what's going on with IE and embedded objects?

Sic · 25 Apr 2006 at 08:44

there may have been a thread on this already - i get the impression that this is the sort of thing Beansprout and Augmented are all over!

i use IE at work, and we have flash forms which are created from ColdFusion...why is it that these forms are embedded but still autonomous objects...you actually have to select the object, then place your cursor in the field you want to fill out.

i may well be talking gibberish (it's still early) but hopefully someone can decipher something of this and give me a link/explanation as to why this has happened? it's bloody annoying!!

Sherbs · 25 Apr 2006 at 08:50

IIRC, it was a windows update that came out like last week thats done it.

Sic · 25 Apr 2006 at 09:06

SherberT* said:
IIRC, it was a windows update that came out like last week thats done it.

yeah but there's a reason for it...one of the guys at work wa saying the other day, but i dont like him so i wasn't listening. my google powers are crap today, too.

afraser2k · 25 Apr 2006 at 09:32

Wasn't it due to the Eolas patent fight?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/30/uspto_upholds_eolas_patent/

Sic · 25 Apr 2006 at 10:14

thanks afraser2k

Ozias · 25 Apr 2006 at 10:34

There is a javascript hack you can use to remove the 'click to activate' message :

place the following in an include, or in the head of the (x)html page:

function eolas()
{
theObjects = document.getElementsByTagName("object");
for (var i = 0; i < theObjects.length; i++)
{
theObjects.outerHTML = theObjects.outerHTML;
}
}

and then call the function *after* the object tag

<object ...... />

<script type="text/javascript">
eolas();
</script>

MathewS · 25 Apr 2006 at 11:17

Is there anyway to turn it off on my machine, its really starting to annoy me that i have to click on the object first.

Robdav · 25 Apr 2006 at 11:21

I've noticed this now on a couple of my older sites that use some flash. it's ok for plain image stuff, but when I'm trying to get user input etc its a pain in the rear.

Are MS going to find a work around for this? Or have they got something setup in IE 7 to get round it?

Apart from that I guess the only way round with would be the javascript posted above, but if anyone can come up with another solution i would be interested.

iCraig · 25 Apr 2006 at 11:43

Quite a few of our websites we've designed have flash embedded. So far no clients have complained, but its definately irritating.

phykell · 25 Apr 2006 at 12:09

Try using SWFObject instead. It has other benefits in addition to curing the "Active Content Update" issue:

http://blog.deconcept.com/swfobject

Robdav · 25 Apr 2006 at 12:21

good point, any downside to using sfwobject though?

afraser2k · 25 Apr 2006 at 13:13

MathewS said:
Is there anyway to turn it off on my machine, its really starting to annoy me that i have to click on the object first.

You can just uninstall the optional hotfix that it came with. Can't remember the name of it yet but it's not a critical one.

MathewS · 25 Apr 2006 at 13:31

afraser2k said:
You can just uninstall the optional hotfix that it came with. Can't remember the name of it yet but it's not a critical one.

Yea i figured that out, was going to post that i had done it, had to remove two other hotfix's as well, the hotfix in question is KB912812. Im not having any trouble now.

Thanks

afraser2k · 25 Apr 2006 at 13:41

Found an interesting article that Real Networks have been given the patent for streaming media via click, which kind of screws Microsoft's solution to Eolas patent too?

NYTimes