144432 - robandjen.net/home - Partial HTML comments in JavaScript cause problems

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Tech Evangelism Graveyard :: English US, defect)

Description

[Robert Myers]

If a JavaScript contains the equivalent of a document.write("<!--"), the rest of
the page is messed up until the page contains --> in a script tag or in HTML text

This is an issue because Site Meter (http://www.sitemeter.com) has code that
does this. 

The HTML tag <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2"
src="http://s11.sitemeter.com/js/counter.js?site=s11norules"> pulls the
javascript that exhibits the issue.

This was an issue in 0.9.7-0.9.9 Windows as well. Dialogue with site meter did
not get the issue resolved on their end.

Comment 1

[Phil Schwartau]

Browser, not engine ---> Layout

Robert, do we have to login to the site to see how it gets messed up?
When I simply load the site in Mozilla, it looks OK. What exactly are
the steps to reproduce this?

Better yet, would it be possible for you to write a small HTML testcase
and attach it to this bug via the "Create a New Attachment" link above?
I know it should start out with something like

<script>
document.write("<!--");


but I'm not sure how it should continue after that - thanks.

Comment 2

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Is there another script that writes out a "-->" somewhere?  The script is
starting a comment and never finishing it, so I'd expect all content from there
to the next "-->" to be commented out; anything else would be incorrect....

Comment 3

[Robert Myers]

Attachment: Reproduction of (perceived) bug caused by Site Meter code

The javascript depends on standard undefined behavior (inclusion of -- in HTML
comments). Feel free to ignore this bug and/or educate Site Meter.This could be
a wide spread issue, since Site Meter is fairly popular.

Comment 4

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Ah, ok.  This is only a problem because the page is in standards mode...

So over to evangelism to get Site Meter fixed.

Comment 5

[Susie Wyshak]

Here is contact info: http://www.sitemeter.com/default.asp?action=contact

Comment 6

[Bob Clary [:bc] (inactive)]

tech evang june 2003 reorg

Comment 7

[sjw]

The site does not use this script anymore.
[closme?]