Lauching HTML document with anchor (reference inside page) problem

[Lars-Erik Østerud]

I can't get this to behave equal on different versions.

I need to launch the default browser with a HTML document and a
reference to an anchor (A NAME reference) inisde that document:

file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 does NOT work (no program first)

For Internet Explorer 6:

- iexplore.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 works OK
- explorer.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 does NOT work

For Internet Explorer 7:

- iexplore.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 does NOT work
- explorer.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 work OK

For Firefox 2.0

- firefox.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 works OK
- explorer.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 does NOT work

Why the difference? All launch the HTML document, but in the cases
marked "does NOT work" the reference ("#chapter1") is lost :-(

Is there a safe way to do this that will always work right?

Very strange that IE6 and IE7 does not work equal in any case !!!

I can assume that the user has IE6 or IE7 on the PC, but when they
need different command-line to work, then I can't predict that...

Is there a common way that will work for both IE6 and IE7, or a way to
check what is the default browser on the system (then my program can
choose the right command line if I knows if it is IE6, IE7 or Firefox)

 

[Ron Sommer]

How do you know that the file is always going to be on D?
--
Ronald Sommer

:I can't get this to behave equal on different versions.
:
: I need to launch the default browser with a HTML document and a
: reference to an anchor (A NAME reference) inisde that document:
:
: file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 does NOT work (no program first)
:
: For Internet Explorer 6:
:
: - iexplore.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 works OK
: - explorer.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 does NOT work
:
: For Internet Explorer 7:
:
: - iexplore.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 does NOT work
: - explorer.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 work OK
:
: For Firefox 2.0
:
: - firefox.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 works OK
: - explorer.exe file:///D:/docs.html#chapter1 does NOT work
:
: Why the difference? All launch the HTML document, but in the cases
: marked "does NOT work" the reference ("#chapter1") is lost :-(
:
: Is there a safe way to do this that will always work right?
:
: Very strange that IE6 and IE7 does not work equal in any case !!!
:
: I can assume that the user has IE6 or IE7 on the PC, but when they
: need different command-line to work, then I can't predict that...
:
: Is there a common way that will work for both IE6 and IE7, or a way to
: check what is the default browser on the system (then my program can
: choose the right command line if I knows if it is IE6, IE7 or Firefox)
: --
: Lars-Erik - http://www.osterud.name - ICQ 7297605

 

[Lars-Erik Østerud]

How do you know that the file is always going to be on D?

That is in a config file So that is no problem.
The problem is how to launch with the anchor (the # part)

 

[Ayush]

Lars-Erik Østerud wrote ::

I can't get this to behave equal on different versions.

I need to launch the default browser with a HTML document and a
reference to an anchor (A NAME reference) inisde that document:

Is there a common way that will work for both IE6 and IE7, or a way to
check what is the default browser on the system

runDll32 shell32,ShellExec_RunDLL filepath.htm

the above will launch the filepath.htm in the browser associated with .htm file.
This works on all file types.

you can also use full paths-
%windir%\system32\runDll32.exe %windows\system32\shell32.dll,ShellExec_RunDLL
filepath.htm


Good Luck, Ayush.

 

[Lars-Erik Østerud]

runDll32 shell32,ShellExec_RunDLL filepath.htm

the above will launch the filepath.htm in the browser associated with .htm file.
This works on all file types.

Sadly that does NOT use the chapter reference (the "#chapter1" part).
So I cannot use that way, it just opens the document at the start :-(

I need to find a way that will jump to the right chapter when that is
included in the URL (see the original mail). And that seems to work
right for IE6 and Firefox, but not for IE7 (to make it work in IE7 I
must feed the URL to "explorer.exe" and not to "iexplore.exe").

Still don't see why there are those different behaviours :-(

Any other idea on a "universal way" to launch an HTML-file AND jump to
the anchor at the end (the "#chapter1" part) that works on all
browsers?

 

[Code-Curious Mom]

Still don't see why there are those different behaviours :-(

From
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/12/06/file-uris-in-windows.aspx
"IE7 introduced a regression in this behavior. The bug is as you noted,
when passed a file URI on the command line containing a fragment, the
fragment is dropped during navigation."

Thus it appears to be a bug in IE7. They don't give a workaround, so it's
not much help, sorry.

 

[Lars-Erik Østerud]

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/12/06/file-uris-in-windows.aspx
"IE7 introduced a regression in this behavior. The bug is as you noted,
when passed a file URI on the command line containing a fragment, the
fragment is dropped during navigation."

Thus it appears to be a bug in IE7. They don't give a workaround, so it's
not much help, sorry.

But there is a work-a-round. If you pass the URL to "explorer.exe"
instead of "iexplore.exe" then it is launched with the "fragment"!

But this only works with IE7 (if you do that with IE6 then the
"fragment" is dropped, exacly the opposite behavior)...

So to make it always work I need to text the following:

1) Is it IE7, then launch URL to "explore.exe"
2) Other browser, find EXE-file and use that

So what I need to know then is

1) How to check if IE7 is installed from Borland Delphi
2) How to find the name of the default browser executable

I guess both can be read from the registry.
But where is the best place to find that info?

 

[Ayush]

Lars-Erik Østerud wrote ::

So what I need to know then is

1) How to check if IE7 is installed from Borland Delphi
2) How to find the name of the default browser executable

I guess both can be read from the registry.

1-Check version of iexplore.exe file.
2-Registry
Read default of HKCR\.htm
Read HKCR\'the Default Of .htm'\Shell\Command



Good Luck, Ayush.

 

[Lars-Erik Østerud]

1-Check version of iexplore.exe file.
2-Registry
Read default of HKCR\.htm
Read HKCR\'the Default Of .htm'\Shell\Command

Yep, now got it... Check the default browser first.
If it is anything else that IE I use it as it is.
If it is "iexplore.exe" then I check the version.
And if it is 7.x I change string to "explore.exe".

Then the local file URL with a "#chapter" always
launches at it should. A bit messy, but it works.