Pro Internet Explorer 8 & 9 Development
THE EXPERT’S VOICE ® IN WEB DEVELOPMENT
Pro
Pro
Internet Explorer 8 & 9
Development
stering Basic Algorithms in the
Python Language
Developing powerful applications for
the next generation of IE
Matthew Crowley
www.it-ebooks.info
www.it-ebooks.info
Pro Internet Explorer 8
& 9 Development
Developing Powerful Applications for the
Next Generation of IE
■■■
Matthew Crowley
i
www.it-ebooks.info
Pro Internet Explorer 8 & 9 Development: Developing Powerful Applications for the Next Generation
of IE
Copyright © 2010 by Matthew Crowley
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.
ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-4302-2853-0
ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4302-2854-7
Printed and bound in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Trademarked names, logos, and images may appear in this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol
with every occurrence of a trademarked name, logo, or image we use the names, logos, and images only
in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of
the trademark.
The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are
not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject
to proprietary rights.
President and Publisher: Paul Manning
Lead Editor: Jonathan Hassell
Development Editor: Jonathan Hassell
Technical Reviewer: Eric Lawrence
Editorial Board: Steve Anglin, Mark Beckner, Ewan Buckingham, Gary Cornell, Jonathan Gennick,
Jonathan Hassell, Michelle Lowman, Matthew Moodie, Duncan Parkes, Jeffrey Pepper, Frank
Pohlmann, Douglas Pundick, Ben Renow-Clarke, Dominic Shakeshaft, Matt Wade, Tom Welsh
Coordinating Editor: Adam Heath
Copy Editor: Damon Larson
Compositor: MacPS, LLC
Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services
Artist: April Milne
Cover Designer: Anna Ishchenko
Distributed to the book trade worldwide by Springer Science+Business Media, LLC., 233 Spring Street, 6th
Floor, New York, NY 10013. Phone 1-800-SPRINGER, fax (201) 348-4505, e-mail orders-ny@springer-sbm.com,
or visit www.springeronline.com.
For information on translations, please e-mail rights@apress.com, or visit www.apress.com.
Apress and friends of ED books may be purchased in bulk for academic, corporate, or promotional use.
eBook versions and licenses are also available for most titles. For more information, reference our
Special Bulk Sales–eBook Licensing web page at www.apress.com/info/bulksales.
The information in this book is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty. Although every
precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author(s) nor Apress shall have
any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused
directly or indirectly by the information contained in this work.
The source code for this book is available to readers at www.proiedev.org.
ii
www.it-ebooks.info
For my Mom, Dad, and Grandma.
Thanks for your love, support, and endless patience.
iii
www.it-ebooks.info
Contents at a Glance
■Contents ................................................................................................................v
■About the Author ............................................................................................... xvii
■About the Technical Reviewer.......................................................................... xviii
■Acknowledgments.............................................................................................. xix
■Preface ................................................................................................................ xx
■Chapter 1: Internet Explorer Architecture.............................................................1
■Chapter 2: Interoperability and Compatibility.....................................................39
■Chapter 3: Enriching Web Applications with AJAX and JSON.............................55
■Chapter 4: Connecting Services with Accelerators...........................................101
■Chapter 5: Debugging and Inspecting Pages with Developer Tools..................131
■Chapter 6: Scripting with Mutable DOM Prototypes .........................................171
■Chapter 7: Debugging and Inspecting Pages with Fiddler ................................193
■Chapter 8: Content Syndication with Web Slices ..............................................217
■Chapter 9: Building Search Provider and Search Suggestion Extensions.........241
■Chapter 10: Building Lightweight Buttons and Menu Extensions .....................267
■Chapter 11: Developing Applications with the WebBrowser Control ................299
■Chapter 12: Enhancing Page Content with Managed ActiveX Controls.............315
■Chapter 13: Building In-Process Extensions with Browser Helper Objects ......333
■Chapter 14: Extending the Browser Frame Using Band Objects .......................343
■Chapter 15: Scripting and Automating Internet Explorer..................................363
■Index .................................................................................................................375
iv
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Contents
■Contents at a Glance ............................................................................................iv
■About the Author ............................................................................................... xvii
■About the Technical Reviewer.......................................................................... xviii
■Acknowledgments.............................................................................................. xix
■Preface ................................................................................................................ xx
■Chapter 1: Internet Explorer Architecture.............................................................1
Application Architecture and Dependencies ................................................................... 1
Command-Line Parameters ...................................................................................................................3
Processor Support..................................................................................................................................4
Protected Mode (Low-Rights IE) ............................................................................................................4
Loosely Coupled Internet Explorer .........................................................................................................7
Browser Frame, Tabs, and UI.......................................................................................... 8
Search and Navigation...........................................................................................................................8
Printing.................................................................................................................................................10
Tab Management .................................................................................................................................10
Favorites Center, Feeds, and History UI ...............................................................................................10
Status and Notifications.......................................................................................................................11
Frame and Tab Extensibility.................................................................................................................14
Developer Tools ............................................................................................................ 18
Script Errors and View Source .............................................................................................................19
Shell Document View .................................................................................................... 19
The Travel Log and Shared Features ...................................................................................................19
v
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■ CONTENTS
Trident (MSHTML) ................................................................................................................................19
Third-Party and Custom Document Objects.........................................................................................19
Trident Layout and Rendering Engine........................................................................... 20
Parser Subsystem ................................................................................................................................21
Document Modes and Compatibility View............................................................................................21
Core Document Subsystem..................................................................................................................21
Text, Layout, and Rendering Subsystem..............................................................................................22
Object Model Subsystem .....................................................................................................................22
Component Model Subsystem .............................................................................................................23
Editing Subsystem ...............................................................................................................................24
Networking and Zones .................................................................................................. 24
URLMon................................................................................................................................................24
WinINET................................................................................................................................................25
Security, Trust, and Privacy Architecture ..................................................................... 25
Security UI and Feedback Mechanisms ...............................................................................................25
Application Integrity and Browser Defenses........................................................................................28
Extension Integrity Defenses ...............................................................................................................28
