Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with firefox and ie

Can greasemonkey open a link in a different browser?

Roger Dodger — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:51:32 -0800

Is it possible to use a greasemonkey script in Firefox to open specific links in Internet Explorer? If so, what would it look like? The particular element in the HTML page is an input button which executes some javascript, which opens a different webapp in a new browser window. However, that webapp only works with IE, and I use Firefox. The element looks similar to this:

<input value="New Webapp"  class="btn" name="webapp" onclick="openIntegration('/servlet/servlet.Integration?scontrolCaching=1&lid=00b70000000zL1t&eid=50070000009tNYv&ic=1', 'height=600,location=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=1', 1)" title="New Webapp" type="button" />

The openIntegration function (which sits in a separate .js file) looks like this:

function openIntegration(url, props, positionType) {

    var newWindow = window.open(url, "_blank", props, false);

    if (positionType == 2){

        newWindow.moveTo(0, 0);

    } else if (positionType == 0){

        newWindow.moveTo(0, 0);

        newWindow.resizeTo(self.screen.width, self.screen.height);

    }

}

Can javascript be used to specify a browser other than default? How would I go about doing this?

Alternative Browsers

bluelight — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:59:11 -0800

What superior/alternative web browsers to Firefox do you use? I have been using firefox with NoScript and most cookies disabled. When it gets too annoying to enable scripts and cookies, I switch over to Internet Explorer (non-updated version). I really dislike using IE but lately, Firefox has been crashing a LOT.

I was wondering if you had any good experiences with other web browsers such as Safari, Chrome, etc. I plan on keeping firefox but I'd like to explore other options.

I use a PC running Windows XP.

Thanks!

CSS / Lightbox-esque popup/div width issue.

theRussian — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:43:14 -0800

Scaling down div width to fit around image which has been scaled down via its height element?? Hello!

I have a simple lightbox type popup on my site, with an opaque overlay and a content "whitebox". Upon clicking a thumbnail, the popup/overlay divs are made visible and an img tag is placed into the popup (into a div named popup-img, there's another div which holds the close button in the popup). I have scaled the image height to fit into the popup, which takes up 75% of the screen. So, recap: popup height = 75%; popup-img div height = 100%, and the height of the img tag itself is also set to 100%. The problem I am facing, in FF and IE (not Safari, though) is that the width popup-img div (into which the img tag is written via JS) is staying the width of the original width of the image - not the new scaled width (scaled due to scaling down the height).

Is there anyway to get the width of the popup div to fit to the new width of the image? This isn't so much of a problem when the original image height is greater than will fit in the box, and scaled, but when the image height is smaller, it gets scaled 'up', but the width of the pop-up stays to fit the original width, and the image goes outside of the popup width-wise.

Sorry if this is a confusing explination - it is confusing to me as well.

Other posibly helpful/hurtful info - the other div inside the popup is the close button - which is floated to the top right. What I would like to happen, ideally - is for the image to be on the left, and the close button on the right, with whitespace under the button. Don't know if there's anyway that working with this element will help.

I can provide more clarification, and possibly a link to the code in question, if someone is interested in helping me out :D

Thanks ahead of time!!

Does IE7-like RSS Reader exist for FireFox?

karizma — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:35:49 -0800

I love IE7's built-in RSS/feed reader. I hate, hate, hate IE7's slowness and general, overal crapiness. I would love to use FireFox, but I want the same kind of RSS reader functionality. Is there is a plugin or extension for Firefox that exists and works just like IE7's RSS reader? I am looking for the exact same or as close as possible functionality for an RSS reader in FireFox as found build-in in IE7. I'd like it to integrate into the browser. I can't stand FireFox's live bookmarks.

Things I'm not looking for: Web-based RSS readers, desktop RSS clients, or FireFox extensions/plugins that don't work like how IE7's functionality does.

Does this kind of tool/functionality/plugin/extension exist for Firefox?

(btw, I'm running the current version of Firefox).

