In IE, forcing focus on window makes dropdown selects inoperable

[Dave]

We are developing a web page that shows large graphics. To provide
more screen space for the graphics, we allow the user to popup a
window that places itself over the top part of the browser. This popup
contains a control panel that tells the main window what to display.

Because we don't want to require that the user continually ALT-TAB to
go between the main window and the popup (all user controls are on the
popup) in the control panel popup, we have the following:

in the function called by onLoad in the popup, the following line is
executed:

window.onblur= keepFocus;

later in the .js file we have:

function keepFocus() {
self.focus();
}

The problem is that when the user tries to use a dropdown select
control the list drops down and immediately rolls back up, making it
inoperable.

This doesn't happen in the Netscape/Mozilla family or browsers. Nor
does IE report an error.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Dave

 

[George Hester]

We are developing a web page that shows large graphics. To provide
more screen space for the graphics, we allow the user to popup a
window that places itself over the top part of the browser. This popup
contains a control panel that tells the main window what to display.

Because we don't want to require that the user continually ALT-TAB to
go between the main window and the popup (all user controls are on the
popup) in the control panel popup, we have the following:

in the function called by onLoad in the popup, the following line is
executed:

window.onblur= keepFocus;

later in the .js file we have:

function keepFocus() {
self.focus();
}

The problem is that when the user tries to use a dropdown select
control the list drops down and immediately rolls back up, making it
inoperable.

This doesn't happen in the Netscape/Mozilla family or browsers. Nor
does IE report an error.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Dave

Hi Dave. I ran into just this very issue before. It looks as though the background of a select box is in fact another html page. You have no control over that like for example make the background a different color than white. So if you lose focus to the document containing the control then the Select control loses focus and when the document regains focus the Select box goes back to its starting element. The use of the select control changes focus of the page. It is actually onpropertychange which gets fired. The following article may be helpful:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314279

 

[rf]

looks as though the background of a select box is in fact another html

page.

A select box is not another HTML page, it is a windows common control,
namely a combo box.

 

[George Hester]

page.

A select box is not another HTML page, it is a windows common control,
namely a combo box.

Richard did I say it was an html page? Did I say that? Well lets look this is what I said, "It looks as though the background of a select box is in fact another html page." I did not say it WAS an html page. I said it "looks as though." I know it is not another HTML page. Many people have asked how to change the background of a <SELECT because it "looks like one" and looks as though we should be able to do it. But we cannot. For the very reason you stated.

cheers

George Hester
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