I've been doing some testing for our institution. We are upgrading our moodle server and revamping the layout as well. I really like the Essential theme. However, I've run into a small issue with the latest versions. In my tests, versions after release 2.7.7 (2014090303) do not seem to be compatible with IE 9.
Could someone tell me what has changed in the releases since 2.7.7 that breaks IE 9 compatibility?
List of commits: https://github.com/gjb2048/moodle-theme_essential/commits/master
List of changes:
New in 2.7.9.1 ============== - FIX: Issue #371: Alert Icons not rendered. New in 2.7.9 ============ - FIX: Issue #326: Submit panel overlaps the message input area. - FIX: Issue #329: Social icons in mobile view showing odd behaviour. - FIX: Issue #330: Slider caption below causes jump. - FIX: Issue #346: Affix header height when using the old navbar setting. - FIX: Issue #349: Background missing in private messages. - FIX: Issue #350: Background missing after posting to forum. - FIX: Issue #352: Piwik function clash with local plugin version - https://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?plugin=local_analytics. - FIX: Issue #356: Incorrect $filename in /pluginfile.php/1/theme_essential/style//essential.css. - FIX: Issue #357: Beside slider option layout issues. - FIX: Issue #358: 2.7.9b issues. - FIX: Issue #359: Further 2.7.9b issues. - FIX: Issue #361: Tweak to quiz editing in 2.7.9b. - FIX: Issue #366: My Grades view includes course name. - FIX: Issue #367: Course discription summary box not wide enough. - FIX: Issue #370: Fancy breadcrumb hidden courses are strikethrough. - UPDATE : moodle/core.less - MDL-47340 & MDL-47097. - UPDATE : moodle/course.less - MDL-47340. - UPDATE : moodle/responsive.less - MDL-47242. - NEW: Issue #247: Provide option to prevent automatic collapse for breadcrumbs. - NEW: Issue #327: Font file types. - NEW: Issue #340: Show slider navigation icons only when mouse in the slider. - NEW: Issue #354: Ability to turn FitVids on / off. - NEW: Issue #364: Add Shoelace dynamic footer blocks. New in 2.7.8 ============ - FIX: Issue #248: Navbar overlay on activity selection popup. - FIX: Issue #252: LESS background: transparent; being compiled as background: 0 0; - FIX: Issue #254: Gradebook alignment. - FIX: Issue #257: Header options cause navbar to display incorrectly. - FIX: Issue #258: Message menu text wrapping in IE 11. - FIX: Issue #259: In course page icon not appears. - FIX: Issue #260: Preview Questions. - FIX: Issue #263: Group Image alignment in Forums. - FIX: Issue #264: Incorrect H1 content in Password change screen. - FIX: Issue #268: When vertical, Marketing spot urls all link to the url for Marketing spot 1. - FIX: Issue #271: Performance information not readable when theme colour is #ffffff. - FIX: Issue #272: Email/URL for Help link not correctly parsed. - FIX: Issue #277: Docking clash when not using old navbar. - FIX: Issue #284: Testing 2.7.8a - Save changes bar offset to the right. - FIX: Issue #285: Some colours need checking. - FIX: Issue #286: CSS caching in Google Chrome. - FIX: Issue #287: Embedded objects overlap the navigation elements. - FIX: Issue #289: Conflict with Turnitin plugin's navbar. - FIX: Issue #291: Carousel images distort. - FIX: Issue #292: Google Fonts through https FIX. Thanks to @PiotrNawrot. - FIX: Issue #293: Multilang tags do not work with the course heading. - FIX: Issue #294: Undefined variable icon. - FIX: Issue #296: Quiz settings page. - FIX: Issue #298: User profile fields - can't edit Categories. - FIX: Issue #300: Piwik not working in 2.7.8c. - FIX: Issue #301: Long resource/activity names overlap editing menu with editing on. - FIX: Issue #302: Setting "Breadcrumb Style" to "hide" does not remove the breadcrumb background. - FIX: Issue #304: Region not defined in M2.6. - FIX: Issue #311: Quiz submission in RTL. - FIX: Issue #312: Calendar header in RTL. - FIX: Issue #315: Dropdown Menu Highlighting. - FIX: Issue #318: Quiz Order and Paging - Alignment fine-tuning. - FIX: Issue #319: Preview Question displays directly on background image. - FIX: Issue #321: Theme not load essential.css when using https on login page. - FIX: Issue #322: Menu colour needs checking. - NEW: Issue #249: Implement RTL CSS switching. Thank you to Nadav Kavalerchik and many others for testing. - NEW: Issue #251: Marketing spots h tags. - NEW: Issue #269: Marketing Spots Social Media Widgets. - NEW: Issue #278: Site name needs to be formatted in line with MDL-47080. - NEW: Issue #295: My Courses navbar link not working. - NEW: Issue #305: Login button in menu bar on login page.
Will the 2.8 version of Essential be tested for IE 9 compatibility?
The 2.8 version will be based on the 2.7 version and contain all of the wonderful enhancements that are in it. Pragmatically its enough of a job supporting modern browsers - I'm a one man band so rely on the support of the community to test the infinite combinations of OS / Browser etc. So almost certainly not. If anybody has fixes for IE9 then I'd be willing to review and incorporate them.
