Comment On More Dynamic-er Than Yours

OMG FIRST POST!!!11!!!ONE!!!1!!!!!

No Way!!!

I think I work with the guy that wrote that mess upon mess.

Fifteen to twenty pages? Just pull the pages up in a browser, save the source as HTML files (making exceptions for the DHMTL menu, etc.), make your changes, and done. Then burn those PHP files!

...the client just descided to just mail those users a brochure.

After all the WTFs I have read on this site, that appears to be a 'sensible' client.  Resigning to the fact that some things are just not worth the trouble.

What a PITA.  He could have just gotten one of the various browser plugins that will display the javascript generated html, then saved those 20 pages off 1 by 1, and relink where necessary.  Only prob there is that most of those plugins are firefox, and i'm guessing the damned javascript was erroring out in firefox to begin with.

 

 

 

 

    The first BS is why I am coming to hate blogs.

..... "Enterprise HTML"?

I think it's well on its way to becoming an Enterprise-class system. Just add in a few constants to redefine Truth, put all the scripts in vector-vectors and definitely add a check for FileNotFound, and voila!

R.Flowers:

Fifteen to twenty pages? Just pull the pages up in a browser, save the source as HTML files (making exceptions for the DHMTL menu, etc.), make your changes, and done. Then burn those PHP files!

I have to agree with this

codeman:

I think it's well on its way to becoming an Enterprise-class system. Just add in a few constants to redefine Truth, put all the scripts in vector-vectors and definitely add a check for FileNotFound, and voila!

Agreed.  A system to make PAULA proud.

Don't generate static pages dynamically.

codeman:

I think it's well on its way to becoming an
Enterprise-class system. Just add in a few constants to redefine Truth,
put all the scripts in vector-vectors and definitely add a check for FileNotFound, and voila!

Needs more XML

Alex Papadimoulis:

After explaining all that would need to be changed to work with FireFox, the client just descided to just mail those users a brochure.

So, you're going to be mailing all the forum users a brochure?

(D)HTML that calls JavaScript that is generated by PHP based on a dynamic (external) value...

 

There MUST be a crime in there somewere!

merreborn:

Don't generate static pages dynamically.

I'll do what I want. 

shaggz:

What a PITA.  He could have just gotten one of the various browser plugins that will display the javascript generated html, then saved those 20 pages off 1 by 1, and relink where necessary.  Only prob there is that most of those plugins are firefox, and i'm guessing the damned javascript was erroring out in firefox to begin with.

I concur. And I'm even pretty sure Firefox can do it out of the box: CTRL+A, right click => View Selection Source does in fact display the generated code (that can be seen by checking that every single <table> has a <tbody> while nearly nobody uses them in their sources)

R.Flowers:

Fifteen to twenty pages? Just pull the pages up in a browser, save the source as HTML files (making exceptions for the DHMTL menu, etc.), make your changes, and done. Then burn those PHP files!

Burn them because they're unnecessary or because they're PHP?

The first thing I should check is if the PHP scripts send correct headers. Firefox is picky about those. Shouldn't be too hard to add
<?php header('Content-Type: text/javascript'); ?>
in all JS-files and
<?php header('Content-Type: text/css') ?>
in the stylesheet files.

DataInterface should not have a bindToPage() method.  Instead, it should be bindToXML().  Then, they should roll their own xslt transformation library in javascript.  Finally, every dynamically geneated hyperlink should invoke ajax calls which fetch more and more xml.  This framework looks tight.  [:P]

Anonymous:

codeman:

I think it's well on its way to becoming an
Enterprise-class system. Just add in a few constants to redefine Truth,
put all the scripts in vector-vectors and definitely add a check for FileNotFound, and voila!

Needs more XML

Not only that, but it needs to put that XML into fields in a database, and then put the CSS and HTML attributes and tags in fields along with the data.  This one has a long way to go to be truly world-class Enterpricy!

shaggz:

What a PITA.  He could have just gotten one of the various browser plugins that will display the javascript generated html, then saved those 20 pages off 1 by 1, and relink where necessary.  Only prob there is that most of those plugins are firefox, and i'm guessing the damned javascript was erroring out in firefox to begin with.

Not quite.

First, it's not a plugin.  It's just JavaScript.

Second, said JavaScript works in IE.

http://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/webdevel.html

This amazes me to the extent that I have to ask an honest question.  Why would *anyone*, no matter how inexperienced or inept, ever possibly do something like this??  Not to give this individual the benefit of the doubt, but could there be some "grand scheme" in the back of someone's mind (or textbook) that would lead to such insanity?

I agree with md2perpe. Sure, it's a little overengineered, but if the dynamic rendering code is written well and concisely, it should not be too difficult to add in some browser detection code, and branch the rendering code accordingly.

md2perpe:

Burn them because they're unnecessary or because they're PHP?

I'm not a reflexive PHP hater. [:D] But that is one ugly-ass way of doing something.

