Javascript in HTML Tables

**blockchords** · Jul 23, 2002, 14:35

http://www.webreference.com/js/column2/format.html

I read on the above tutorial that one should NEVER place a script in an HTML table, especially if it has doument. write in it. Does anyone know why this would be true? I have a date and time script in my HTML table and have no problem with it. Your thoughts???

Block

**azizur_rahman** · Jul 23, 2002, 14:56

I assume you are reffering to the last para:

If you would like to display the date somewhere in an HTML table, you're in trouble. Never embed a script in a table, especially if it has a document.write() statement. At this time there is no workaround for this annoying bug (besides printing the entire table in JavaScript, or using Dynamic HTML).

I am not total sure of what they meant there.. but I put document.write in HTML table and nothings happends... I also use the VB version and still nothing happens... chnaces of somene's browser having problme (seems to me) is next to nothing.

When ever I want to put the current date and time I just simply use the document.wite and it works fine.. I dont know what that person is meant...

I am assuming they are referring to the JS code just above the para, I can see there is problem.. but what if that was put inside a function so we just make a call to the function and it prints out the date as it called.

I think the author has some reason for saying that, which should have been made clear but I dont agree with her/him.

**Andrew-J2000** · Jul 23, 2002, 18:40

the only thing that document.write would do is if you have it in a onclick event which would clear the screen, but as for that comment, it sounds kind of stupid unless, you put the script in the wrong place like outside a tr or td tag etc, which would simply treat it as a comment tag and print it at the top of the table or something like that.

And in anycase I would use
innerHTML/outerHTML/innerText/outerText
to modify the content if using an event to write to the document, unless you want a clean page of course

**jkd** · Jul 23, 2002, 21:01

I think this had to do with an old NS3(?) bug with document.write()-ing inside a <td>...

**Flawless_koder** · Jul 24, 2002, 00:56

I never use document.write - i think it's bad practice unless
you're creating a new window with only one line - and
even then i'd probably just create an object and use, as Andrew quite rightly said, innerHTML/innerText

Flawless

**Andrew-J2000** · Jul 24, 2002, 10:24

To be honest i aint one for cross browsability with netscape, but i thought innerHTML was a ie only feature. Then again i think flawless is like me with cross browsability.

**Flawless_koder** · Jul 24, 2002, 10:49

Nope - innerHTML is universal - I believe.

Flawless

**MarcusJT** · Jul 26, 2002, 18:31

Originally posted by Flawless_koder
Nope - innerHTML is universal - I believe.

Flawless

Alas not - it's not part of the W3C standards... NS6 only implemented it because loads of developers wanted it. Thus NS4.x does not support it. Dunno about Opera...

Read up here:
http://www.webreference.com/js/tips/001209.html
http://www.mozilla.org/docs/web-deve...e_2.html#other

However, this is a good guide to the cross-browser alternative:
http://www.pxl8.com/cloneNode.html

Don't give me wrong, I'm leaning towards ignoring NS4 users (!) but because others read and act on these posts I thought it was important to set the record straight!

**Andrew-J2000** · Jul 26, 2002, 18:42

arr k cheers m@rco, why can't people just upgrade or all developers force people to upgrade as some people dont even know what an upgrade is or how to do it lol, from what i saw the other day

**MarcusJT** · Jul 26, 2002, 19:20

Exactly! It's not just to make life easier for us - they benefit from a richer experience at the end of the day.

See another post in this forum for the whole W3C standards conformance shebang! (which I'm 100% behind incidentally, but I'm ultimately forced to target IE in the meantime....)