Need to find way around "resizable=no" like IE 5.01 used to do

P

Peabody

Let me confess up front that I am not an html author, but only a
lowly surfer dude. But I thought someone here might have an answer
for me.

Last week I was running IE 5.01 SP2. I have since "upgraded" to IE
5.5 SP2. In the process I have lost the ability to Maximize certain
browser windows. So, a window comes up that's fixed in pixel size,
and at 800x600 it's too big so you can't see the whole window, but
at 1024x768 it's a good bit smaller than the screen, and therefore
more difficult to see the fine print. All attempts to fit it to the
screen are fruitless because Maximize is greyed out.

A good example is at:

http://www.chatpal.com

Go there, pull down the "Flash Chat" menu, and select a room. A new
window will come up with an error message about having to register,
but the point is that that window can't be maximized in IE 5.5 or
6.0, but I could do that in 5.01.

After much searching I've found out why:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;211068

Basically, IE 5.01 was defective - it ignored "resizable=no". Now,
Bill has "fixed" it. I just hate it when that happens.

In another thread here with the subject "display maximized" a number
of posters asserted that authors should not be trying to force
viewers to a certain window size, or take choices away from them. I
agree with that, so I thought I would try to find a way to restore
the 5.01 Maximize functionality and defeat the unjustified attempts
of certain authors to tell me wtf to do with my window size.

So I'm hoping someone here will have some ideas about how to do
this. My wayback machine is broken, so I can't go back to 5.01, but
I am very handy with registry entries (98SE) and know how to use a
hex editor.

Another possibility is that F11 did seem to work, sorta, but the top
of the previous window overlay the new window, and that's no good.

And, yes, I have sent email to the site in question, but have
received no response. But beyond that, I need a general fix for
this. All mankind needs a general fix for this. I just don't want
you guys disabling my Maximize button.

Hoping someone here will have a fix, but thanks for reading this far
anyway.

Peabody
 
T

Toby A Inkster

Peabody said:
And, yes, I have sent email to the site in question, but have
received no response. But beyond that, I need a general fix for
this. All mankind needs a general fix for this. I just don't want
you guys disabling my Maximize button.

There are a few a couple of options at your disposal:

1. Download, install and configure a web proxy that can filter out such
annoyances for you. Proximitron is good for this sort of thing, I hear,
although I've not tried it myself.

2. Download and install Opera 7.21 from http://www.opera.com/. Opera is a
thoroughly better browser than Internet Explorer and allows you to resize
any window (although in preferences you can tell it to allow
"resizable=no" to take effect -- I can't imagine why anyone would want
to!) as well as plenty of other fun and useful things. It is also
noticeably faster than most other browsers, Internet Explorer included.
 
D

DU

Peabody said:
Let me confess up front that I am not an html author, but only a
lowly surfer dude. But I thought someone here might have an answer
for me.

Last week I was running IE 5.01 SP2. I have since "upgraded" to IE
5.5 SP2. In the process I have lost the ability to Maximize certain
browser windows. So, a window comes up that's fixed in pixel size,
and at 800x600 it's too big so you can't see the whole window, but
at 1024x768 it's a good bit smaller than the screen, and therefore
more difficult to see the fine print. All attempts to fit it to the
screen are fruitless because Maximize is greyed out.

A good example is at:

http://www.chatpal.com

Go there, pull down the "Flash Chat" menu, and select a room. A new
window will come up with an error message about having to register,
but the point is that that window can't be maximized in IE 5.5 or
6.0, but I could do that in 5.01.

After much searching I've found out why:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;211068

Basically, IE 5.01 was defective - it ignored "resizable=no". Now,
Bill has "fixed" it. I just hate it when that happens.

Very interesting. At one point, Mozilla had the same issue:
Bug 87972: window.open() with 'resizable=no' is still resizable
http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=87972
In another thread here with the subject "display maximized" a number
of posters asserted that authors should not be trying to force
viewers to a certain window size, or take choices away from them. I
agree with that, so I thought I would try to find a way to restore
the 5.01 Maximize functionality

It's not so much the maximize functionality as the resizability of a window.

and defeat the unjustified attempts
of certain authors to tell me wtf to do with my window size.

Most of the time, web designers are not aware of doing so or they don't
deliberately try to annoy users by preventing the resizing of the
window. Some just set width and height of the new window, try it and
feel it's the correct size **on their machine** and assume everything is
perfect. What they ignore is that users have different screen
resolution, also different default font-sizes and also that once a
single windowFeature is declared in the window.open call, all other
windowFeatures are turn off.
"When the sFeatures parameter is specified, the features that are not
defined in the parameter are disabled. Therefore, when using the
sFeatures parameter, it is necessary to enable all the features that
are to be included in the new window."
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/author/dhtml/reference/methods/open_0.asp
So I'm hoping someone here will have some ideas about how to do
this. My wayback machine is broken, so I can't go back to 5.01, but
I am very handy with registry entries (98SE) and know how to use a
hex editor.