BTW, I did not think about the JavaScript producing/not producing a viewable HTML source.

Hot.

Mutually recursive dynamism.

R.Flowers:

I'm not a reflexive PHP hater. [:D] But that is one ugly-ass way of doing something.

That's true; no matter if the server-side things are done in PHP, ASP, C#, Perl, Python or Brainfuck. Also, I belong to those who think that a web page should work with JavaScript disabled. This page obviously won't.

I believe this is a case for the If Browser=Firefox then ErrorBox.show("Get a Real Browser: IE") that showed up on this site a few weeks ago.

Anonymous:

codeman:

I think it's well on its way to becoming an Enterprise-class system. Just add in a few constants to redefine Truth, put all the scripts in vector-vectors and definitely add a check for FileNotFound, and voila!

Needs more XML

Actually, we use XML in a totally non-enterprise manner (someone decided they wanted to use it, even though there was absolutely no justification for it, and they said so in the comments at the top of the xml file).

It's not the XML that makes it an Enterprise system, it's the ABUSE of XML that makes it an Enterprise system.

Anonymous:

I believe this is a case for the If Browser=Firefox then ErrorBox.show("Get a Real Browser: IE") that showed up on this site a few weeks ago.

 I would like to just take this chance to thank you.

 we all know that Microsoft software rules them all.
 it's nice to see you back that up.

Cause you seem to be really well informed.

Anonymous:

I believe this is a case for the If Browser=Firefox then ErrorBox.show("Get a Real Browser: IE") that showed up on this site a few weeks ago.

IE!!!???

IE is a virus

Anonymous:

Anonymous:

I believe this is a case for the If Browser=Firefox then ErrorBox.show("Get a Real Browser: IE") that showed up on this site a few weeks ago.

 I would like to just take this chance to thank you.

 we all know that Microsoft software rules them all.
 it's nice to see you back that up.

Cause you seem to be really well informed.

But how much will it cost me, even with Reversi!?!?!

I betcha the PHP script was reading static HTML templates, parsing them and then coverting into JavaScript.

Anonymous:

I believe this is a case for the If
Browser=Firefox then ErrorBox.show("Get a Real Browser: IE") that
showed up on this site a few weeks ago.

That abhorrent mess doesn't work under FireFox and you blame
FireFox?  Good God man!  How long have you been working for
Microsoft?





This is exactly the kind of crap you would find in a university
textbook.  Abstract everything beyond understanding.  You
need a database, a view, a renderer for that view (which must be
abstract too), which should then be translated into...  GAH!



Static content is static. Why on Earth would you dynamically-generate
static content?  And by using two levels of dynamic-generation in
different languages!



I'm with you md2perpe, it better work when I disable JavaScript. 
It just goes back to one of the most important design rules ever: fail
gracefully!





This reminds me of an old Alice Cooper song.   "Welcome to my nightmare..."

Anonymous:

I betcha the PHP script was reading static HTML templates, parsing them and then coverting into JavaScript.

So this was useful to somebody!

I feel so sullied by this vile, slimy skidmark of pustulent code, I don't want to be a webdev anymore.

Yet, it has not fully burnt out my eyes.

I will finish that task myself, using a red-hot crowbar.

Liberation!


*gnaws off finger tips*

A long time ago, during the Netscape/IE browser wars, with the release-of-the-hour updates, I was responsible for making sure our product worked on both browsers. Of course, every time you updated with one, the other would stop working due to all the junk they both put in the registry, although IE was by far the more virulent offender. We took to calling it "( I ) n ( E ) pt".

Interestingly, I got tired of constantly doing registry dives on my home PC to clean up the mess, and just surrendered to the monopolies-work theory, and removed all things Netscape (even though it was clearly a superior browser - at least at the time, don't know about now). Once I did, all the problems (at least between the two browsers killing each other) disappeared; I've resigned myself to using InEpt, not because it's better, but because it caused me less pain.

Can anyone using FireFox relate as to whether this sort of battle to keep control of your PC still occurs?

R.Flowers:

Anonymous:

I betcha the PHP script was reading static HTML templates, parsing them and then coverting into JavaScript.

So this was useful to somebody!

On a whole different tangent:

Did you see the LASTEST RELEASE of this amazing product?

This reminds me of a nice little pub I know...

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to The Balfour Arms. (In case that link doesn't work, the URL is <http://www.thebalfourarms.co.uk/>.)


Warning... if you have javascript turned off, you won't see anything.

Alex Papadimoulis:

When was asked to make a client's site work with FireFox, he didn't think it'd be a big deal.

My gosh.  Can you imagine the WTF-ness and Who's-On-First-ness of a guy named 'When'? 

[Note From Alex: I Fixed this typo]

Anonymous:

Alex Papadimoulis:

When was asked to make a client's site work with FireFox, he didn't think it'd be a big deal.