Thanks.

Help me understand what I need to make my website compliant with IE.

GilloD — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:41:21 -0800

Is there a guide to the anticipated differences between IE and Firefox when coding a website? So, I'm coding my first "really real" website for the company I work for. I have a bit of experience in this, but this is my first really large, semi-pro project. As a result, I'm running into the ages old problem where everything looks great in Firefox and Safari, but terrible in IE. IE seems to add spaces, ignore code, change margins and generally run wild.

Is there any kind of guide to the sort of things I need to be aware of to compensate for IE's tendency to do as it does?

Google in Internet Explorer but not Firefox?

AdamOddo — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:13:23 -0800

Google search problems here. I've asked around the local tech circle and no one can think up an explanation for this one. Google will load in FF and IE7 - but - I can only execute a search from IE. I'm running XP with the latest final of FF. I have Google as an exemption, so I know it's not a problem with cookies. I've also ran Spybot and Adaware, and both came up clean. Google pings with zero packet loss. This one has got me baffled.

Fixing Google Desktop links

Aanidaani — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:27:02 -0800

I like Google Desktop but there is one minor annoyance that has been bugging me. Whenever I click on a link in a sidebar gadget, that link loads in IE7, even though my default browser is Firefox. Is there a solution to this? I'm on Windows Vista, if that helps (or hurts).

How do I open certain sites in IETab?

Rabulah — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 07:36:27 -0800

I use Firefox. I want to be able to open certain sites in IETab/Internet Explorer automatically. I can do this quite easily if they are bookmarked, but I want to be able to do it every time I come across a link to the site. Example 1] I'm browsing the web, and I come across a link to foo.com. Normally, when I click the link to foo.com, it will open in a normal Firefox tab. I want to be able to just click the link to foo.com, and have it open in IETab/Internet Explorer automatically, without having to right click and choose "Open in IETab", or copy the URL from the address bar and paste it into Internet Explorer.

Example 2] I do a Foo.com search from the Firefox search bar. I want the search tab to open in IETab/Internet Explorer automatically.

I have been using IE View Lite, which will load the site in IE after half a second, but Firefox still starts to load foo.com before IE View Lite takes over, which I don't want. I want Firefox to never load foo.com AT ALL.

How can I get this functionality? Example 2 is the more pressing problem, if that makes any difference.

Firefox freezes when downloading, help!

yellowbinder — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:51:02 -0800

I download a lot of images from the net. Using Firefox, the browser freezes while the file downloads. IE does not. I hate using IE. How do I make Firefox allow me to surf around while downloading? I should add this is only the case when I use right click, "save as," and not when I click a prompted download. I think it happens for all files downloaded this way, not just images.

How to get tabbed browsing past a software filter

buddha9090 — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:32:39 -0800

Need Tabbed Browsing: Help me get past a software filter (Integrity Enterprise) at work -- all i want to do is run Firefox, or hell, even IE 7. I just want tabs instead of the twenty separate browser windows that are popping up I have read through previous threads on this question, but none of the suggestions have worked for me. My company has Integrity Advanced Server running and it blocks any attempts to run any applications that aren't on a pre-set approved list that's defined at the network level. I also can't install any toolbars on the approved IE 6 client. I've called IT and pleaded with them about letting me run Firefox, but a decision on that is "in committee" and has been pending for months now. Does anyone have any advice on how I can get tabbed browsing functionality under these circumstances?

Download secured content to read later?

tiamat — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:47:46 -0800

How can I download/cache web pages that require cookies and/or a login for later reading in Firefox (or IE). Is there a spider plugin for either browsers, or a stand alone program that will support authentication? I'm going away to somewhere I likely won't have internet access full time. I'd love to be able to download my livejournal friends page and some other pages for reading offline. Say, the root page plus 1 level of links deep, for articles and content not on the main page.

The hard part: many of the pages I want are password or login protected. NYT premium content, private livejournal pages, etc.

