javascript href generates [object] msg

ariesboy571

I've got a PHP page containing a javascript hyperlink that opens a window with yet another PHP page within it. However, when I click on the link, and the new window opens, the page containing the hyperlink vanishes and is replaced by a blank page containing only the message "[object]".
I've encountered this before, but have never been able to resolve it, aside from eschewing JavaScript whenever possible in my PHP scripts.
Can anybody give me any ideas as to why this is happening? I'm sure it's something I'm doing wrong, but I have no idea what it may be.
My thanks and eternal gratitude in advance for any help or solutions anyone can offer...

Anon

It's probably a javascript error.. If you could paste your code here, we could tell you.

Anon

I'm going to guess you are attempting to pass an object to your new window as a variable and I'm pretty sure you can't do that. If you used sessions, you might be able to.

ariesboy571

ummm...ARRRGH! (how did I just KNOW you were going to say that)...sure enough, that's exactly what I'm trying to do:

<a href=\"javascript:window.open('widgetdetail.php?widget=" . $row["widgetID"] . "','WIDGET','scrollbars=yes,status=no,width=640,height=240');\">" . $row["WidgetName"] . "</a>

Oh well. One can always hope.

ariesboy571

I'm not sure how I'm going to go about a work-around for this; I'd had a wild idea that I'd write a small file on the fly for the link to open, based on what was selected...kinda the lamer way to do it though; I really don't want the server writing a bunch of tempfiles into a world-writable directory just so a small page can be viewed.
A session variable won't work because this link isn't the only link on this page...it's only one of the items in a long list, which are hyperlinked exactly the same way. There would be no way to register the variable with the new value.
Although I really don't like this idea, what I'll probably have to do is just have the target page open in a new window (spec the target of the HREF be "_blank" and then resize the window once it appears. Kludgy, though...

Anon

perhaps if you posted all your code, it would be easier to provide help.

Anon

Hi -

If you haven't already figured this one out, here are a couple of solutions:

1) When the window pops up, have it do a "self.opener.history.back()" to send a "Back" command to get rid of the [object] page. Its hokey, but it does have its charms.

2) The real answer, however, is to define a function in the <head> portion of the page called something like popthisbiatchup(x,y,z) which just calls window.open(x,y,z) and then replace window.open in your href with popthisbiatchup.

The Wildride