Implications of IE9 on TNG

The following information was provided by Alan Craxford

After several months of waiting and several beta releases, Microsoft finally launched their latest Internet Explorer, version 9 to the waiting world on March 13th 2011. Slated to be radically different to previous versions, should you, the average TNG author, have any anxieties or concerns about this "new browser" on the block? Well, if published data is to be believed, this new browser was downloaded 2.35 million times on the day of its launch.

Amongst the features promised in this new release are:

• a new font engine (slated ultimately to become the standard across all browsers),
• a new javascript engine,
• compatibility with xhtml5 and css2.21

There is also a much more prominent "compatibility" mode which promises better display of sites "written for older browsers".

This page will document problems and quirks noticed by users and solutions where available.

New javascript files are required to resolve several issues in TNG and will be in the TNG V8.1.2 release. In the meantime, resolution can be obtained by downloading the latest versions of the Prototype & Scriptaculous libraries.

If you do this, you are advised to edit the scriptaculous.js file to change line 62 from

      (includes ? includes[1] : 'builder,effects,dragdrop,controls,slider,sound').split(',').each(

to

      (includes ? includes[1] : 'effects,dragdrop').split(',').each(

(remove the items builder,...controls,slider,sound )

Changed font appearence

There is a subtle difference in the rendering of the default Arial font (compared with the other browsers including IE8). The letters appear slightly narrower and closer together - so some lines may contain more words than expected.

No solution. Relates to the feature list above.

Modal Dialogs

The Login screen and photo pop ups don't work

LOGIN from the icon on the coremenu fails. A black screen is presented. The login screen is reinstated if compatibility mode is entered. (Note: LOGIN does work if invoked by the "old fashioned" method from the left hand navigation bar (template4 at least) which calls login.php)

Thumbnail popups don't work (from pages such was What's New, Showmedia, Getperson)

Solution: These are related to the new javascript engine and will be resolved with the release of TNG8.1.2 In the meantime, resolution can be obtained by downloading the latest versions of the Prototype and Scriptaculous javascript libraries. These can be obtained from

Prototype & Scriptaculous libraries - it's about the user interface, baby!

Background display

The background display (back.gif - of template4 at least) appears to show horizontal banding which varies on vertical scrolling of the page. The contents of the main page block are not affected.

No solution - presumably an IE9 css anomaly

In compatibility mode

One user has noticed that, while the horizontal distribution bars of surnames and places display correctly left aligned when viewed in IE9 true mode, the same bars display aligned centrally in their column in compatibility mode. All other browsers, including IE8, display correctly left aligned.

No solution - presumably a css interpretation anomaly in compatibility mode.