Post editor bug for IE8 users

[Angelina Belle]

When and where I have observed the bug
I see the bug when I start a new topic, reply to a post, or modify an earlier message, if the text in the box gets "long enough" and has "enough" lines that wrap.

This bug occurs in SMF 1.x and 2.x, while posting from the IE8 browser. A workaround for this bug is to turn on IE8 compatability view. I have observed this bug here at simplemachines.org and at smf-media.com.
I see the bug at two of my forums, running SMF 1.1.10 + Simpleportal 2.3 RC1 and SMF 1.1.10 + Simpleportal 2.2.2 respectively.

I do not see the bug at simpleportal.net

Bug behavior
When I am working on a long post, and try to edit a line that is more than, say, two "boxfulls" down, the textarea scrolls itself up one line for each character I type, until the text cursor and the line I'm typing disappear below the bottom of the textarea. Once the line is hidden, each keystroke I hit causes the box to scroll back down one line, making the line with the text cursor on it visible again at the bottom of the box, but then scrolls right back up one line as soon as I release the key, again hiding the text cursor and the line I'm working on.

No matter how many times I try to scroll down to the line I want to type on, the behavior persists. The text looks like it is jumping up and down as I type, and I really can't see what I'm typing.

I think this was the same problem reported earlier by alexdwin, and later marked solved when alex concluded it was an IE8-only bug:

The text of the post disappears below the window and will not stay in place even if I use the slider and then try to edit the text.

Thanks for having a look into this bug.
AB

[karlbenson]

Thanks, we are aware of this one.
In fact its actually an IE8 bug not an smf one per se
http://dev.simplemachines.org/mantis/view.php?id=3354

However we are hopefully to have a temporary workaround for 2.0 rc2 when it is released to patch it until MS devs fix it.

[Angelina Belle]

Thanks -- I'm glad to hear it is on the radar.
That reported bug DOES sound as though it might be related to the problem I see.

I wonder how they solved the problem at simpleportal.net?

[karlbenson]

The problem only occurs if on a textarea you have set
- the cols property (eg cols="100")
AND
- css width set to a percentage.

Changing to a css fix width or removing either of the above works.
I think we'll probably be opting for some css magic
(setting css max-width and min-width)

[Angelina Belle]

I've marked this solved since its already on the bug tracker.

[kennydee]

If Microsoft is aware of this issue, then why hasn't there been a fix patch for IE8 users then?

I'm having the same problem, and it's abit ignoring issue for me, but why just SMF boards? I've used alot of other forum boards and never had this issue with them. Are you sure it's an IE8 bug and not SMF?

[karlbenson]

Microsoft is aware of the issue.
http://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=432377
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.internetexplorer.beta&tid=b95398ac-e5cc-4642-9c9f-d85d08deeac6&cat=en_us_2BAF8EC5-645C-4477-A380-0F1CF6C102F9&lang=&cr=&sloc=&p=1

It doesn't just affect smf, but many other sites including phpbb3 and vbulletin (unconfirmed??)

http://www.phpbb.com/bugs/phpbb3/ticket.php?ticket_id=43305&start=5
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg16656.html
http://grantovich.net/posts/2009/06/that-weird-ie8-textarea-bug/

[forumite]

However we are hopefully to have a temporary workaround for 2.0 rc2 when it is released to patch it until MS devs fix it.

Does anyone know if the workaround made it into SMF 2.0 RC2? TIA.

[Arantor]

I'm fairly sure a workaround was added in 2.0 RC2, that changes the width of the editor in such a way it should not be an issue.

Is it still an issue for you? If so that may be down to your theme - which theme do you use?

[forumite]

Apologies, I wasn't clear. I'm about to upgrade my production site from SMF 1.1.11 to SMF 2.0 RC2. It will use the Curve theme, as does my existing test/backup site.

Wasn't trying to report a bug, just asking if a workaround had been implemented, as suggested earlier in this topic. I don't personally see the problem on either site, but I occasionally get a member mention it on my (1.1.11) production site.

[Arantor]

Yeah, there is a workaround in both, different workaround though. 1.1 adds a tag to emulate IE7 behaviour, 2.0 implements what amounts to a fix, or should do.

[forumite]

OK thanks.

[legoracer]

sorry to bring up the past here I have been searching but maybe not the right way... but is there a fix for this? As I see it is an IE8 problem. I read on the phpbb board that there is a css fix... anyone try this fix yet? any help for noob?