ASP.NET AJAX Discussion and Suggestions

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

Luis Abreu — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 21:54:55 GMT

hello guys,.

the javascript problem is related with the fact that currently the head section content (ie, everything that's placed inside the <head> element) is packaged on the xml response that is sent from the server during a partial postback (that is, if the head has the runat="server" attribute applied to it). unfortunatelly, this content isn't escaped by using a cdata section. so what happens is that wehn you put invalid xml, the xml error will be silently handled by the client side and you won't get any update (though i think that now you 'll get an error message that says unknown error).

if you look at your script block, you'll see a for cicle where you're using a < operator. this is a forbidden xml char and you must escape it so that you don't get an error. another option is removing the script from the head element or putting it in an external file.

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

yendi — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 04:16:50 GMT

Yes, I'm having the same problem. I'm trying to use this js: http://www.huddletogether.com/projects/lightbox2/
without ANY luck.

Is there any way to accomplish running a javascript script inside an Update Panel?

Help is really appreciated. I really need this to work!

THANKS!

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

singcall — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 03:56:47 GMT

I also have similar problems. I have javascripts inside the master page and obviously it conflicts with Atlas.

But as Atlas is too powerful I have finally test every pieces of javascripts and throw away those that have conflicts!

For example, I need to throw away the following code which is used to check/uncheck all checkboxes in the Gridview. My opinion is that there are often conflicts for new techs and I am already very satisfied with what I can get for now as lots of people are already putting efforts for this and it's totally free.

//SelectAllCheckboxes: function to select all the checkboxes in the GridView

function SelectAllCheckboxes(spanChk){

// Added as ASPX uses SPAN for checkbox

var oItem = spanChk.children;

var theBox= (spanChk.type=="checkbox") ? 

spanChk : spanChk.children.item[0];

xState=theBox.checked;

elm=theBox.form.elements;

for(i=0;iif(elm[i].type=="checkbox" && 

elm[i].id!=theBox.id)

{ 

if(elm[i].checked!=xState)

elm[i].click();


}

}

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

vivus — Fri, 12 May 2006 15:34:38 GMT

<script type="text/javascript">
  /* <!CDATA[[ */
function sayHello() {
  for(var i=0; i < 5; i++) {
      alert("heya i should have used the firefox javascript console =)");
  }
}
/* ]]> */
</script>

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

JohnRock — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 11:57:19 GMT

Still, Atlas and javascript problems... here's how to recreate. As you can see, I added a simple javascript function that is not being called from anywhere on my page. When I comment out the javascript function, the code mysteriously works. What gives? Any suggestions?

VS 2005 version 8.0.50727.42
.NET Framework version 2.0.50727
Atlas

A simple javascript function in the head of the html document

<script language="javascript">
function sayHelloAlex(){
  for(i = 0; i < 5; i++){
    alert('Hello Alex');
  } 
}
</script>

--------------------------------------------

<atlas:ScriptManager ID="ScriptManager1" runat="server" EnablePartialRendering="True"></atlas:ScriptManager>

<atlas:UpdatePanel ID="upComments" runat="server">
<ContentTemplate>
<div>
<asp:Button ID="btnAddComment" runat="server" Text="Click Me!" OnClick="btnAddComment_Click" /> 

<asp:Label ID="Label1" runat="server" Text="Label"></asp:Label>
</div>
</ContentTemplate> 
</atlas:UpdatePanel>

--------------------------------------------

Code-behind:

Protected Sub btnAddComment_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
    Label1.Text = "You just clicked the button"
End Sub

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

bleroy — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 19:28:27 GMT

Sorry, I can't look at their source code. Maybe you should contact the author of the library. From the documentation, it seems like they're doing a lot at load time, and when we update the page, this script does not re-run. So the updated grid did not get the initialization phase that happened on the first request. So maybe all you need to do is re-trigger that initialization phase somehow.

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

EricAppel — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 05:05:29 GMT

I'm still having issues with my orginal situation. The javascript file that I'm trying to use can be found at http://ericappel.net/Groupr/scripts/wz_tooltip.js It does not make use of the prototype library or anything else that would cause a conflict as far as I can tell. Would you be able to look at it and see if anything in it would conflict with Atlas? Again, they co-exist fine until Atlas updates the GridView, however, after the GridView is updated the tooltips stop working. The page source is identical before and after the update happens (According to firefox anyways).

Thanks,
Eric

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

bleroy — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 00:20:37 GMT

There sure is a lot of duplication of effort here but you should also know that the design decisions we have to put into Atlas are often far-reaching as there are many constraints that may not be initially visible and that may not exist for other frameworks (like consistency with the .NET framework wherever possible, MSN using our stuff, etc.). So even if it was possible for us to stand on top of things like Prototype, it would probably not fit our needs.