Privacy and Social Engineering Protections.........................................................................................31
High-Integrity Brokers..........................................................................................................................33
Hosting and Reuse ........................................................................................................ 34
MSHTML...............................................................................................................................................34
WebBrowser Control ............................................................................................................................34
HTML Applications ...............................................................................................................................34
Scripting Interfaces and API Usage......................................................................................................34
Application Management Tools..................................................................................... 35
Internet Explorer Administration Kit.....................................................................................................35
Setup and the Windows 7 Uninstaller ..................................................................................................35
Windows Error Reporting, Event Logging Infrastructure, and the Customer
Experience Improvement Program...............................................................................................35
Windows 7 Troubleshooter ..................................................................................................................35
Default Programs .................................................................................................................................36
vi
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■ CONTENTS
Online Services ....................................................................................................................................36
Settings Management and Feature Controls ................................................................ 36
Internet Options Control Panel (inetcpl.cpl) .........................................................................................36
Reset Internet Explorer Settings ..........................................................................................................36
Manage Add-Ons .................................................................................................................................37
Group Policy .........................................................................................................................................37
Feature Control Keys............................................................................................................................37
Summary....................................................................................................................... 37
■Chapter 2: Interoperability and Compatibility.....................................................39
Standards Support and Interoperability ........................................................................ 39
HTML 4.01, HTML 5, and DOM Spec Support Improvements...............................................................39
Document Modes and Versioning ................................................................................. 41
Quirks Mode, Document Modes, and X-UA-Compatible.......................................................................41
Document Modes .................................................................................................................................42
Targeting Quirks Mode and Document Modes in Markup....................................................................42
Targeting Document Modes from the Server Side...............................................................................43
Feature Controls for Document Modes ................................................................................................44
Differences Between IE 7 Standards Mode and True IE 7....................................................................45
Compatibility View ........................................................................................................ 45
The Microsoft Compatibility View List..................................................................................................46
Controlling Compatibility Settings........................................................................................................46
Version Targeting.......................................................................................................... 48
Version Targeting Using Conditional Comments ..................................................................................48
User Agent String Sniffing Using JavaScript........................................................................................50
Compatibility View and the UA String ..................................................................................................51
The Web Developer’s Dilemma ..................................................................................... 52
Summary....................................................................................................................... 53
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■ CONTENTS
■Chapter 3: Enriching Web Applications with AJAX and JSON.............................55
The XMLHttpRequest Object ......................................................................................... 55
The XMLHTTP Library and XMLHttpRequest Object .............................................................................55
Native XMLHttpRequest .......................................................................................................................57
Cross-Browser AJAX Compatibility ......................................................................................................57
Scripting and DOM Improvements ................................................................................ 59
Native JSON Support............................................................................................................................59
String Sanitization with toStaticHTML .................................................................................................62
Standards Compliance Improvements .................................................................................................65
Persisting Data with DOM Storage................................................................................ 72
DOM Storage and Subdomains ............................................................................................................76
Securing Persisted Storage .................................................................................................................78
Moving towards HTML 5 Storage.........................................................................................................78
Networking and Connectivity ........................................................................................ 78
Online and Offline Events.....................................................................................................................78
XMLHttpRequest Timeout Events.........................................................................................................80
AJAX Navigation Events .......................................................................................................................83
Concurrent Connections.......................................................................................................................87
Communicating Across Pages and Domains ................................................................ 89
Cross-Domain Requests.......................................................................................................................90
Cross Frame Messaging with postMessage() ......................................................................................95
Tips and Tricks for Secure Communication .........................................................................................98
Summary....................................................................................................................... 99
■Chapter 4: Connecting Services with Accelerators...........................................101
The What and Why of Accelerators............................................................................. 101
User Experience and Data Flow .................................................................................. 102
The OpenService XML Schema ................................................................................... 103
Tags ...................................................................................................................................................103
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■ CONTENTS
Variables ............................................................................................................................................104
Creating Basic Accelerators........................................................................................ 105
Constructing an Accelerator’s XML File .............................................................................................105
Constructing a Web Service Handler .................................................................................................106
Handling Accelerator Contexts.................................................................................... 107
Using the Selection Context ...............................................................................................................108
Using the Link Context .......................................................................................................................109
Using the Document Context..............................................................................................................110
Implementing Previews .............................................................................................. 111
Installation and Deployment ....................................................................................... 114
