239235 - [ActiveX] Use IE or implement browser frame for popups

Status: RESOLVED INVALID

(Core Graveyard :: Embedding: ActiveX Wrapper, defect)

Description

[Michael Volikas]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7b) Gecko/20040320
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7b) Gecko/20040320

When I click one of Telemarketing's products, a new web broswer is displayed
with the product's full description.  This functionality does not occur when
using the Mozilla WebBrowser control.

The Telemarketing page works correctly when you use the Mozilla browser, IE 6.0
and Microsoft's WebBrowser control.

I found MOZiE (Gecko/MSHTML Comparison Tool) at http://www.zeit.ca/mozie/ that
uses both the Microsoft and Mozilla WebBrowser controls.  You can use this to
perform side X side comparison testing.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1.  Download MOZiE from http://www.zeit.ca/mozie
2.  Unzip the files
3.  Click on mozie.hta
4.  Go to www.telemarketing.gr and click on one of the product pictures
5.  A new window should be displayed with the product's full description

You can replicate using the VBrowse test harness

Actual Results:  
The new popup window was NOT displayed using the Mozilla WebBrowser control.

The Mozilla WebBrowser control should work just like the Microsoft WebBrowser
control (shdocvw.dll).

Expected Results:  
The new popup window should be displayed just like the the Microsoft WebBrowser
control.

Comment 1

[u63580]

Do you mean that you are not getting the pop-up windows opening?  If so, please
check your pop-up blocking prefs.  This seems to be WFM in 1.7b+ (20040328) and
FireFox 0.8.0+ (20040329).

Comment 2

[Michael Volikas]

I am trying to say that the popup window is display using the "normal" Mozilla
browser but the popup is NOT displayed when using the Mozilla WebBrowser ActiveX
control.  How does one unblock the popup when using the ActiveX control?

Comment 3

[irongut]

It isn't JavaScript that is the problem, it is opening another browser window.
The Mozilla ActiveX Control can't do this.

The IE based WebBrowser does this by opening an instance of IE, which can be
guaranteed to be on the system. Having the Mozilla ActiveX Control does not
guarantee Mozilla or Firefox are on the system so any fix would have to invoke
the default browser or create a new instance of the control.

I would say this is either WFM or an enhancement request rather than a bug.

Comment 4

[Michael Volikas]

This is not an enhancement request nor can you say it WFM.  The Mozilla
WebBrowser ActiveX control does NOT function the same as the Microsoft control,
therefore it is a bug.

Check the following link:  http://www.iol.ie/~locka/mozilla/control.htm.

I'm quoting the following from the above link:

ActiveX Control Implementation
Not just a similar API

An identical one! That's right, the Mozilla control will implement the
IWebBrowser and DWebBrowserEvents interfaces that Microsoft have already defined
for Internet Explorer.

Since the Mozilla control implements exactly the same API, it will mean that
developers can take existing IE code and port it, sometimes in a matter of minutes!

The only modification required may be to replace the line that creates the
control of type CLSID_WebBrowser with one of CLSID_MozillaBrowser. VB developers
must delete the IE control from their project and insert a Mozilla one with the
same instance name. ....


Do I need to say more?

Comment 5

[Adam Lock]

The API is identical, but it doesn't mean the functionality is identical.
Sometimes it takes a disproportionate amount of work to implement something and
when there is a workaround is in place I tend to recommend that.

In this instance the IE control has the luxury of being able to spawn a new
instance of iexplore.exe to handle popups. For the Mozilla control it can't. But
you can open your own popups by handling the NewWindow event, create the window
and handing back the browser control that you have housed in it.

I can keep this bug open since it is something that needs to be addressed. But
the solution boils down:

1. Implement a simple browser frame in the control which is used if the client
does not return one of its own.
2. Or spawn IE to create the new popup
3. Or spawn Mozilla / Firefox to open the new popup

None of these choices are palatable.

1) Means writing a browser app in my control complete with back / forward / top
/ url functionality. This will work but it is a lot of effort.

2) Is a 'quick fix' but is rather counter productive given the goals of the
project. 

3) Involves writing a whole ActiveX automation API into Mozilla or Firefox and
is therefore non-trivial.

I don't know what is best. If it is convenient I suggest you workaround the
issue by handling NewWindow. It is simple enough to do in VB.

Comment 6

[Michael Volikas]

Adam,

I understand the dilema you are in.  I did not write MOZiE.  I was planning to
use MOZiE to perform side x side comparisson on a web site I am QA'ing.  Please
undertand, that many people get frustrated when documentation states everything
works the same.


I still plan to use "VBrowse" thus your suggestion to handle NewWindow is
viable. Would you kindly update your VBrowse test feature to handle NewWindow so
I can see how this is performed.

Comment 7

[irongut]

(In reply to comment #5)

> 2. Or spawn IE to create the new popup
> 3. Or spawn Mozilla / Firefox to open the new popup

These options could be combined by spawning the system's default browser which
would get round the problem of what is installed. Just pass the URL to Windows'
ShellExecute API.

> 2) Is a 'quick fix' but is rather counter productive given the goals of the
> project. 

Default browser would be less counter productive.

> 3) Involves writing a whole ActiveX automation API into Mozilla or Firefox 
> and is therefore non-trivial.

Using ShellExecute is like providing a URL on the command line so wouldn't need
any changes to Mozilla code.

Comment 8

[Adam Lock]

I can't just spawn the default browser - I need to create a browser control and
return with an IWebBrowser interface to it. That means either I have to house
the control in my own frame, or spawn IE via COM and get the pointer to that.

Comment 9

[irongut]

*** Bug 282274 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 10

[yonatan goraly]

I would appriciate it if someone post an example how work around this issue and
open a new (modal/non modal) window using JavaScript

Comment 11

[Ed Morley [:emorley]]

The ActiveX embedding API was removed in bug 662023 and friends, making this INVALID.

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