $x++) {

if((isset($ORDER[$x])) && ($ORDER[$x] == "checked")) {

if(1==1) {

echo "\t\tif (document.myForm.QUANTITY$x.value == \"\") {\n";

echo "\t\t\talert(\"You must enter a value for the Quantity field.\")\n";
echo "\t\t\tdocument.myForm.QUANTITY$x.focus();\n";

echo "\t\t\treturn (false);\n";
echo "\t\t}\n";

echo "\t\tif (document.myForm.DOCKDATE$x.value == \"\") {\n";
echo "\t\t\talert(\"You must enter a value for the Dock Date field.\")\n";
echo "\t\t\tdocument.myForm.DOCKDATE$x.focus();\n";

echo "\t\t\treturn (false);\n";
echo "\t\t}\n";

}
}

echo "\treturn (true);\n";
echo "}\n";

echo "//-->\n";
echo "</script>\n";

I hit the page with my browser (NS Communicator 4.6) and it works! I don't understand because the bulk of the page is cut and pasted directly from your original post!

I tried both "onsubmit" styles like you said and they both worked, too.

Maybe you can see what is different (maybe your form generation?) between this one and the one you are running.

Hope some of this has been helpful to you...

-- Rich Rijnders
-- Irvine, CA US