Installing and Deploying via JavaScript .............................................................................................114
Installing and Deploying via Desktop Applications ............................................................................115
Working with Categories and Defaults...............................................................................................123
Managing Accelerators ............................................................................................... 123
Advanced Topics......................................................................................................... 124
Updating Installed Accelerators .........................................................................................................124
Building Rich Previews ......................................................................................................................125
Localizing Accelerators......................................................................................................................127
Cross-Browser Integration .................................................................................................................128
Best Practices for Building Accelerators..................................................................... 128
Providing Relevant Information..........................................................................................................129
Designing Secure Accelerators..........................................................................................................129
Designing Performant Accelerators ...................................................................................................129
Designing Preview Web Pages...........................................................................................................130
An Accelerator Design Checklist ........................................................................................................130
Summary..................................................................................................................... 130
■Chapter 5: Debugging and Inspecting Pages with Developer Tools..................131
Navigating the IE Developer Tools .............................................................................. 131
View Source .......................................................................................................................................132
The File Menu ....................................................................................................................................133
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3
■ CONTENTS
Inspecting Markup ...................................................................................................... 133
The HTML Tab and the DOM Explorer . ...............................................................................................133
The Attributes Pane. ...........................................................................................................................135
The Find, View, and Outline Menus. ...................................................................................................136
Exporting Changes . ............................................................................................................................138
Markup Inspection in Action . .............................................................................................................138
Inspecting Layout and Styles . .................................................................................... 140
The Style Pane . ..................................................................................................................................140
The Trace Styles Pane. .......................................................................................................................140
The Layout Pane. ................................................................................................................................141
The Attributes Pane. ...........................................................................................................................142
The CSS Tab. ......................................................................................................................................142
CSS and Layout Inspection in Action . ................................................................................................143
Using the Extended Toolset . ...................................................................................... 145
The Disable Menu . .............................................................................................................................145
The Images Menu. ..............................................................................................................................146
The Tools Menu. .................................................................................................................................146
The Extended Toolset in Action. .........................................................................................................148
Testing for Compatibility and Interoperability. ........................................................... 150
The Browser Mode and Document Mode Menus . ..............................................................................150
The Validate Menu . ............................................................................................................................151
Debugging JavaScript. ............................................................................................... 152
The Script Tab. ...................................................................................................................................152
The Source Pane . ...............................................................................................................................153
Breakpoints and the Breakpoints Pane. .............................................................................................154
The Locals, Watch, and Call Stack Panes . .........................................................................................155
The Debugging Console Pane and the console Object. ......................................................................156
JavaScript Debugging in Action . ........................................................................................................160
JavaScript Measurement and Optimization . .............................................................. 163
The JavaScript Profiler. ......................................................................................................................163
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■ CONTENTS
The Profiler UI ....................................................................................................................................163
Profile Views ......................................................................................................................................164
Exporting Data....................................................................................................................................165
JavaScript Performance Testing in Action.........................................................................................166
Managing Cookies and the Cache............................................................................... 168
Tips for Debugging and Inspecting Web Sites ............................................................ 170
Summary..................................................................................................................... 170
■Chapter 6: Scripting with Mutable DOM Prototypes .........................................171
A Primer: Prototypes, Properties, and the DOM .......................................................... 171
Prototypes ..........................................................................................................................................171
Properties (Getters and Setters).........................................................................................................172
JavaScript and the DOM ....................................................................................................................173
Mutable Prototypes and Properties in IE 8.................................................................. 174
Manipulating DOM Objects.................................................................................................................174
Manipulating DOM Object Get and Set Properties .............................................................................176
IE Improvements in Practice ....................................................................................... 179
Downlevel IE Compatibility.................................................................................................................179
Cross-Browser Interoperability ..........................................................................................................181
Security and Sanitization ...................................................................................................................182
Input Validation ..................................................................................................................................185
Summary..................................................................................................................... 192
■Chapter 7: Debugging and Inspecting Pages with Fiddler ................................193
Getting Started with Fiddler........................................................................................ 193
Installing and Running Fiddler ...........................................................................................................193
Navigating the Fiddler User Interface ................................................................................................195
Scripting Fiddler with Rules...............................................................................................................195
Viewing and Inspecting Sessions ............................................................................... 197
