Jump to URL/file new window opens behind in IE

Hey Dave -

Which version of IE are you seeing this in? Also, what method are you using to open new windows?

The Javascript method window.focus() might do the trick. I'm surprised that a new window is losing focus. Might the window have been open before the course popped up the certificate?

Hi Steve - It's IE8 over a network on a windows machine (no internet connection). The window being already open is a possible scenario, but it's impossible for me to tell. I tried window.open with the pdf url and it works great in testing on my browser, but when they tested it in the store none of the buttons worked at all. Which makes me wonder if javascript will work for them over a network setting.

Hey Dave, 

Javascript will work but there's a problem with the Flash player, unfortunately. By default, the Flash player blocks communication between javascript and the player when running locally. It's a security feature. 

There are a few ways to work around this:

• Run it from some kind of a web server. These can be run on local networks. An IIS or 'nix based host is pretty easy to setup. Not always possible but it will work.
• Add the publish folder (or any parent)  to the Flash player security settings manager (Search the web for the Flash security settings manager.) This can get dicey if you're using Chrome since it uses a different player. 
• Publish to CD and run from the EXE wrapper.

For the window focus issue, you could try over-riding the built-in popup function. By adding this to a Javascript trigger on the slide (or on the master slide), you'll be able to add stuff to it. I added a window focus call to this one:

OpenUrl=function(strUrl, strWindow, strWindowSize, strWidth, strHeight, strUseDefaultControls, strStatus, strToolbar, strLocation, strMenubar, strScrollbars, strResizable)
{
 var bChrome = (navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().indexOf("chrome") >= 0);
 var nWndWidth = parseInt(strWidth);
 var nWndHeight = parseInt(strHeight);
 var bUseDefaultSize = (strWindowSize.toLowerCase() == "default");
 var bUseDefaultControls = (strUseDefaultControls.toLowerCase() == "true");
 var bFullScreen = (strWindowSize.toLowerCase() == "fullscreen");

 strUrl = ReplaceAll(strUrl, "%25", "?");
 
 var strOptions = "";
 
 if (!bUseDefaultControls && !bUseDefaultSize)
 { 
 if (bFullScreen)
 {
 nWndWidth = screen.availWidth;
 nWndHeight = screen.availHeight;
 
 strOptions="left=0, top=0,";
 }
 else
 {
 if (nWndWidth > screen.availWidth)
 {
 nWndWidth = screen.availWidth;
 }

 if (nWndHeight > screen.availHeight)
 {
 nWndHeight = screen.availHeight;
 }
 }
 
 if (!bUseDefaultSize)
 {
 strOptions += "width=" + nWndWidth + ", ";
 strOptions += "height=" + nWndHeight + ", ";
 }
 
 if (bUseDefaultControls)
 {
 strToolbar = "true";
 strScrollbars = "true";
 strResizable = "true";
 strMenubar = "true";
 }
 
 if (bChrome)
 { 
 if (bFullScreen || !bUseDefaultSize)
 {
 strMenubar = "false";
 }
 else
 {
 strOptions += "status=1, ";
 }
 }
 
 strOptions += "toolbar=" + ((strToolbar.toLowerCase() == "true") ? 1 : 0);
 strOptions += ", scrollbars=" + ((strScrollbars.toLowerCase() == "true") ? 1 : 0);
 strOptions += ", resizable=" + ((strResizable.toLowerCase() == "true") ? 1 : 0);
 strOptions += ", menubar=" + ((strMenubar.toLowerCase() == "true") ? 1 : 0);
 strOptions += ", location=" + ((strLocation.toLowerCase() == "true") ? 1 : 0);
 }
 
 g_wndLast = window.open(strUrl, strWindow, strOptions);
 g_wndLast.focus();
 
}

Another note after comparing SL1 and SL2 publish. SL1's window open function included a parameter "alwaysRaised=true" if run in IE. This is supposed to make the window stick on top of the stack. Using the method above, you could custom write something like that into the window open function.

I had a hunch the change to sl2 was the difference. Thank you for figuring that out. The problem is The buttons with JavaScript aren't functioning at all. You think that's a local network security issue?

Is there any way to add that parameter back in to sl2's open window trigger?

Another idea is to specify a window size - that might force IE into opening a new window on top.

Sent from my iPhone

It's most definitely a Flash security issue. Running locally, the player will not communicate with the browser. No JS trigger execution. Publish as CD and run the exe, run from a web server, or whitelist the publish location through the Flash Security settings manager to fix that.

The client’s IT guy doesn’t have access to the Security settings and the PC doesn’t have a true desktop so an EXE version won’t work either.

I decided to go low-tech, display certificates as images on slides and have the user control-P or file/print from their browser. It’s not as pretty as printing the pdfs, but it works.

It's accessed via the web:

http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager04.html

There is a way to attach the whitelist to a profile with a text file but it really depends on the configuration. 

Steve - can I just add the "alwaysRaised=true" parameter to the HTML of the Open URL/File trigger to get the window to open infront?