At what point does IE7 recalculate styles? It seems to have difficulty functioning consistently when a class is applied to the body

Currently facing a peculiar issue. I'm utilizing a class on the element as a toggle switch to control various layout behaviors on my website.

When the class is active, specific actions occur; when it's inactive, these actions do not take place. Javascript handles the application and removal of the class. Here is an example of the relevant CSS:

.rightSide { display:none; }
.showCommentsRight .rightSide { display:block; width:50%; }
.showCommentsRight .leftSide { display:block; width:50%; }

And the corresponding HTML structure:

<body class="showCommentsRight">
    <div class="container"></div>
        <div class="leftSide"></div>
        <div class="rightSide"></div>
    </div>
    <div class="container"></div>
        <div class="leftSide"></div>
        <div class="rightSide"></div>
    </div>
    <div class="container"></div>
        <div class="leftSide"></div>
        <div class="rightSide"></div>
    </div>
</body>

Simplified for clarity but the concept remains the same. The entire page adjusts its layout (concealing the right side in three different sections) based on the body flag. This functionality functions correctly in Firefox and IE8 but encounters issues in IE8 compatibility mode. Interestingly, upon refreshing the page, the displayed section's right side can vary. At times, only the top section displays the right side while at others, it's the middle one.

I have attempted:
- Validating the HTML for any errors
- Verifying the correctness of my CSS code structure
- Ensuring that my IE7 hack sheet isn't causing interference
- Applying the flag class to a non-body wrapper element (still resulting in the same erratic behavior)

Consequently, my questions are:
- Is there a method to ensure consistent behavior in this scenario?
- Under what circumstances does IE7 decide to reapply styles?

Appreciate insights from everyone.

Answer №1

Reminds me of a frustrating issue I encountered with IE7, where the DOM would update but the screen wouldn't reflect the changes (sometimes triggering a redraw by hovering over it). I came up with a workaround that seemed to do the trick in my case (pseudo-javascript):

//Immediately after changing the CSS class:
if(isIe7()){
    addAnEmptyDivAboveTheChangedElement();
    removeTheEmptyDivFromTheDom();
}

Strangely enough, this hack of adding and removing an element caused IE7 to repaint the document. It might result in a flicker and is resource-intensive since it forces a full repaint on a slow browser. That's why I only implemented it for IE7 detection, so as not to affect other browsers unnecessarily.

No guarantees that it will work though... When attempting to solve this issue, I tried numerous hacks that proved ineffective. Dealing with IE7 quirks using javascript can feel like a bit of trial and error mysticism. :)

PS: I noticed suggestions about toggling display, which could potentially work. In my case, however, I had to actually remove the element from the DOM tree for it to take effect.

Answer №2

Give this a shot:

.displayCommentsRight .rightPanel { display:block !important; width:50%; }
.displayCommentsRight .leftPanel { display:block !important; width:50%; }

Answer №3

Almost there with a solution, perhaps someone can help bring it over the finish line.

The page functions correctly under the following conditions:
- If the styling is manually applied to the body rather than using javascript.
(not an ideal fix, but worth mentioning)
- If the elements that IE7 fails to update (.rightSide's) are forcibly manipulated like $(".rightSide").hide().show();

The second approach is nearly effective, but I specifically need show/hide functionality from my code flag, so I'm seeking a less intrusive method to trigger an IE style refresh.

Answer №4

It appears that you may be experiencing a reflow/repaint issue or layout problem in IE6/IE7.

To learn more about what triggers reflow, repaint, and other rendering issues, check out this informative analysis. You can also visit this link to understand how elements in IE "have layout".

An interesting way to trigger both "having layout" and a reflow is by using height: 1%;, which is known as the Holly hack, named after its discoverer, Holly Bergevin.

Answer №5

Just wanted to share my experience. I was facing an issue with an expando object, but I managed to solve it by adding a setTimeout delay. The problem I encountered was that the background image wasn't showing up when I added some HTML content.

    app.viewModel.modules.updateSpeech = function (element) {
        if ($('html').hasClass('IE7')) {
            var cssClass = $(element).attr('class') || element['class'];
            if (cssClass)
                setTimeout(function() { $(element).removeClass(cssClass).addClass(cssClass); }, 0);
        }
    };

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