Deciphering the Session List .............................................................................................................197
Inspecting the Request-Response Sequence ....................................................................................198
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■ CONTENTS
Comparing Sessions ..........................................................................................................................201
Filtering Sessions........................................................................................................ 202
Using the Top-Level Filter Commands ...............................................................................................202
Using the Filters Tab ..........................................................................................................................202
Debugging and Manipulating Sessions....................................................................... 205
Using the Request Builder..................................................................................................................205
Using the Filters Tab to Modify Session Data ....................................................................................206
Setting and Using Breakpoints...........................................................................................................206
Analyzing Site Performance........................................................................................ 207
Quantifying Request Items, Types, and Times...................................................................................208
Evaluating Cache Performance ..........................................................................................................210
Optimizing Compression Settings ......................................................................................................211
Simulating Performance Scenarios Using Built-In Rules ...................................................................212
Using Fiddler to Decrypt HTTPS Traffic....................................................................... 212
Grabbing Simple Captures with FiddlerCap ................................................................ 214
Installing and Running FiddlerCap .....................................................................................................214
Capturing Traffic with FiddlerCap ......................................................................................................215
Summary..................................................................................................................... 216
■Chapter 8: Content Syndication with Web Slices ..............................................217
Basics of Web Slices................................................................................................... 217
Web Slice Structure: The hAtom Microformat ...................................................................................219
Designing and Deploying Basic Web Slices ................................................................ 220
Structuring and Creating a Web Slice ................................................................................................221
Installing and Viewing Web Slices .....................................................................................................222
Managing Web Slices.........................................................................................................................224
Update and Expiry Management ................................................................................. 225
Defining Update Intervals with TTL ....................................................................................................225
Defining Expiration with the endtime Selector...................................................................................227
Using CSS Styles and Stylesheets .............................................................................. 230
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■ CONTENTS
Inline Styles and In-Document Stylesheets .......................................................................................230
Linked and Imported Styles ...............................................................................................................232
Alternative Sources..................................................................................................... 234
Alternative Update Source .................................................................................................................234
Alternative Display Sources ...............................................................................................................235
Authentication............................................................................................................. 237
Basic and Digest Authentication ........................................................................................................237
Cookie-Based Authentication.............................................................................................................238
Advanced Topics......................................................................................................... 238
Specifying a Page’s Default Web Slice ..............................................................................................239
Script-Based Installation....................................................................................................................239
Disabling In-Document Web Slice Advertisement..............................................................................240
Summary..................................................................................................................... 240
■Chapter 9: Building Search Provider and Search Suggestion Extensions.........241
Understanding Search Providers ................................................................................ 241
The OpenSearch Description Format, JSON Search Suggestions,
and XML Search Suggestions Specifications...................................................... 244
OpenSearch Description Format Specification ..................................................................................244
JSON Search Suggestion Extension...................................................................................................252
XML Search Suggestion Extension ....................................................................................................253
Building a Basic Search Provider................................................................................ 256
Installing and Using Search Providers ........................................................................ 256
Advertising Search Providers...................................................................................... 258
Managing Search Providers........................................................................................ 259
Returning Visual Suggestions with XML ............................................................................................260
Advanced Topics......................................................................................................... 260
Building Cross-Browser Search Providers .........................................................................................260
Adding Search Providers to the IE Add-Ons Gallery...........................................................................261
User Preference Protection ................................................................................................................264
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■ CONTENTS
Summary..................................................................................................................... 265
■Chapter 10: Building Lightweight Buttons and Menu Extensions .....................267
Understanding Lightweight IE Extensions................................................................... 267
Adding Toolbar Buttons............................................................................................... 269
Common Toolbar Button Properties ...................................................................................................270
Running Script Using a Toolbar Button ..............................................................................................271
Launching an Executable via a Toolbar Button ..................................................................................273
Invoking COM Objects via a Toolbar Button .......................................................................................275
Opening Explorer Bars with Toolbar Buttons .....................................................................................283
Extending the Tools and Help Menus.......................................................................... 283
Common Menu Item Properties .........................................................................................................283
Running Script Using a Menu Item ....................................................................................................284
Launching an Executable via a Menu Item ........................................................................................287
Adding Entries to the In-Page Context Menu .............................................................. 289
Understanding the Context Menu Registry Structure.........................................................................289
Example: Browser Selection Context Menu Extension.......................................................................291
Turning Off the Context Menu ............................................................................................................294
Creating Context Menus with JavaScript.................................................................... 294
Summary..................................................................................................................... 298
■Chapter 11: Developing Applications with the WebBrowser Control ................299
Building a Simple WebBrowser Application................................................................ 299
Preparing to Use the WebBrowser Control.........................................................................................299