My gosh.  Can you imagine the WTF-ness and Who's-On-First-ness of a guy named 'When'? 

OMG-ROTFL

One of my friends' kids is named Wendy, and they call her Wen for short. It's kind of Who's_On_First-like when they introduce her to a new child, and her little friends think it's "when"...[:)]

Don't generate static pages dynamically.

Actually, it can be useful to do that on the server side as to add consistent headers, footers, etc. There is, however, not reason to use Javascript to do that.

codeman:

Anonymous:

Alex Papadimoulis:

When was asked to make a client's site work with FireFox, he didn't think it'd be a big deal.

My gosh.  Can you imagine the WTF-ness and Who's-On-First-ness of a guy named 'When'? 

OMG-ROTFL

One of my friends' kids is named Wendy, and they call her Wen for short. It's kind of Who's_On_First-like when they introduce her to a new child, and her little friends think it's "when"...[:)]

Sorry, lost the rest of it...

Typical conversation:

Father: Pick up your toys
Wendy: What?
Friend: Who?
Father: Wen, pick up your toys!
Wendy: When?
Fiend: When what?
Father: Now!
Wendy: Now what?
Friend: Who?
...

Not to be nitpicky, but this drives me crazy.
It's Firefox, with a lowercase 'f'. Not FireFox.

It must bug the Mozilla folks, too, because they have a FAQ entry about it:

How do I spell Firefox? How do I abbreviate it?

Firefox is spelled F-i-r-e-f-o-x - only the first letter capitalized
(i.e. not FireFox, not Foxfire, FoxFire or whatever else a number of
folk seem to think it to be called.) The preferred abbreviation is
"Fx" or "fx".

Anonymous:

I believe this is a case for the If Browser=Firefox then ErrorBox.show("Get a Real Browser: IE") that showed up on this site a few weeks ago.

Sorry I left out the /Sarcasm tags for the people who take things too literally [:P] .

Gabashadibidee!!!!!!!! Flabipity floop!!!! FAGODUKOO!!!!!! Bashnipdiphickderpa DONT!!!!! WHASHIBI DOOBA DAMN!!!! Backtalacktafago!!!!!! Depdaderpadoo! Paplshuntacode!!!! Whadafaguclienthinkin!!!! dherpa.... dherpa.... dherpa.... dahhh.....

calm....
calm...
calm...
*sigh*

OK, well, needless to say, as everyone else has pointed out, this was a really really really bad idea. Stuff like that pisses me off to the point of speaking gibberish. The client was smart enought to say I know when enough is enough, but sadly wasn't smart enough to see this coming. To be honest though, I'm not surprised, just really really upset.

ithika:

This reminds me of a nice little pub I know...

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to The Balfour Arms. (In case that link doesn't work, the URL is .)


Warning... if you have javascript turned off, you won't see anything.

I get a nice JavaScript alert box saying "This version is compatible with Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicatior only", followed by a blank page. (I'm using Konqueror.) Funnily enough, once I tricked it into believing I was using Firefox it all seemed to display fine...

And you didn't upsell to do search engine optimisation as well by making all that PHP static HTML?

codeman:

codeman:

Anonymous:

Alex Papadimoulis:

When was asked to make a client's site work with FireFox, he didn't think it'd be a big deal.

My gosh.  Can you imagine the WTF-ness and Who's-On-First-ness of a guy named 'When'? 

OMG-ROTFL

One of my friends' kids is named Wendy, and they call her Wen for short. It's kind of Who's_On_First-like when they introduce her to a new child, and her little friends think it's "when"...[:)]

Sorry, lost the rest of it...

Typical conversation:

Father: Pick up your toys
Wendy: What?
Friend: Who?
Father: Wen, pick up your toys!
Wendy: When?
Fiend: When what?
Father: Now!
Wendy: Now what?
Friend: Who?
...

Codeman,

Don't quit your day job. <grin>

 

Funny though.  Good job.

The designer must have had some clue about Web authoring, as he clearly understood complex Javascript, PHP etc. I can't comprehend how anyone with even epsilon clue could engineer a pile of crap like this.

Oh well, seems to be a work of some 'how do I hide my HTML source' idiot. For once, he definitely succeeded; as it's impossible to decrypt the source code, even with full access to the server ;-)

ithika:

This reminds me of a nice little pub I know...

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to The Balfour Arms. (In case that link doesn't work, the URL is .)

I prefer to stay at the Kings Arms.

(Where's the King's Arms? Around the queen's ass! [;)]

codeman:

Can anyone using FireFox relate as to whether this sort of battle to keep control of your PC still occurs?

IE? You mean that thing that one uses Start Menu -> Run -> iexplore.exe (because there is no other way to launch it anymore) to run once in a while to see what your pages look like in IE?

Well, the answer is no :P
---
As for the wtf, this is probably some ingenious way to hide the html source code... where in* is a negation.