IE6 used to be able to do this, but it looks like they've dropped the feature in 7. I've tried HTTrack, Getright, Flashget and wget, but can't get around the cookies/login issue.

I think I need to do this from inside IE or Firefox, so that I can take advantage of pre-existing cookies, but I can't seem to find a way. Please help.

Otherwise, is there a way to use getright, flashget or some other caching-downloader to authenticate before downloading?

This is on Vista Ultimate with FF2 or IE7.

I'd even be willing to pay for software if it does a good job, so free is not a requirement.

Cant see preview thumbs with FireFox or IE!

slowtree — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 20:14:48 -0800

Unable to view preview pictures on webpages I recently noticed that on some web sites that have preview thumbs like iGoogles "add stuff to your home page" i can not see the previewed thumbs, only the text link and add it now buttons. I have noticed this on other websites as well. This seems to be like this on both Firefox and Internet Explorer. I reinstalled Java and have flash installed as well. but no go. What else should I check?

How can I open a specific web shortcut (from the desktop) in a specific web browser?

covert7 — Sat, 05 May 2007 13:34:01 -0800

How can I open a specific web shortcut (from the desktop) in a specific web browser? I can't believe this is as hard as I'm finding it to be so perhaps I'm missing something very very simple.

I have created a shortcut to a website that will only work in IE. I also have Firefox setup on this machine so that it is the default web browser. I want the user to use Firefox for almost everything web related they do, expect for this one site.

To make things simple on them, I put a copy of this shortcut on their desktop. I know if they open the shortcut from within IE's Favorites, they can go there no problem. But from the desktop, Firefox is the browser that gets launched and the site won't work in it. I'm really trying to make things as dead simple as I can for this lady.

So is this possible, or is she just going to have to go into IE and then launch it from there?

Thanks for any help you can provide folks!

server not found on first request

specialk420 — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 15:30:12 -0800

"server not found" problems in Firefox 2 and IE 7 ... I have recently developed a consistent problem with server not found errors in FF and IE, request will load on a second refresh of the request this topic has been explored in depth elsewhere i am hoping the friendly folks as ask me might be able to help solve this one? i suspect the browser issues are symptom of system issues. side note: using netmon i have consistent network connections so thats not the issue...

Can't get back to where I was in Firefox

ShooBoo — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 10:49:42 -0800

Using Firefox on some web sites, if you scroll down from the top of the page, select a link, and then hit the back arrow to return the original page, the original page does not return to where you were when you clicked the link, but annoyingly to the top of the page, requiring a manual scroll to get where you were before. This doesn't happen with IE on the same web sites. What causes this problem? For example http://sadlyno.com/ or http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

How to create a CrossBrowser Bookmarklet?

mickbw — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:08:15 -0800

I have written a bookmarklet that works in Firefox but not in IE6. How can I change it to be supported cross browser or even as a separate bookmarklet to get the same results. javascript:Qr=document.getSelection();if(Qr)location.href='http://jobsearchlog.com/ba.cfm?ad='+escape(Qr)+'&description='+encodeURIComponent(document.title)+'&tags=%s'+'&ad4user=mickbw&url2job='+window.location.href;

Much of the JS was taken from the send to Delicious bookmarklet but I've never seen it work in IE anyway.

The purpose of the 'let is to send whatever text in a page has been selected, the URL and page title and submit the values into a database for use in my web application. In Firefox they would also be able to specify tags to be included in the insert.

Any suggestions on making this work in IE?

Firefox Issue

the_epicurean — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:49:56 -0800

Why, when I look at an image or news link in firefox, do I not see the whole tooltip/caption (not sure that's the right word, but it's all I can think of)? When looking at my two favourite web comics, XKCD & Qwantz, if I look at the images in IE, it shows the full humourous caption/tooltip, yet when I view it in Firefox it shows part of the text then....

I hate to use IE, but find myself frustrated and not being able to see the little jokes added as captions?