Creating an Instance of the WebBrowser Control (AxWebBrowser)...................................................301
Handling Basic Events........................................................................................................................303
Accessing the Object Model........................................................................................ 304
Attaching to Document and Window Objects.....................................................................................305
Accessing the Browser Object Model ................................................................................................306
Sinking Object Model Events .............................................................................................................307
Achieving Tight Integration with IE ............................................................................. 308
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■ CONTENTS
Setting Up the Application..................................................................................................................309
Integrating WebBrowser Events with the IE UI...................................................................................309
Mimicking Window Behavior of IE .....................................................................................................310
Surfacing and Executing OLE Commands..........................................................................................311
Summary..................................................................................................................... 314
■Chapter 12: Enhancing Page Content with Managed ActiveX Controls.............315
Getting to Know ActiveX Controls ............................................................................... 316
Architecting a Basic Control in .NET ........................................................................... 316
Designing the Public Interface ...........................................................................................................316
Building the Control ...........................................................................................................................319
Signing the Control ............................................................................................................................320
Running the Control ...........................................................................................................................321
Constructing UIs.......................................................................................................... 323
Adding a UI to a Managed Control......................................................................................................323
Setting a Control’s OLE UI Flags.........................................................................................................326
Exposing Events to ActiveX Hosts ............................................................................... 326
Creating the Event Interface ..............................................................................................................326
Practicing Safe ActiveX with IObjectSafety................................................................. 329
Staying Safe in the Great IUnknown ..................................................................................................329
Implementing IObjectSafety...............................................................................................................330
Looking At Alternative Platforms and Technologies ................................................... 332
Summary..................................................................................................................... 332
■Chapter 13: Building In-Process Extensions with Browser Helper Objects ......333
Understanding BHOs ................................................................................................... 333
Building a Generic BHO............................................................................................... 335
Registering and Running BHOs ................................................................................... 337
Sinking Browser Events .............................................................................................. 339
Summary..................................................................................................................... 342
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■ CONTENTS
■Chapter 14: Extending the Browser Frame Using Band Objects .......................343
Understanding Band Objects ...................................................................................... 343
Building a Generic Band Object .................................................................................. 345
Registering Band Objects............................................................................................ 351
Constructing a Toolbar................................................................................................ 355
Constructing a Vertical Explorer Bar ........................................................................... 357
Constructing a Horizontal Explorer Bar....................................................................... 360
Summary..................................................................................................................... 362
■Chapter 15: Scripting and Automating Internet Explorer..................................363
Using IE with the Command Line ................................................................................ 363
Getting to Know the IE Command Line...............................................................................................363
Changing IE Registry Settings............................................................................................................364
Invoking IE APIs Using RunDLL32 ......................................................................................................365
Writing Basic Scripts for IE ......................................................................................... 367
Creating IE Objects with the Windows Scripting Host........................................................................367
Creating IE Objects with PowerShell..................................................................................................368
Sinking Events Using VBScript and CreateObject ..............................................................................368
Learning Common IE Scripting Techniques by Example....................................................................369
Summary..................................................................................................................... 373
■Index .................................................................................................................375
xvi
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About the Author
■ Matthew David Crowley is Chief Technology Officer of Browsium, a company that provides solutions
to enterprises experiencing browser-related compatibility and operational issues. Prior to this role,
Matthew was the Program Manager for Developer Community and Tools on the Microsoft Internet
Explorer team. During that time he focused on planning, development, and implementation of fe
Pro
Pro
Internet Explorer 8 & 9
Development
stering Basic Algorithms in the
Python Language
Developing powerful applications for
the next generation of IE
Matthew Crowley
www.it-ebooks.info
www.it-ebooks.info
Pro Internet Explorer 8
& 9 Development
Developing Powerful Applications for the
Next Generation of IE
■■■
Matthew Crowley
i
www.it-ebooks.info
Pro Internet Explorer 8 & 9 Development: Developing Powerful Applications for the Next Generation
of IE
Copyright © 2010 by Matthew Crowley
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval
system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.
ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-4302-2853-0
ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4302-2854-7
Printed and bound in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Trademarked names, logos, and images may appear in this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol
with every occurrence of a trademarked name, logo, or image we use the names, logos, and images only
in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of
the trademark.
The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are
not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject
to proprietary rights.
President and Publisher: Paul Manning
Lead Editor: Jonathan Hassell
Development Editor: Jonathan Hassell
Technical Reviewer: Eric Lawrence
Editorial Board: Steve Anglin, Mark Beckner, Ewan Buckingham, Gary Cornell, Jonathan Gennick,
Jonathan Hassell, Michelle Lowman, Matthew Moodie, Duncan Parkes, Jeffrey Pepper, Frank
Pohlmann, Douglas Pundick, Ben Renow-Clarke, Dominic Shakeshaft, Matt Wade, Tom Welsh
Coordinating Editor: Adam Heath
Copy Editor: Damon Larson
Compositor: MacPS, LLC
Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services
Artist: April Milne
Cover Designer: Anna Ishchenko
Distributed to the book trade worldwide by Springer Science+Business Media, LLC., 233 Spring Street, 6th
Floor, New York, NY 10013. Phone 1-800-SPRINGER, fax (201) 348-4505, e-mail orders-ny@springer-sbm.com,
or visit www.springeronline.com.
For information on translations, please e-mail rights@apress.com, or visit www.apress.com.
Apress and friends of ED books may be purchased in bulk for academic, corporate, or promotional use.
eBook versions and licenses are also available for most titles. For more information, reference our
Special Bulk Sales–eBook Licensing web page at www.apress.com/info/bulksales.
The information in this book is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty. Although every
precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author(s) nor Apress shall have
any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused
directly or indirectly by the information contained in this work.
The source code for this book is available to readers at www.proiedev.org.
ii
www.it-ebooks.info
For my Mom, Dad, and Grandma.
Thanks for your love, support, and endless patience.
