ico files not appearing on web pages

D

Don Wiss

I have started to implement favicons on my various pages. So I have created
many 16x16 ico files. Then I figured I'd use them on my home page in front
of the links. So I call them the same as other image files. An example:
<img src="nowheat.ico">. On my home PC they have always appeared. But then
today I went to work. We tried on three PCs. On all what was displayed were
the image not found error boxes. Then I tried displaying one icon directly
by putting in the Address Bar: donwiss.com/nowheat.ico. It displayed. And
then when I went back to my page that one icon appeared (it now being in
the cache). Is there something different with ico files versus regular jpgs
and gifs? I suppose I could find a way to convert them all to jpgs and
gifs, but I'd still need the ico versions for the favicons, and after
updating I don't want to have to maintain two versions.

I'm IE 6.0.2900. Work is 6.0.2800. Do other people see the icons on my home
page? What browser?

Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).
 
O

Oli Filth

Don said:
I have started to implement favicons on my various pages. So I have created
many 16x16 ico files. Then I figured I'd use them on my home page in front
of the links. So I call them the same as other image files. An example:
<img src="nowheat.ico">. On my home PC they have always appeared. But then
today I went to work. We tried on three PCs. On all what was displayed were
the image not found error boxes. Then I tried displaying one icon directly
by putting in the Address Bar: donwiss.com/nowheat.ico. It displayed. And
then when I went back to my page that one icon appeared (it now being in
the cache). Is there something different with ico files versus regular jpgs
and gifs? I suppose I could find a way to convert them all to jpgs and
gifs, but I'd still need the ico versions for the favicons, and after
updating I don't want to have to maintain two versions.

IE doesn't display favicons unless you bookmark the page.

BTW, it's <LINK rel="SHORTCUT ICON" href="icon.ico">, not an <IMG>.
 
D

Don Wiss

IE doesn't display favicons unless you bookmark the page.

BTW, it's <LINK rel="SHORTCUT ICON" href="icon.ico">, not an <IMG>.

Uh, my question had nothing to do with implementing favicons. I just
mentioned that as to why I had all these icons available that I wanted to
stick on my home page.

Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).
 
B

Beauregard T. Shagnasty

Don said:
I'm IE 6.0.2900. Work is 6.0.2800. Do other people see the icons on
my home page? What browser?

I see all your little icons, using Win2K, Firefox 1..0.2, IE 6.0.2800,
and Netscape 7.1. I do not see the icons in Opera 7.54, or OffByOne.

Why not convert them to .gif, which will work for certain in any browser?
 
A

Arne

Once said:
I see all your little icons, using Win2K, Firefox 1..0.2, IE 6.0.2800,
and Netscape 7.1. I do not see the icons in Opera 7.54, or OffByOne.

Strange, I can see only the red "X" in IE 6.0.2800 but they show up in
Mozilla Suite?
Why not convert them to .gif, which will work for certain in any browser?

Quite right. As it seams, IE is buggy with showing up non standard
files on websites.
 
T

Toby Inkster

Don said:
An example: <img src="nowheat.ico">. On my home PC they have always
appeared. But then today I went to work. We tried on three PCs. On all
what was displayed were the image not found error boxes.

You are sending them with the wrong Content-Type.
 
T

Toby Inkster

Arne said:
Quite right. As it seams, IE is buggy with showing up non standard
files on websites.

IE's behaviour is correct (in this case). Mozilla is buggy. The files are
served with Content-Type:text/plain so ought to be displayed as text, not
rendered as images.
 
A

Arne

Once said:
IE's behaviour is correct (in this case). Mozilla is buggy. The files are
served with Content-Type:text/plain so ought to be displayed as text, not
rendered as images.

Yes, not even Mozilla is perfect :)
Wondered why it serves some files as text/plain even if the extension
is someting else, but not doing the same with others. I often get the
"message" in the Javascript console, that Mozilla have served CSS
files as CSS even if the Content-Type is text/plain. Buggy in the same
way as IE in that case :)
 
B

Blinky the Shark

Strange, I can see only the red "X" in IE 6.0.2800 but they show up in
Mozilla Suite?
Quite right. As it seams, IE is buggy with showing up non standard
files on websites.

Even standard files: png with alpha transparency.
 
S

Steve Pugh

Don Wiss said:
I have started to implement favicons on my various pages. So I have created
many 16x16 ico files. Then I figured I'd use them on my home page in front
of the links. So I call them the same as other image files. An example:
<img src="nowheat.ico">. On my home PC they have always appeared. But then
today I went to work. We tried on three PCs. On all what was displayed were
the image not found error boxes. Then I tried displaying one icon directly
by putting in the Address Bar: donwiss.com/nowheat.ico. It displayed. And
then when I went back to my page that one icon appeared (it now being in
the cache). Is there something different with ico files versus regular jpgs
and gifs? I suppose I could find a way to convert them all to jpgs and
gifs, but I'd still need the ico versions for the favicons, and after
updating I don't want to have to maintain two versions.

