Weird reaction using IFRAME

[Bob K.]

I've developed a webpage for my aquarium club using
CSS and DIV's (no Tables). For our admin guy to
safely update the "current" information monthly, I
used an IFRAME that includes his simple page.

I had several problems, one was solved by closing
paragraphs! I didn't realize it is now mandatory!!

Biggest remaining problem: I have some mouseover 'popups'
that should appear to the right of a link, but the included
IFRAME page obscures that portion! Also, the IFRAME
border is lost on the right and on the bottom.

I'm using a nodisplay SPAN section that displays
on mouseover. Is there a major incompatibility
of IFRAME and that? This all worked when I
developed it under IE5.5, & shows up in IE6 and
OPERA 7.11..

If you need to see the page, it's at
http://gpas.org/testindex.htm

All CSS is contained. Only the included htm
file is separate.

If I can't use IFRAME, what can I use to include
another htm.

Thanks much,
Bob

 

[brucie]

If I can't use IFRAME,

iframes have the same problems as frames. don't use them.

http://html-faq.com/htmlframes/?framesareevil
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/l_vajzovic/tom/web/frames.html
http://www.karlcore.com/articles/article.php?id=2
http://david.us-lot.org/www/frames/

what can I use to include another htm.

How do I include one file in another?
http://allmyfaqs.com/faq.pl?Include_one_file_in_another

 

[brucie]

I'm aware of all the dislike of frames.
Even though FRAMEs & IFRAMEs are hated, it seemed
that my use would work.

frames are disliked because they cause so many problems, it simply not
worth the effort to use them.

All those describe files - non-html data - includes.
I need an HTML file (output of a 'page maker' program)
to be used. There's no way I can get people trained
to code HTML with an editor.

just get them to write plain text. use a script to add the markup or
setup a form they can fill in and use the stuff entered in that. its
simple.

 

[m]

Bob K. wrote:

All those describe files - non-html data - includes.
I need an HTML file (output of a 'page maker' program)
to be used. There's no way I can get people trained
to code HTML with an editor.

Even if you keep the iframe you would
have to manipulate z-indexes in CSS to
make the popups show , which also
requires knowledge of (X)HTML. If it's
only a couple of pages, code it
yourself. (They work fine in Mozilla,
by the way.)

Another solution is to forget trying to
make the things show over the content --
put them below the menu in the space
that's not used.

 

[Bob K.]

Even if you keep the iframe you would

have to manipulate z-indexes in CSS to
make the popups show , which also
requires knowledge of (X)HTML. If it's

Well, it ain't the z-indexes. I set the popup to 100
and the IFRAME still overlays them.

(X)HTML ?? do you mean HTML & CSS2? or
XML?

Bob K.
P.S. Same IFRAME problem using OBJECT,
so I still suspect it's something I'm doing.

http://gpas.org/testindex.htm

 

[rf]

Well, it ain't the z-indexes. I set the popup to 100
and the IFRAME still overlays them.

The browser is quite at liberty to use a standard Windows window to display
that iframe. If this is the case then that window is a child window of the
browsers canvas. By the very nature of how Windows works, that child window
is always in front of its parent, the browser canvas, so nothing that is
drawn on the browser canvas (your popups) can be in front of the iframe.

Another manifestation of this is when javascript dropdown menus (basically a
hidden and then made visible div) appear to be behind certain form elements.
Same deal. The form element is a seperate Windows window, a child of the
browsers canvas.

Zindex (the browsers that is) will have no effect as this only affects
positioning within the browsers canvas. There is a corresponging Windows
concept, zorder, but this operates on the entire window. However, even if
you had access to this it would not help. Child windows *are* in front of
their parents.

This is just the way Windows works. There is no way around this except to
ensure these popups are spacially seperated from the offending element.

Cheers
Richard.

 

[Bob K.]

Child windows *are* in front of

their parents.

This is just the way Windows works. There is no way around this

Thanks much Richard. And others.

As usual, problems lead to digging buried information,
and "playing" with ideas - which had me learning and
understanding more than if it all worked well.

From my experience then, IE5 didn't respect the 'rules' .
(a Mac user with IE5.0 is also complaining about misnumbered
ordered lists within ordered lists that get restarted numbering!)

There must be lots of 'gotchas' waiting for us web page
amateurs.

Bob K.

 

[Jukka K. Korpela]

All those describe files - non-html data - includes.

No, they mostly describe how to include an HTML file in another.

But a single <iframe> isn't _that_ bad, when used properly. Proper use
includes the principle that you provide a fallback for browsers that do
not implement iframe or have been configured not to show inline frames.
In this case, you could just put a link to the file into the <iframe>
element content. More info:
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/html/iframe.html#content