IE bug with textarea element (max 1568 chars)

**Ruslan Zenin** · 02-07-2007, 07:18 PM

Came across this bug with textarea HTML element in IE6...

When textarea has more that 1568 characters the HTML form stops responding to SUBMIT event 9e.g. submit does not work anymore!!!

- Here is the sample HTML page that demonstrates the problem:

HTML Code:

<HTML>
 <BODY>
  <FORM name="F" action="http://google.ca">
   <TEXTAREA name="somename" cols="50" rows="20">Try to enter here text that is bigger that 1568 chars (Just copy/paste this text 12 times). 
The form will never submit!!! This works fine in FireFox.
Looks like it is IE bug.
If the property "name" of the textarea is removed it starts working!

   </TEXTAREA>
   <br/>
   <INPUT type="submit" value="SUBMIT BUTTON SHOULD REDIRECT TO GOOGLE"><br/>
<INPUT type="button" value="Script Submit" onClick="document.F.submit();">
  </FORM>
 </BODY>
</HTML>

- Remedy for the problem:
To fix this wild behavior textarea should NOT have "name" attribute...
After it is removed, the example above works fine...

NOTE: This problem found so far in IE6 series of the browsers (FireFox as expected works just fine)

MESSAGE TO MICROSOFT: Please fix your browser! Also, please do support SVG image format "out of the box" (no plugins please!)

**djr33** · 02-07-2007, 07:30 PM

Hmm... I seriously doubt this.
I'd have to play with it to figure it out.

There's no script involved in this?

Just that generally anything over that many characters causes a problem?

**Ruslan Zenin** · 02-07-2007, 11:43 PM

Here is the situation with web development:
http://img347.imageshack.us/img347/2254/cssgraph0oo.png

**jscheuer1** · 02-08-2007, 06:27 AM

I'd think that is a limit on the number of characters allowed in the address bar. If the form's method were post, this might also 'fix' it.

Code:

<FORM name="F" action="http://google.ca" method="post">

**Ruslan Zenin** · 02-08-2007, 02:34 PM

Thanks for the extra work around idea...

OK, but why IE6 fails to even submit. Try in my example JavaScript button - <INPUT type="button" value="Script Submit" onClick="document.F.submit();">
IE generates error!!!
This is clearly a bug.

**thetestingsite** · 02-08-2007, 03:10 PM

Why not just make it a submit button?

**Ruslan Zenin** · 02-08-2007, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by thetestingsite

Why not just make it a submit button?

Perhaps you did not read/understand my original post - there is a BUG in IE6.... I have provided sample HTML that demonstrates the problem
It has 2 butoons:
1. Regular SUBMIT button - does not work
2. Button with JS form submit - also does not work

**jscheuer1** · 02-08-2007, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by Ruslan Zenin

Thanks for the extra work around idea...

OK, but why IE6 fails to even submit. Try in my example JavaScript button - <INPUT type="button" value="Script Submit" onClick="document.F.submit();">
IE generates error!!!
This is clearly a bug.

Originally Posted by thetestingsite

Why not just make it a submit button?

I don't think that was the point, thetestingsite. Read over the thread. This latest observation by Ruslan Zenin was to make the point, not as a solution or as a problem.

Anyways though, there was a time when all browsers had limitations on the length of the address in the address bar. At that time, 1568 characters was a big improvement. So, I really wouldn't call it a bug. I would say that it is outdated. Generating an error is simply the browser's way of informing the designer that his/her code needs revision.

Also, if you think about it, it isn't such a hot idea to pass so much data in the query string. If the textarea is editable, the user could keep increasing the length until it either became truncated or caused an error and/or crashed in any browser.

**Twey** · 02-08-2007, 04:27 PM

Here is the situation with web development:
http://img347.imageshack.us/img347/2254/cssgraph0oo.png

Heh

Does it work using method="post"? If not, that's definitely a bug.

**jscheuer1** · 02-08-2007, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Twey

Heh

Does it work using method="post"? If not, that's definitely a bug.

Good point. I already mentioned using post and I thought, from Ruslan Zenin's response*, that took care of it. But, I see upon rereading it that I may have jumped to that conclusion.

*

Originally Posted by Ruslan Zenin

Thanks for the extra work around idea...

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