I'm IE 6.0.2900. Work is 6.0.2800. Do other people see the icons on my home
page? What browser?

Your icons are being served with content-type of text/plain change
that to image/x-icon and more browsers will show them inline. Note
that IE is funny and will show some .ico files inline but not others.
I havern't investigated to find what options (multiple sizez, etc.)
cause IE to not display them.

Steve
 
D

Don Wiss

Your icons are being served with content-type of text/plain change
that to image/x-icon and more browsers will show them inline. Note
that IE is funny and will show some .ico files inline but not others.
I havern't investigated to find what options (multiple sizez, etc.)
cause IE to not display them.

I don't know anything about content type. But I was thinking about my
problem overnight. One thing that puzzled me is it not working at work on
IE 6.0.2800, and working at home and on Beauregard's 6.0.2800. I think I
figured out the problem. My IE is set to not reduce images to fit page
size. At work it does reduce, and you can't change it. Then, as you know,
ico files can have multiple sizes. None of mine have multiple sizes, but my
not specifying the width and height may be confusing some browsers. So I
just specified width and heigth on them. And border for good measure. I
plan to check them when I get to work.

Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).
 
A

Arne

Once said:
I don't know anything about content type. But I was thinking about my
problem overnight. One thing that puzzled me is it not working at work on
IE 6.0.2800, and working at home and on Beauregard's 6.0.2800. I think I
figured out the problem. My IE is set to not reduce images to fit page
size. At work it does reduce, and you can't change it. Then, as you know,
ico files can have multiple sizes. None of mine have multiple sizes, but my
not specifying the width and height may be confusing some browsers. So I
just specified width and heigth on them. And border for good measure. I
plan to check them when I get to work.

I still don't see the icons on IE (6.0.2800.1106). Now I don't see the
"big" X boxes, just small error boxes (16x16px I guess) since you set
the width and height to that.
 
A

Andy Dingley

I don't know anything about content type. But I was thinking about my
problem overnight.

No, you weren't thinking - You were guessing. You can't even begin to
think about this problem until you consider content type.
 
O

Oli Filth

Don said:
Uh, my question had nothing to do with implementing favicons. I just
mentioned that as to why I had all these icons available that I wanted to
stick on my home page.

Apologies. I didn't read your question properly at all!
 
D

Don Wiss

I still don't see the icons on IE (6.0.2800.1106). Now I don't see the
"big" X boxes, just small error boxes (16x16px I guess) since you set
the width and height to that.

Yes. That is what I found when I got to work.

Just to confirm one thing, could you please go to IE, then to Options ->
Internet Options -> Advanced -> Multimedia Section -> then uncheck Enable
Automatic Image Resizing. Then go to my page. They now appear, right?

Thanks, Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).
 
D

Don Wiss

Your icons are being served with content-type of text/plain change
that to image/x-icon and more browsers will show them inline.

Hi Steve,

I gather you mean add this line:
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="image/x-icon">
I have no content type setting now.

I'll do it right after I see Arne's response to the effects of changing the
Enable Automatic Image Resizing.

Thanks, Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).
 
O

Oli Filth

Don said:
Hi Steve,

I gather you mean add this line:
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="image/x-icon">
I have no content type setting now.

No, you have to configure your server to output a Content-Type HTTP
header whenever it serves a .ico file. e.g. with an Apache server, you'd
add:

AddType image/x-icon .ico

to your .htaccess file (or the httpd.conf file if you have access to it).
 
A

Arne

Once said:
Yes. That is what I found when I got to work.

Just to confirm one thing, could you please go to IE, then to Options ->
Internet Options -> Advanced -> Multimedia Section -> then uncheck Enable
Automatic Image Resizing. Then go to my page. They now appear, right?

I did it, but I can't see any difference. Just the small 16x16px error
boxes as placeholders for the images I can't see.

The only way to see the icons on my IE is when I downloaded the page
and images to my desktop. Then they appeared. And of cause when I did
as you, first displaying them from the address bar and then went back
to the page. But that's it.
 
S

Steve Pugh

Don Wiss said:
I gather you mean add this line:
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="image/x-icon">

No I do not. How would you add such a line to a graphics file anyway?
I have no content type setting now.

Yes you do. The .ico file sent out from your server has a
content-type: text/plain HTTP header.
I'll do it right after I see Arne's response to the effects of changing the
Enable Automatic Image Resizing.

I don't think changing a setting in IE will help the icons to show up
in Opera. But configuring your server to tell the browsers that they
are in fact image files and not text documents probably will.

Steve
 
D

Don Wiss

No, you have to configure your server to output a Content-Type HTTP
header whenever it serves a .ico file. e.g. with an Apache server, you'd
add:

AddType image/x-icon .ico

to your .htaccess file (or the httpd.conf file if you have access to it).

Okay. I have created an .htaccess file with that line in it and put it in
my home directory. Since the icons have always displayed at home I'm
dependant on you guys telling me it has made a difference.

Thanks, Don <www.donwiss.com> (e-mail link at home page bottom).
 

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