Another possibility is that F11 did seem to work, sorta, but the top
of the previous window overlay the new window, and that's no good.

And, yes, I have sent email to the site in question, but have
received no response. But beyond that, I need a general fix for
this. All mankind needs a general fix for this. I just don't want
you guys disabling my Maximize button.

Hoping someone here will have a fix, but thanks for reading this far
anyway.

Peabody

Here's my recommendation. Just like Toby answered you, use an
alternative browser.
Opera 7.21 ignores "resizable=no" all the time.
K-meleon 0.8 build 834 is even faster than Opera 7.21, is based on
Mozilla 1.5, is highly configurable and has a simple setting forcing all
windows to be resizable all the time.
Mozilla-based browsers have a resizing grippy at the bottom-right corner
of the window, in the status bar; there are still a few issues with that
(what if the statusbar is turned off; if the window is shorter than
134px [or outerHeight < 178px] or narrower than 316px, then that grippy
is not accessible, not reachable).
In the user.js file, you can add this line:
user_pref("dom.disable_window_open_feature.resizable", true);

I filed a bugfile on making all windows resizable all the time, always,
just like Opera 7.x. Make all windows resizable with no resizing grippy,
no proxomitron, no user setting to do, no advanced pref setting to find
and select, no user.js file to edit, no email to send to the webmaster,
no searching and reading to do in knowledgebase site or bugfiles
database, no irritation anymore, no posting in newsgroup to do anymore,
no non-sensical efforts to do to restore normal standard usability of a
webpage.
Create an account
http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/createaccount.cgi
and vote for this:
Bug 177838: Make all popup windows resizable, ignoring resizable=no
http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177838
As Toby said, use proxomitron for MSIE: it will "sterilize" all these
"resizable=no" or windowFeatures string list missing "resizable=yes".

Still need more reading on this?
Bug 27795: Add resizing grippy to bottom-right of Windows windows
http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=27795#c44
Bug 176304: Option to disallow scripts from hiding toolbars
http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=176304#c14 parg. 2

DU
--
Javascript and Browser bugs:
http://www10.brinkster.com/doctorunclear/
- Resources, help and tips for Netscape 7.x users and Composer
- Interactive demos on Popup windows, music (audio/midi) in Netscape 7.x
http://www10.brinkster.com/doctorunclear/Netscape7/Netscape7Section.html
 
D

DU

Toby said:
Peabody wrote:




There are a few a couple of options at your disposal:

1. Download, install and configure a web proxy that can filter out such
annoyances for you. Proximitron is good for this sort of thing, I hear,
although I've not tried it myself.

2. Download and install Opera 7.21 from http://www.opera.com/. Opera is a
thoroughly better browser than Internet Explorer and allows you to resize
any window (although in preferences you can tell it to allow
"resizable=no" to take effect

As far as I know, Opera 7.x always allow a window to be resized. Even an
user can NOT give scripters the power to turn off a window's
resizability. I think you may be mixed up with scrollbars
(View/Scrollbars Ctrl+F7)

DU
--
Javascript and Browser bugs:
http://www10.brinkster.com/doctorunclear/
- Resources, help and tips for Netscape 7.x users and Composer
- Interactive demos on Popup windows, music (audio/midi) in Netscape 7.x
http://www10.brinkster.com/doctorunclear/Netscape7/Netscape7Section.html
 
P

Peabody

DU says...
Most of the time, web designers are not aware of doing
so or they don't deliberately try to annoy users by
preventing the resizing of the window. Some just set
width and height of the new window, try it and feel it's
the correct size **on their machine** and assume
everything is perfect. What they ignore is that users
have different screen resolution, also different default
font-sizes and also that once a single windowFeature is
declared in the window.open call, all other
windowFeatures are turn off.

Yeah, I understand that it basically isn't malicious. I
just want a way around it.
Here's my recommendation. Just like Toby answered you,
use an alternative browser.

I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm just not ready to learn
a new browser just to fix this problem. Hell, I'm still
using WinVn for news.
As Toby said, use proxomitron for MSIE: it will
"sterilize" all these "resizable=no" or windowFeatures
string list missing "resizable=yes".

I'm just back from reading up on this. How did I live so
long without knowing about this. And it doesn't even mess
with the registry. The potential problem, though, is my
Celeron 500. Well, it will be easy enough to try it and see
how much it slows things down.