While it may seem a little silly to say that we can't look at the source code whereas it's plain text that's downloaded by the browser, it doesn't matter from a legal standpoint. We just can't look at it, let alone use it. No more than we can use Reflector on third party .NET libraries to look at their source code. The technical aspect of it does not matter.

I hope this clarifies.

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

portman — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 00:02:48 GMT

"and we just can't look at the source code for obvious legal reasons"

I agree that there is no way to maintain compatibility between two JavaScript libraries if you can't look at the source code for one of them, particularly if they both have the same intent (bringing OOP principles to JavaScript 1.5). I withdrawal my request for Atlas-Prototype compatibility.

However, if it somday becomes legally permissible look through the source (http://dev.rubyonrails.org/browser/spinoffs/prototype/), then I think you'll find it possible -- maybe not a piece of cake but definitely possible -- to avoid incompatibilities.

Also, I feel sorry for you gusy! I've been looking at Atlas.js and AtlasRuntime.js and all the while I thought you were modeling Prototype or Rico or X or one of those frameworks. It's a shame that there has had to be so much "recreating of the wheel".

There's a compelling business case to recreate the wheel when you're dealing with licensed, compiled code. But with a JavaScript framework, your entire source is exposed. Just seems like the perfect opportunity to "stand on the shoulders of giants" instead of writing a bunch of plumbing for extending Object and Array.

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

bleroy — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 23:35:08 GMT

How do you maintain compatibility between two libraries that essentially extend the *same* objects? Prototype is not a browser, and it's not a standard either. There is no official documentation that I could find, and we just can't look at the source code for obvious legal reasons. From some of the unofficial documentation that's floating around on the web, I can confirm that it extends the same objects that Atlas is extending, like for example Array.

Asking for compatibility between Atlas and Prototype is like asking for compatibility between ASP and PHP. I don't see that happening. Sorry.

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

portman — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 23:13:03 GMT

"I don't think there's a way we can ensure the compatibility with every other library out there."

That's an extremely unfair statement in response to the original question. Prototype is not just "some library", it's a very popular, well-tested, and well respected library that is the underpinning of virtually all of today's Ajax-like web sites.

It a website doesn't render correctly on IE6, you can't say "Oh there is no way for me to ensure the compatibility with every single browser out there". Sure you can... you test with IE6 because it is the market leader. Prototype is the same way.

I found this thread because I am researching an incompatibility between Prototype (which I use for pretty little animation effects) and ATLAS (which I use for core updatepanel kind of stuff). I think the ASP.NET and Atlas teams really need to take into account Prototype compatibility.

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

bleroy — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 20:26:32 GMT

Well, you could also say that script.aculo.us is causing conflicts ;). We really can't ensure compatibility with other libraries that act on a very fundamental level (like extending Object and Function). We use namespaces to avoid the risk of collision, but there's really no way around the fundamental OOP stuff that we do. I think script.aculo.us relies on the prototype library that's similar to our atlasruntime.js and that's probably where the incompatibility really is.

I can see what scenarios would need such compatibility: using ASP.NET with UpdatePanel on the server and a third party library on the client, but I don't think there's a way we can ensure the compatibility with every other library out there.

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

sarpmg — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:45:51 GMT

Hi,

The new Atlas javscript definetly causing conflicts
I tried using script.aculo.us (http://script.aculo.us) with atlas, and i'm getting javscript errors too...

When i remove the atlas script manager javascript tag:
<script src="ScriptLibrary/Atlas/Debug/Atlas.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

The script.aculo.us scripts just works fine

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

EricAppel — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 05:09:42 GMT

Thanks for the response. I'm somewhat of a newbie to javascript so I'm not sure how to reinitialize the javascript after the UpdatePanel has been refreshed? What you are saying makes sense though, as the library requires that you put the link to the script at the bottom of the document. I tried moving the reference to the tooltip script into the ContentTemplate of the UpdatePanel and this resulted in Atlas working correctly at first but then the page goes completely blank and seems to hang. I also diffed the page source before and after I clicked the LinkButton in the UpdatePanel and the source was identical. Nothing changes between the pages except for checkbox selection. What part of my source would be useful for you to see? It's really just a pretty standard Gridview inside of an UpdatePanel. The javascript tooltip library that I am using can be found here http://www.walterzorn.com/tooltip/tooltip_e.htm

Thanks,
Eric

Re: Atlas causing javascript conflicts?

bleroy — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 03:43:49 GMT

It's really hard to say without seeing your code. It kind of looks like your tooltips library is initializing at some point using the ids on the page, but it's not expecting the page to change in a major way after it's initialized. Maybe this tooltip library needs to be reinitialized after an Atlas update panel has been refreshed?

So I don't think it's a conflict as much as this other library not expecting the kind of stuff Atlas does (Atlas uses namespaces to minimize the chances of conflict). For tooltip, did you look at the popup behavior?