NetScape 7 and IE differences

Hi,

I've created an intranet site on our (novell) network.

I've put in some standaard documents for opening or downloading, but since I don't want everbody to see them, I've put those documents in a special directory to which only a couple of users have access rights.

Now I defined a webpage with the following tag

<a href= "file://emgd-s1/usr/usr/management/EM_LV_in_engels.doc" target=_blank>Leveringsvoorwaarden(eng)</a>

When I click the link in IE, IE opens the file within the browser, or when I use the rightmousebutton, I can download and save that file. But not in Netscape 7...

Netscape opens a blank window, with no url in the location bar at all and says : sending request to 192.9.200.11...

(192.9.200.11 is the URL of the intranetsite)

and keeps saying that... and nothing ever happens.

Anybody?

thx in advance

 

Try to use http://... instead of file://... in you link.
file does not work very well along intranet.

 

I did use HTTP:// when those documents resided on our webserver.

But now I want them directly downloaded from our fileserver, and since that is not a website http:// does not work.

 

Hello,
Do you refer the "fileserver" as a computer setup as a server for intranet usage? (Like web server or ftp server)
OR just one computer on the network?

There is another issue about the *.doc file type. IE of course handles it perfectly, however as for Netscape, the best settings is that a prompt window would pop up and ask you want to do (and you should save it do disk). Please also check in the helper application if you've configured the file type *.doc.

If you want to use file://
Try one more slash (/), i.e. (file:///....)

 

Hi,

With the fileserver I really do mean the file server, this is a Netware 6 machine, and not an intranet or ftp server.

The problem not only persists with .doc files but also with .ppt or .xls files..

I'll give the /// option a try.

thx in advance.

 

We'll I tried file:/// but this neither works in IE nor Netscape...

 

Can you also test if *.gif and *.txt files in file server work?

I have a feeling that is the file association issues.

 

I tried it with a .txt file, but I get exactly the same result.

Blank new window.. nothing in the location bar.

 

If you can't even access the file server via Netscape at all, it is likely that the server is not acting as intranet server. However MSIE, due to its integration with core Windows, can access it via other methods (such as Network Place, Network Neighbourhoot...).
The final method I would suggest you to try...
Try open a browse window (browse the folder and files, like Windows Explorer) browsing the files in file server.
Drag the file into Netscape 7 window, and take a note on what is displayed in the location bar. (if Netscape 7 can open it at all).

 

Well, what you suggested works fine..

If I browse the network and open one of those files, Netscape shows the 'download pop-up window' and asks what I want to do, 'download file' or 'open using excell' (I tried to open an .xls file)

Even when I try 'open web location', instead of 'open file', it works fine and the above mentioned download pop-up is shown.

So it seems netscape can open those files, but only the file:// tag does not work.

 

Interesting...
If possible, in the open file/save file window that asks you 'download file' or 'open using excel', try to see if you can see the source URL.
That source URL might be able to use in the future.

 

Well this is what Netscape calls;

file:///G:/Instwork/Intranet-NW/docs/EM%20Kortingstaffel%202002.xls

And if I put this in my HTML it works.. Both in Netscape and in IE, however, this means that every user of the intranetsite, will have to have a mapping to the correct G: drive, and this is a mapping to our local file server. (If I remove the mapping to G: on my own machine, it does not work anymore.)

Since we have about 7 fileservers in our WAN, this option is not gonna work anyway. I have to use "emgd-s1/usr" (servername/volumename) instead of "G:" and then it does not work anymore in Netscape...

Neither in IE by the way, only if I remove one of the three following slashes it does.

 

Well,
I can't help you much more in mapping issues.
In my experience, all mapped drivers (file servers) everyone has to grab the file by Windows Explorer (not direct link). And because of this, there is a tendency that we are moving to internal server (intranet) and the usage is simply same as the web interface. Hence everyone is happy.

 

Well OK. It seems that I have to find another solution.

I can of course put the documents back on the intranetserver, but then everybody can view them.

And since that is not what we want, I'll have to write some sort of (ASP)script to see which user is trying to get the document, but I don't know if that's possible, since my users are Netware users and not WinNT users..

Thx anyway..

 

If I were you I would put some password prection in your intranet server, OR add some access control for your intranet (such as IP control)

 

Well it seems that putting in a password is the only left possiblity if I want it to work from netscape browsers as well..

Or stop using netscape ;-)

 

Well it seems that there are no other options than to put in a password. Which I did, and it works..

Thx for you help and time..

topic can be closed

 

You are welcome.