Is there a reason for this, or an extension that allows me to see them, without having to switch rendering engines, or open them in IE?

Help! My Web Browsers Are Giving Up!

adi — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:12:26 -0800

My web browsers (FF 2.0 and IE 7 on XP SP2) have stopped working (kinda). I have to click on links over and over again to get the browsers to respond. When they do finally go to the page, they usually load half of it and give up. This started while I was still on FF 1.5 but seems to have gotten worse. It takes a lot of going to Gmail to get it to "take." With my bookmarks, if I click on them directly nothing happens, but if i middle-click to open them in a new window sometimes it works, sometimes not. If I copy-paste the URL I want to go to and hit the "go" button 15 times really fast, it will go, but may only load half the page. This is happening on every "account" on my computer (I created another user account besides the admin account I always use on my PC and it had the same problem). It's happening in both IE and FF. I'd really like to avoid a total re-install of windows. Any ideas?

Firefox in an IE costume?

mtstover — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:13:21 -0800

My work intranet autodetects my Firefox browser and forces me to use IE. Is there a plugin that I can get that will make Firefox masquerade as IE, so I can surf my intranet with my favorite browser?

Web browser market share reference

Joleta — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 08:29:58 -0800

What is the definitive online reference for web browser market share? I've found this site which looks nice, but I don't know if it's the most authoritative site for stating browser statistics. Our company needs to convince a vendor to program a partner site to work in non-IE browsers (Firefox, etc.) and I want to make sure the statistics I'm quoting are reasonably valid.

Re-installed WinXP Won't Show CSS Images

ao4047 — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 20:09:32 -0800

Re-installed Windows XP on my old laptop (Sony PCG-SRX87). Let it run through all the updates. Now neither IE nor Firefox will show CSS background images. Example: when I view Gmail or Google Spreadsheets, there's no background images for any of the rows. Searching Google for css, background images, service pack 2, firefox, internet explorer, troubelshooting, etc... checked Internet Options, Windows Firewall, turned off firewall, turned off virus scanner. Any ideas?

Bonus and maybe related: text sizes in IE are huge. I go to View > Text Size and it is set to Medium but if I got to AOL.com homepage the headlines are massive.

Why won't my website print?

cbrody — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 14:51:39 -0800

Why won't my website print in Firefox? I'm trying to print the contents of this page but Firefox (1.5.0.1, WinXP) only prints the first page. This seems to be a known problem with some pages, though the specific problem doesn't seem to be listed in bugzilla. I've tried putting the data into a table but it makes no difference. Internet Explorer (6.0) prints all the pages, but on some pages the second column of data (the title of the work) is missing. I'll put this down to IE's poor handling of CSS.

The rest of the site prints fine in IE, but FF will only print the first page of data from each web page. What's wrong with my site? It validates as XHTML Strict & CSS.

Is the new IE broswer, Beta 2 as good as Firefox?

Postroad — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 07:36:33 -0800

Is the beta2 Internet Explorer broswer as good as or a replacement for Firefox? Microsoft has released Beta2 browser for IE browser and claims it is much more secure and makes amends for shortcmings of previous browser, the one that got so many to switch to Firefox. Is it as good as Firefox now?

What are possible causes for browsers not displaying webpages properly?

parttimesaint — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 13:05:33 -0800

What could cause both IE and Firefox not to display certain pages (like expedia.com) correctly? One of my coworkers (who isn't especially comp-savvy) says he's having problems with some webpages loading with the layout and/or fonts screwed up. He was on IE and I got him to switch to Firefox, run AdAware & Spybot and clear his history/cache/temp files but he says it's still happening and I'm out of suggestions. He's tweaked the font sizes up and down but that had no effect. Anybody have a clue what else it might be?

IE pukes on my page

spartacusroosevelt — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 19:20:36 -0800

My main page opens fine in Safari and Firefox for Win and Mac, but acts like I am trying to download a file in IE. Any suggestions?