JavaScript Manipulating History.

[IsaacV]

Hi,
I'm designing a web site and I designed an error page with .htaccess so that when someone types in an incorrect URL, it takes them to my customized page. Well, I used server-side programming to make it log the bad URL and check against a database if the there is a good URL matching the bad one. If so, it redirects to that page instead of giving the error. It's a good, well-written script done by me, I'll give it to anyone that requests it.

What I want to know is if JavaScript can prevent a page from being logged in the visitor's browser history.
You see, when they click the back button, the revisit the error page and it relogs the bad URL.

Is this possible in Javascript?

http://www.sitepointforums.com/showt...threadid=74992

[blufive]

Yikes. I have to say, I doubt it. In your favour, Mozilla already has the feature/bug* of not including certain redirects in the history, i.e. the URL that does the redirect gets left out of the history, which seems to be what you want to do anyway.

*delete as applicable to your point-of-view. There's still some... uh... energetic debate over this.

That said, I'm not aware of any browser that lets you manipulate its history. Even if some do, others will probably refuse to do so, on the principle that the history is there for the USER's benefit, not the webpage's.

[MarcusJT]

Rather than do a response.redirect on the error page, you should response.write some JavaScript code which does a location.replace(url). This will ensure that the error page does not remain in the browser's history.

[IsaacV]

Originally posted by M@rco
Rather than do a response.redirect on the error page, you should response.write some JavaScript code which does a location.replace(url). This will ensure that the error page does not remain in the browser's history.

I'm sorry, what?

I only know basic Javascript, could you explain?

[MarcusJT]

<%
'error logging stuff goes here

'now send browser to desired page,
'replacing the current url in the history list
response.write "<script language='javascript'>"
response.write "location.replace('home.htm');"
response.write "</script>"
%>