iii
www.it-ebooks.info
Contents at a Glance
■Contents ................................................................................................................v
■About the Author ............................................................................................... xvii
■About the Technical Reviewer.......................................................................... xviii
■Acknowledgments.............................................................................................. xix
■Preface ................................................................................................................ xx
■Chapter 1: Internet Explorer Architecture.............................................................1
■Chapter 2: Interoperability and Compatibility.....................................................39
■Chapter 3: Enriching Web Applications with AJAX and JSON.............................55
■Chapter 4: Connecting Services with Accelerators...........................................101
■Chapter 5: Debugging and Inspecting Pages with Developer Tools..................131
■Chapter 6: Scripting with Mutable DOM Prototypes .........................................171
■Chapter 7: Debugging and Inspecting Pages with Fiddler ................................193
■Chapter 8: Content Syndication with Web Slices ..............................................217
■Chapter 9: Building Search Provider and Search Suggestion Extensions.........241
■Chapter 10: Building Lightweight Buttons and Menu Extensions .....................267
■Chapter 11: Developing Applications with the WebBrowser Control ................299
■Chapter 12: Enhancing Page Content with Managed ActiveX Controls.............315
■Chapter 13: Building In-Process Extensions with Browser Helper Objects ......333
■Chapter 14: Extending the Browser Frame Using Band Objects .......................343
■Chapter 15: Scripting and Automating Internet Explorer..................................363
■Index .................................................................................................................375
iv
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Contents
■Contents at a Glance ............................................................................................iv
■About the Author ............................................................................................... xvii
■About the Technical Reviewer.......................................................................... xviii
■Acknowledgments.............................................................................................. xix
■Preface ................................................................................................................ xx
■Chapter 1: Internet Explorer Architecture.............................................................1
Application Architecture and Dependencies ................................................................... 1
Command-Line Parameters ...................................................................................................................3
Processor Support..................................................................................................................................4
Protected Mode (Low-Rights IE) ............................................................................................................4
Loosely Coupled Internet Explorer .........................................................................................................7
Browser Frame, Tabs, and UI.......................................................................................... 8
Search and Navigation...........................................................................................................................8
Printing.................................................................................................................................................10
Tab Management .................................................................................................................................10
Favorites Center, Feeds, and History UI ...............................................................................................10
Status and Notifications.......................................................................................................................11
Frame and Tab Extensibility.................................................................................................................14
Developer Tools ............................................................................................................ 18
Script Errors and View Source .............................................................................................................19
Shell Document View .................................................................................................... 19
The Travel Log and Shared Features ...................................................................................................19
v
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■ CONTENTS
Trident (MSHTML) ................................................................................................................................19
Third-Party and Custom Document Objects.........................................................................................19
Trident Layout and Rendering Engine........................................................................... 20
Parser Subsystem ................................................................................................................................21
Document Modes and Compatibility View............................................................................................21
Core Document Subsystem..................................................................................................................21
Text, Layout, and Rendering Subsystem..............................................................................................22
Object Model Subsystem .....................................................................................................................22
Component Model Subsystem .............................................................................................................23
Editing Subsystem ...............................................................................................................................24
Networking and Zones .................................................................................................. 24
URLMon................................................................................................................................................24
WinINET................................................................................................................................................25
Security, Trust, and Privacy Architecture ..................................................................... 25
Security UI and Feedback Mechanisms ...............................................................................................25
Application Integrity and Browser Defenses........................................................................................28
Extension Integrity Defenses ...............................................................................................................28
Privacy and Social Engineering Protections.........................................................................................31
High-Integrity Brokers..........................................................................................................................33
Hosting and Reuse ........................................................................................................ 34
MSHTML...............................................................................................................................................34
WebBrowser Control ............................................................................................................................34
HTML Applications ...............................................................................................................................34
Scripting Interfaces and API Usage......................................................................................................34
Application Management Tools..................................................................................... 35
Internet Explorer Administration Kit.....................................................................................................35
Setup and the Windows 7 Uninstaller ..................................................................................................35
Windows Error Reporting, Event Logging Infrastructure, and the Customer
Experience Improvement Program...............................................................................................35
Windows 7 Troubleshooter ..................................................................................................................35
Default Programs .................................................................................................................................36
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Online Services ....................................................................................................................................36
Settings Management and Feature Controls ................................................................ 36
Internet Options Control Panel (inetcpl.cpl) .........................................................................................36
Reset Internet Explorer Settings ..........................................................................................................36
Manage Add-Ons .................................................................................................................................37
Group Policy .........................................................................................................................................37
Feature Control Keys............................................................................................................................37
Summary....................................................................................................................... 37
■Chapter 2: Interoperability and Compatibility.....................................................39
Standards Support and Interoperability ........................................................................ 39
HTML 4.01, HTML 5, and DOM Spec Support Improvements...............................................................39
Document Modes and Versioning ................................................................................. 41
Quirks Mode, Document Modes, and X-UA-Compatible.......................................................................41
Document Modes .................................................................................................................................42
Targeting Quirks Mode and Document Modes in Markup....................................................................42
Targeting Document Modes from the Server Side...............................................................................43
Feature Controls for Document Modes ................................................................................................44
Differences Between IE 7 Standards Mode and True IE 7....................................................................45
Compatibility View ........................................................................................................ 45
The Microsoft Compatibility View List..................................................................................................46
Controlling Compatibility Settings........................................................................................................46
Version Targeting.......................................................................................................... 48
Version Targeting Using Conditional Comments ..................................................................................48
User Agent String Sniffing Using JavaScript........................................................................................50
Compatibility View and the UA String ..................................................................................................51
The Web Developer’s Dilemma ..................................................................................... 52
Summary....................................................................................................................... 53
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■Chapter 3: Enriching Web Applications with AJAX and JSON.............................55
The XMLHttpRequest Object ......................................................................................... 55
The XMLHTTP Library and XMLHttpRequest Object .............................................................................55
Native XMLHttpRequest .......................................................................................................................57
Cross-Browser AJAX Compatibility ......................................................................................................57
Scripting and DOM Improvements ................................................................................ 59
Native JSON Support............................................................................................................................59
