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Resolved Finding out when a webpage was last updated

Discussion in 'Firefox, Thunderbird & SeaMonkey' started by Frank D, 2011/06/17.

  1. 2011/06/17
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    I continually am faced with the following problem while surfing, which is described in the extract from the following webpage. I've Googled all the phrases I can think of but I keep getting the same recommendation:

    Get Last Updated Web Page Date and Time
    http://txpress.blogspot.com/2006/11/get-last-updated-web-page-date-and.html
    "You may have come across a Web Page thinking you are reading the most current article, only to find it is 3 years old.

    "This is a common problem many surfers face. Sometimes it helps when the last updated time is displayed just before the content on the web page. But not all sites do it. So, what is the solution?

    "Just go to the desired web page of your choice and paste the following code in your address bar:
    javascript:alert(document.lastModified) "

    This may sound like a great solution, except it's a pain having to memorize or copy and paste that text to be typed or pasted. However, when I go ahead and type this text into the address bar and press Enter, I get the following message box:
    "NoScript
    javascript: and data: URIs typed or pasted in the address bar are disabled to prevent social engineering attacks.
    Developers can enable them for testing purposes by toggling the "noscript.allowURLBarJS" preference." -- whatever that means!

    This is a killer. Now I have a bunch of things to memorize or figure out, and I don't want to do that. And I don't want to mess around in any way with NoScript.

    Can anyone help me with a solution to this fix? :confused: Thank you.

    Frank D

    BTW, I don't want to check for when a webpage is updated, as is done by Update Scanner, an add-on for Firefox that checks for web page updates.
     
    Last edited: 2011/06/17
  2. 2011/06/17
    Steve R Jones

    Steve R Jones SuperGeek Staff

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    What about a three year old article that was posted to a site yesterday? There has to be a ton of stuff like that.

    Can ya give a couple of examples when reading old stuff happens to you?
     

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  4. 2011/06/17
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    Steve, I know there's a danger involved in assuming that the contents of a webpage may be old, when it is actually a new posting. That's not the half of the question that I'm concerned with, it's the other half.

    Here's an example of a page that I found while browsing: http://pers-www.wlv.ac.uk/~fa1871/joynote.html . I want to credit the authors if I quote something from that page, but I have no idea of how old the article might be. If I see the last updated date is (for example) 1999, I then know for sure that it's not the latest word on the subject. I know that leaves the other half of the question unanswered, but at least it's better than nothing.

    Thanks!

    Frank
     
    Last edited: 2011/06/17
  5. 2011/06/18
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    After much, much Googling and rephrasing the question, I found on this site: http://bytes.com/topic/html-css/answers/154573-last-modified-date-web-page a tentative answer, that is, to use the right-click "Page Info" option. I tried it on the webpage in question and it showed a "Modified" date of Thursday, June 19, 2003. This sounds about right and at least it's not the date (i.e., today) that I "downloaded" or opened the page in my Firefox 3.6.17 browser. :)

    Does anyone see any downside (or upside) to using this method? Thanks!

    Frank
     
  6. 2011/06/18
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    I think that's the best you'll get Frank ;) ie unless the servers clock is wrong or the page was restored from a backup and timestamps updated to the restore time. Basically short of asking the author directly there's not much more you can do.
     
  7. 2011/06/18
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    As you say, Wildfire, it appears that it's the best I can do. I appreciate your review. :)

    Frank
     
  8. 2011/06/19
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    Frank D likes this.
  9. 2011/06/19
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    This one looks promising for 3.5/3.6 I haven't tested it though. I may give it a shot on 4.0.1 later.

    LastModified Date 0.1
     
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  10. 2011/06/19
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks for the tip, Tony! I Googled and found this add-on for Firefox:
    ==================================
    LastModified Date :: Add-ons for Firefox
    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/lastmodified-date/
    LastModified Date 0.1
    by combo
    ==================================
    It works, :) and provides the same date (plus the time) as "Page info" does, pre-pended to the page's URL in the address bar. Where a page doesn't have a saved date it shows "--/--/---- ". The same limitations that Wildfire pointed out apply, but as we agreed that's the best that can be done. I appreciate your help.

    Frank

    P.S. I see that Wildfire found the same add-on. :)
     
  11. 2011/06/19
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    Hi Frank,

    Tested with 4.0.1, although it installs ok every page shows --/--/----

    Just letting you know that for 4.x it's a no go.
     
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  12. 2011/06/19
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    Wildfire, thanks for the feedback. At least we know the add-on works with FF3.x.x, and the Page Info method should work with FF4x.

    Frank
     
  13. 2011/06/19
    Rick_E

    Rick_E Inactive

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    You could create a Favorite (bookmark) with the javascript as the URL.Get the updated date by going to the favorite.

    * Create a favorite for any page.

    * Select the IE Favorite menu, right-click on the favorite you just created and choose Properties. Change the URL to javascript:alert(document.lastModified) and change the name of the favorite to Updated Date.
     
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  14. 2011/06/20
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    Rick, it worked! :)

    When I activate the bookmark, up pops a message (see http://min.us/iKMA8.jpg) with the URL, date and time.

    BTW, your instructions are for Internet Explorer. Do you have a translation for Firefox? (I had to blunder my way around to get to work.)

    Thanks a lot!

    Frank
     
  15. 2011/06/27
    Westside

    Westside Inactive Alumni

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    It should work, as well, to substitute the word IE Favorites with Bookmarks. and work inside the individual browser.
     
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  16. 2011/06/30
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    AFAIK, using the javascript bookmark won't work in FF, only IE. It will popup an alert but I believe it always shows the same date. Test it on different sites to see if the date changes.
     
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  17. 2011/06/30
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    Tony, thanks for the tip. I hadn't thought of testing it. OK, I just checked it out with this website: http://people.ku.edu/~kconrad/960f03.html and in both browsers (FF5 and IE9), the last updated date I get from the bookmark/favorite is identical: 11/03/2003 @19:54:59. :) So it looks like it works regardless of the browser.

    Frank

    BTW I updated FF to version 5 from 3.6.18. Maybe the new version supports the javascript bookmark where the previous version didn't.
     
    Last edited: 2011/06/30
  18. 2011/07/28
    JSS3rd Lifetime Subscription

    JSS3rd Geek Member

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    Mozilla's LastModified Date extension doesn't work with FF 5.x or 6.0b3, either.
     
    Last edited: 2011/07/28
  19. 2011/07/28
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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  20. 2011/07/28
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    Jim's posting about the addon Frank, not your workaround.
     
  21. 2011/07/28
    Frank D

    Frank D Inactive Thread Starter

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    Oops! I didn't read Jim's comment thoroughly before replying. :eek:

    Thanks, Wildfire. :)

    Frank
     

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