This is the list of issues with IE9: https://github.com/gjb2048/moodle-theme_essential/labels/IE9 - but I have not been able to replicate the navbar issue. I did think that issue #249 might have been the catalyst but I hardly touched IE9 specific styles there.
From an engineering point of view the words "do not seem to be compatible with IE 9" are a bit woolly and unrepeatable in a testing context. In order to fix any bug you need a clear definition of the problem so that you can understand what it is, be able to replicate and therefore confirm that the fix solves the problem. Its like saying 'my car does not work' when really you meant to say to the garage 'I have a flat on the front left because I accidentally rain over a six inch nail, the car is a xxxxx .....' - then the mechanic will have a chance of solving the problem in a timely fashion. Are you talking about one issue or more?
And... Microsoft, bless their cotton socks, have introduced 'Enterprise mode' for IE11: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn640687.aspx - so that you can update to IE11 and still facilitate the use of legacy software. So, go ahead and upgrade with an Active Directory msi deployment.
Pardon me for asking, but have you checked that your Microsoft browser is not at fault in that it could be in Compatibility Mode? This can throw quite a few themes out.
To check CLICK on F12 ( that's Function Key 12 on your KeyBoard)
In the popup window you will see midway across the middle of your screen two tabs telling you which mode it is in. These should both refer to Internet Explorer 9 for Standards as well as Documents. If you find that it is IE9 Compatibility, or IE8 Compatibility, or IE7 Compatibility or heaven forbid IE7 Quirks Mode, then just click on the one that is for IE9, assuming too that you have got the latest in IE9 or maybe you should upgrade to IE11 which is far more Moodle Theme friendly.
Also, have you thought of complaining to Microsoft to ask why it is that their browsers are years behind the rest. In fact if you did they would tell you, as we do, to upgrade!
It would be perhaps better too, if you added FireFox as an alternative browser for your students, as that is pretty good and works on older desktop computers like XP.
Hope this helps?
Mary
That was a good catch Mary. I checked and the browsers are all set to IE8 Compatibility mode.
Unfortunately, there isn't anything I can do about that. I have zero say in the institution's browser selection. That decision is made by another department. I'm expected to work with whatever they have made available.
Thanks for quick responses though.
It might be that I can solve the IE8 issue with: https://github.com/gjb2048/moodle-theme_essential/issues/344 - but its not really at the top of my list of things to do, if you want it done I'm open to it being funded work. From my past I seem to remember that there is a way to prevent compatibility mode with a line of code in the header of the html, just cannot remember what exactly it is.
That is not true, these settings are server side and not particularly set by anyone, and believe me the IT people have far more worries than who is changing browser settings. These problem relate to YOUR browser on the machine you are working on, so change them. There is another setting which is in the tool bar top left, it looks like a Cog or a Gear I think they call it...so clicking...Tools > View Compatibility Settings...
In this popup you will find your moodle site web address listed. Just remove it and then SAVE the setting.
This will ensure every time you go to Moodle site the page on that computer, Essential theme will look as it is meant to look.
EDIT:
This is what it looks like just make sure the whole of it is empty like this image shows!
Cheers
Mary
I'm thinking of the 'meta' tag which Essential does not currently have in header.php: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3449286/force-ie-compatibility-mode-off-in-ie-using-tags
CROSS posting again!
good job its not netscape
Okay I did a test using IE 9 running as 9 and this is what I get.
This is what it looks like in ie11.
Thanks William.
What does the same site look like when you downgrade to the 2.7.7 version?
What fixes do you suggest to solve the problems?
On a practical level trying to support IE is a nightmare in itself, trying to understand what it does and why it does it. It has become evident to me that IE11 has progressed as Microsoft have realised the errors of the past to improve the browser to be more standards compliant. I have no requirement to support IE9 and consider trying to understand it a pointless exercise. And even if I did try and understand the 'why' of it then I would almost certainly come to the conclusion that this poster eloquently describes: http://www.despair.com/mistakes.html. It would be such a time consuming exercise that by the time it was completed, IE22 would be out and the user's requirement to have IE9 a thing of the distant past.
The crux of all of this is I fear that you will have to live in the past with IE9 with using 2.7.7 of Essential until such a time as you are in a position to update. The only conceivable pragmatic fix would be to use browser detection and serve up an old version of the theme if IE9 - just like the mobile / tablet / legacy theme setting - the latter might be the best bet. As I've already said, if you find fixes, I will willingly review them and integrate them if they meet the Moodle coding standard and are 'compartmentalised' as to not cause regressions anywhere else.
I want to move forward, not live handcuffed to the past, so see no reason whatsoever to spend any of my remaining heartbeats supporting IE9.
When I run 2.7.7 it looks like the IE11 image. Everything appears to be formatted correctly in 2.7.7.
I fear you are correct about IE9. Unfortunately I'm saddled with it here. The worst part is while I have to support IE9 for the internal users, the bulk of my users are external and have up-to-date browsers.
I can also completely understand why you don't want to put huge amounts of effort into developing for a waning browser version.
Hi, if your users are external they can use any browser they like to view your course material, that means Firefox or Chrome where Essential works best!