String Sanitization with toStaticHTML .................................................................................................62
Standards Compliance Improvements .................................................................................................65
Persisting Data with DOM Storage................................................................................ 72
DOM Storage and Subdomains ............................................................................................................76
Securing Persisted Storage .................................................................................................................78
Moving towards HTML 5 Storage.........................................................................................................78
Networking and Connectivity ........................................................................................ 78
Online and Offline Events.....................................................................................................................78
XMLHttpRequest Timeout Events.........................................................................................................80
AJAX Navigation Events .......................................................................................................................83
Concurrent Connections.......................................................................................................................87
Communicating Across Pages and Domains ................................................................ 89
Cross-Domain Requests.......................................................................................................................90
Cross Frame Messaging with postMessage() ......................................................................................95
Tips and Tricks for Secure Communication .........................................................................................98
Summary....................................................................................................................... 99
■Chapter 4: Connecting Services with Accelerators...........................................101
The What and Why of Accelerators............................................................................. 101
User Experience and Data Flow .................................................................................. 102
The OpenService XML Schema ................................................................................... 103
Tags ...................................................................................................................................................103
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Variables ............................................................................................................................................104
Creating Basic Accelerators........................................................................................ 105
Constructing an Accelerator’s XML File .............................................................................................105
Constructing a Web Service Handler .................................................................................................106
Handling Accelerator Contexts.................................................................................... 107
Using the Selection Context ...............................................................................................................108
Using the Link Context .......................................................................................................................109
Using the Document Context..............................................................................................................110
Implementing Previews .............................................................................................. 111
Installation and Deployment ....................................................................................... 114
Installing and Deploying via JavaScript .............................................................................................114
Installing and Deploying via Desktop Applications ............................................................................115
Working with Categories and Defaults...............................................................................................123
Managing Accelerators ............................................................................................... 123
Advanced Topics......................................................................................................... 124
Updating Installed Accelerators .........................................................................................................124
Building Rich Previews ......................................................................................................................125
Localizing Accelerators......................................................................................................................127
Cross-Browser Integration .................................................................................................................128
Best Practices for Building Accelerators..................................................................... 128
Providing Relevant Information..........................................................................................................129
Designing Secure Accelerators..........................................................................................................129
Designing Performant Accelerators ...................................................................................................129
Designing Preview Web Pages...........................................................................................................130
An Accelerator Design Checklist ........................................................................................................130
Summary..................................................................................................................... 130
■Chapter 5: Debugging and Inspecting Pages with Developer Tools..................131
Navigating the IE Developer Tools .............................................................................. 131
View Source .......................................................................................................................................132
The File Menu ....................................................................................................................................133
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Inspecting Markup ...................................................................................................... 133
The HTML Tab and the DOM Explorer . ...............................................................................................133
The Attributes Pane. ...........................................................................................................................135
The Find, View, and Outline Menus. ...................................................................................................136
Exporting Changes . ............................................................................................................................138
Markup Inspection in Action . .............................................................................................................138
Inspecting Layout and Styles . .................................................................................... 140
The Style Pane . ..................................................................................................................................140
The Trace Styles Pane. .......................................................................................................................140
The Layout Pane. ................................................................................................................................141
The Attributes Pane. ...........................................................................................................................142
The CSS Tab. ......................................................................................................................................142
CSS and Layout Inspection in Action . ................................................................................................143
Using the Extended Toolset . ...................................................................................... 145
The Disable Menu . .............................................................................................................................145
The Images Menu. ..............................................................................................................................146
The Tools Menu. .................................................................................................................................146
The Extended Toolset in Action. .........................................................................................................148
Testing for Compatibility and Interoperability. ........................................................... 150
The Browser Mode and Document Mode Menus . ..............................................................................150
The Validate Menu . ............................................................................................................................151
Debugging JavaScript. ............................................................................................... 152
The Script Tab. ...................................................................................................................................152
The Source Pane . ...............................................................................................................................153
Breakpoints and the Breakpoints Pane. .............................................................................................154
The Locals, Watch, and Call Stack Panes . .........................................................................................155
The Debugging Console Pane and the console Object. ......................................................................156
JavaScript Debugging in Action . ........................................................................................................160
JavaScript Measurement and Optimization . .............................................................. 163
The JavaScript Profiler. ......................................................................................................................163
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The Profiler UI ....................................................................................................................................163
Profile Views ......................................................................................................................................164
Exporting Data....................................................................................................................................165
JavaScript Performance Testing in Action.........................................................................................166
Managing Cookies and the Cache............................................................................... 168
Tips for Debugging and Inspecting Web Sites ............................................................ 170
Summary..................................................................................................................... 170
■Chapter 6: Scripting with Mutable DOM Prototypes .........................................171
A Primer: Prototypes, Properties, and the DOM .......................................................... 171
Prototypes ..........................................................................................................................................171
Properties (Getters and Setters).........................................................................................................172
JavaScript and the DOM ....................................................................................................................173
Mutable Prototypes and Properties in IE 8.................................................................. 174
Manipulating DOM Objects.................................................................................................................174
Manipulating DOM Object Get and Set Properties .............................................................................176
IE Improvements in Practice ....................................................................................... 179
Downlevel IE Compatibility.................................................................................................................179
Cross-Browser Interoperability ..........................................................................................................181
Security and Sanitization ...................................................................................................................182
Input Validation ..................................................................................................................................185
Summary..................................................................................................................... 192
