ie8 browser compatibility - big issue

[tanteanni]

i just installed ie8 to check compatibility of my gwt application. user.agent property is set as follows:

"<set-property name="user.agent" value="gecko1_8, safari, ie6, ie8, ie9, opera" />"

the app works fine on chrome and ff but fails on ie8:

- on left side of the app a tree (some hundred items) should be displayed but in ie8 this region keeps empty. Other views are displayed on west side (by changing to another place) but if i go back to the activity with tree the old view remains on west side. so i am unsure if this issue is related to activities/places or to the tree or to both.

- the second issue relates to a tab-bar with 2 tabs - it isn't displayed

So why the app doesn't work on ie8 (why i have to ask such a question for a gwt app?)

(the app uses some Wai Aria stuff -> http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/doc/latest/DevGuideA11y.html)

thx in advance

[Jens]

Is IE8 in standards mode? You can verify this by opening the IE dev tools and see if it displays "Browser Mode: IE8" and "Document Mode: IE8 Standards".

-- J.

[tanteanni]

thx for quick reply. i just installed ie dev toolbar from here:  http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=18359 and activated the bar. but where to find "browser mode" and "document mode"?

besides this i get the following exception on client side:

 SEVERE: class com.google.web.bindery.event.shared.UmbrellaException com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptException: (Error): Could not get the display property. Invalid argument. number: -2147024809 description: Could not get the display property. Invalid argument. Unknown._c(Unknown Source) Unknown.gd(Unknown Source) Unknown.Bm(Unknown Source) Unknown.Yl(Unknown Source) Unknown.uF(Unknown Source) Unknown.FF(Unknown Source) Unknown.Hcb(Unknown Source) Unknown.Td(Unknown Source) Unknown.Id(Unknown Source) Unknown.Cd(Unknown Source) Unknown.anonymous(Unknown Source)

[Thomas Broyer]

You don't have to install anything in IE8: just hit F12 to open the Developer Tools (you'll also find them in some menu, I'd guess in the Tools menu)

[tanteanni]

thx it diplays: "Browser Mode: IE8" and "Document Mode: IE8 Standards".

[Paul Stockley]

Make sure Ie isn't running in compatibility mode. This will result in a blank screen

[Jens]

Well then use the dev tools to check your DOM structure / CSS and modify it so that IE8 displays your widgets (I am pretty sure they are attached to the DOM but rendered with a height of 0px or something like that).

GWTs widgets are cross browser compatible but as soon as you add custom CSS and/or custom DOM structures (e.g. using UiBinder with HTMLPanel and <div>'s) its up to you to make these custom changes cross browser compatible.

Well and of course find the cause of the exception you have seen and fix it.

-- J.

[tanteanni]

did you say if i change gwt's standard styles the main advantage of gwt is destroyed? or the other way around how to use gwt to keep cross browser compatibility? what are "custom changes" where is the border between custom changes and using the api? is there any documentation about that.

(i am confused a little bit)