I appreciate your and Toby's suggestions. I'm a little
disappointed that there isn't an unofficial fix for this in
IE itself, but now at least I do have a way to get around
it, which I didn't have before.

Thanks very much.

Peabody
 
D

DU

Peabody said:
DU says...


Yeah, I understand that it basically isn't malicious. I
just want a way around it.

You can collaborate to have a real fix on a badly conceived window
method and this for everyone...
I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm just not ready to learn
a new browser just to fix this problem.

You only have to click a setting in K-meleon. You have nothing to do in
Opera 7.x. You have to edit the user.js file in any Mozilla-based
browser. You hardly need to learn a whole new browser. Tab browsing and
control of unrequested popups are the most appreciated features of all
these browsers. Also customizable control of cookies, masterpassword,
etc.. are popular.

Hell, I'm still
using WinVn for news.


I'm just back from reading up on this. How did I live so
long without knowing about this. And it doesn't even mess
with the registry. The potential problem, though, is my
Celeron 500. Well, it will be easy enough to try it and see
how much it slows things down.

I appreciate your and Toby's suggestions. I'm a little
disappointed that there isn't an unofficial fix for this in
IE itself,

But from MSIE's perspective, there is no bug: a popup can be made
unresizable. Same thing on Mozilla.

but now at least I do have a way to get around
it, which I didn't have before.

Thanks very much.

Peabody


DU
 
P

Peabody

Bad news. I installed Proxomitron, but was unable to find any
setting that allowed the window to come up at all, and also enabled
the Maximize command.

If anyone wants to take a shot, that URL was

http://www.chatpal.com

It was the Flash Chat tab.
 
B

Blinky the Shark

Peabody said:
Bad news. I installed Proxomitron, but was unable to find any setting
that allowed the window to come up at all, and also enabled the
Maximize command.

You can write your own filters for Proxo, if there isn't one already
supplied to do what you wish. It's extremely versitile.

Probable help here: http://asp.flaaten.dk/proxo/

Besides the forums themselves, you can probably be directed to the
home-brew and author filters archives. Might already be something there
that works, but that doesn't ship with Proxo.
 
T

Toby A Inkster

DU said:
As far as I know, Opera 7.x always allow a window to be resized. Even an
user can NOT give scripters the power to turn off a window's
resizability.

You are right.
I think you may be mixed up with scrollbars (View/Scrollbars Ctrl+F7)

Actually I had it mixed up with the "Allow JavaScript to Resize Windows"
option.
 
P

Peabody

Blinky the Shark says...
You can write your own filters for Proxo, if there isn't
one already supplied to do what you wish. It's
extremely versitile.
Besides the forums themselves, you can probably be
directed to the home-brew and author filters archives.
Might already be something there that works, but that
doesn't ship with Proxo.

Ok, thanks very much, Blinky. Apparently the problem is
that none of the default filters keys on the exact way the
resize function is being turned off - the exact language to
match on, I mean.

Is there a way to see what the source code is for this kind
of Flash window? I can do that on a normal window - select
Source in the View menu. But there's no such option that
I can see in this case. Is there any way to see that code?
If so, I think I could just write my own filter.
 
D

DU

Toby said:
DU wrote:




You are right.




Actually I had it mixed up with the "Allow JavaScript to Resize Windows"
option.

I even wrote in a bugzilla bugfile that Opera 6.x always had its windows
resizable by the user.
You were mixed up and you know well browsers: just imagine avg. users
now... They get really mixed up with settings, user prefs, etc..

DU
 
B

Blinky the Shark

Peabody said:
Blinky the Shark says...
Ok, thanks very much, Blinky. Apparently the problem is
that none of the default filters keys on the exact way the
resize function is being turned off - the exact language to
match on, I mean.

As you say, those are the defaults -- did you explore others,
via those links?
Is there a way to see what the source code is for this kind
of Flash window? I can do that on a normal window - select
Source in the View menu. But there's no such option that
I can see in this case. Is there any way to see that code?
If so, I think I could just write my own filter.

I don't know a darned thing about Flash, Peabody. Sorry about
that. But don't give up on Proxo -- if you *can* figure out what
you need to match, it seemingly can do just about anything.
 
P

Peabody

Blinky the Shark says...
I don't know a darned thing about Flash, Peabody. Sorry
about that. But don't give up on Proxo -- if you *can*
figure out what you need to match, it seemingly can do
just about anything.

Yep. Found a filter this morning at the forum. And it
seems to work.

Thanks very much to you, Toby and DU for the help.
 

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