331246 - message element with link error always fails?

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Core Graveyard :: XForms, defect)

Description

[aaronr]

This is a followup for bug 300255.

We need to determine the proper behavior for a message element once it encounters conditions that cause a xforms-link-error.  For example, if it contains @src and the URI isn't reachable during page load, we generate a xforms-link-error.  Should we ever try to get the URI again, or should we just try the one time during load?  Also, should we throw the xforms-link-error every time the message goes to display or just the first time?

Comment 1

[aaronr]

for xf:hint, at least, XSmiles and formsPlayer both cache the @src pull.  So if the link can't be reached on form load, it will never work.  If the link is reached on form load, then the hint will always show, even if the link drops.

neither seem to support xf:message, or xf:help with @src.  XSmiles also doesn't support xf:alert with @src.  formsPlayer supports xf:alert with @src, but treats it just like xf:hint -> caches the result.

But formsPlayer also only shows the xforms-link-error once for xf:hint and xf:alert.  So I guess if we aren't retrying the link every time we need to for the xf element, then we'd better only show the link error once, too.

The good news is once we get this fixed (and bug 300870), well be sitting better than the rest!

So what do you guys think?  Since we can show a full .html page in our help, alert and message, I almost think that we'd be better off trying every time.  Displaying a cached .html page won't help the user much if all the links are broken.  But generating a xforms-link-error every time probably isn't a good move...maybe just when the state changes?  For hints that can't connect, if there is a listener for the error that throws up messages, all of those popups are a killer.

Comment 2

[Allan Beaufour]

I remember discussing this with somebody. I cannot remember who, why, and where... damn.

(In reply to comment #1)
> So what do you guys think?  Since we can show a full .html page in our help,
> alert and message, I almost think that we'd be better off trying every time. 
> Displaying a cached .html page won't help the user much if all the links are
> broken.  But generating a xforms-link-error every time probably isn't a good
> move...maybe just when the state changes?

I think we should try every time, and likewise throw an event every time. The form author might actually react on that, and change the src, or something like that.

> For hints that can't connect, if there is a listener for the error that throws
> up messages, all of those popups are a killer.

That's a bad form then, we cannot guard against that :)

Comment 3

[aaronr]

should probably wait for bug 329106 to be resolved before fixing this bug.  That may change how we test external links.

Comment 4

[David Bolter [:davidb] (NeedInfo me for attention)]

RIP xforms