■Chapter 7: Debugging and Inspecting Pages with Fiddler ................................193
Getting Started with Fiddler........................................................................................ 193
Installing and Running Fiddler ...........................................................................................................193
Navigating the Fiddler User Interface ................................................................................................195
Scripting Fiddler with Rules...............................................................................................................195
Viewing and Inspecting Sessions ............................................................................... 197
Deciphering the Session List .............................................................................................................197
Inspecting the Request-Response Sequence ....................................................................................198
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Comparing Sessions ..........................................................................................................................201
Filtering Sessions........................................................................................................ 202
Using the Top-Level Filter Commands ...............................................................................................202
Using the Filters Tab ..........................................................................................................................202
Debugging and Manipulating Sessions....................................................................... 205
Using the Request Builder..................................................................................................................205
Using the Filters Tab to Modify Session Data ....................................................................................206
Setting and Using Breakpoints...........................................................................................................206
Analyzing Site Performance........................................................................................ 207
Quantifying Request Items, Types, and Times...................................................................................208
Evaluating Cache Performance ..........................................................................................................210
Optimizing Compression Settings ......................................................................................................211
Simulating Performance Scenarios Using Built-In Rules ...................................................................212
Using Fiddler to Decrypt HTTPS Traffic....................................................................... 212
Grabbing Simple Captures with FiddlerCap ................................................................ 214
Installing and Running FiddlerCap .....................................................................................................214
Capturing Traffic with FiddlerCap ......................................................................................................215
Summary..................................................................................................................... 216
■Chapter 8: Content Syndication with Web Slices ..............................................217
Basics of Web Slices................................................................................................... 217
Web Slice Structure: The hAtom Microformat ...................................................................................219
Designing and Deploying Basic Web Slices ................................................................ 220
Structuring and Creating a Web Slice ................................................................................................221
Installing and Viewing Web Slices .....................................................................................................222
Managing Web Slices.........................................................................................................................224
Update and Expiry Management ................................................................................. 225
Defining Update Intervals with TTL ....................................................................................................225
Defining Expiration with the endtime Selector...................................................................................227
Using CSS Styles and Stylesheets .............................................................................. 230
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Inline Styles and In-Document Stylesheets .......................................................................................230
Linked and Imported Styles ...............................................................................................................232
Alternative Sources..................................................................................................... 234
Alternative Update Source .................................................................................................................234
Alternative Display Sources ...............................................................................................................235
Authentication............................................................................................................. 237
Basic and Digest Authentication ........................................................................................................237
Cookie-Based Authentication.............................................................................................................238
Advanced Topics......................................................................................................... 238
Specifying a Page’s Default Web Slice ..............................................................................................239
Script-Based Installation....................................................................................................................239
Disabling In-Document Web Slice Advertisement..............................................................................240
Summary..................................................................................................................... 240
■Chapter 9: Building Search Provider and Search Suggestion Extensions.........241
Understanding Search Providers ................................................................................ 241
The OpenSearch Description Format, JSON Search Suggestions,
and XML Search Suggestions Specifications...................................................... 244
OpenSearch Description Format Specification ..................................................................................244
JSON Search Suggestion Extension...................................................................................................252
XML Search Suggestion Extension ....................................................................................................253
Building a Basic Search Provider................................................................................ 256
Installing and Using Search Providers ........................................................................ 256
Advertising Search Providers...................................................................................... 258
Managing Search Providers........................................................................................ 259
Returning Visual Suggestions with XML ............................................................................................260
Advanced Topics......................................................................................................... 260
Building Cross-Browser Search Providers .........................................................................................260
Adding Search Providers to the IE Add-Ons Gallery...........................................................................261
User Preference Protection ................................................................................................................264
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Summary..................................................................................................................... 265
■Chapter 10: Building Lightweight Buttons and Menu Extensions .....................267
Understanding Lightweight IE Extensions................................................................... 267
Adding Toolbar Buttons............................................................................................... 269
Common Toolbar Button Properties ...................................................................................................270
Running Script Using a Toolbar Button ..............................................................................................271
Launching an Executable via a Toolbar Button ..................................................................................273
Invoking COM Objects via a Toolbar Button .......................................................................................275
Opening Explorer Bars with Toolbar Buttons .....................................................................................283
Extending the Tools and Help Menus.......................................................................... 283
Common Menu Item Properties .........................................................................................................283
Running Script Using a Menu Item ....................................................................................................284
Launching an Executable via a Menu Item ........................................................................................287
Adding Entries to the In-Page Context Menu .............................................................. 289
Understanding the Context Menu Registry Structure.........................................................................289
Example: Browser Selection Context Menu Extension.......................................................................291
Turning Off the Context Menu ............................................................................................................294
Creating Context Menus with JavaScript.................................................................... 294
Summary..................................................................................................................... 298
■Chapter 11: Developing Applications with the WebBrowser Control ................299
Building a Simple WebBrowser Application................................................................ 299
Preparing to Use the WebBrowser Control.........................................................................................299
Creating an Instance of the WebBrowser Control (AxWebBrowser)...................................................301
Handling Basic Events........................................................................................................................303
Accessing the Object Model........................................................................................ 304
Attaching to Document and Window Objects.....................................................................................305
Accessing the Browser Object Model ................................................................................................306
Sinking Object Model Events .............................................................................................................307
Achieving Tight Integration with IE ............................................................................. 308
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Setting Up the Application..................................................................................................................309
Integrating WebBrowser Events with the IE UI...................................................................................309
Mimicking Window Behavior of IE .....................................................................................................310
Surfacing and Executing OLE Commands..........................................................................................311
Summary..................................................................................................................... 314
■Chapter 12: Enhancing Page Content with Managed ActiveX Controls.............315
Getting to Know ActiveX Controls ............................................................................... 316
Architecting a Basic Control in .NET ........................................................................... 316
Designing the Public Interface ...........................................................................................................316
Building the Control ...........................................................................................................................319
Signing the Control ............................................................................................................................320
Running the Control ...........................................................................................................................321
Constructing UIs.......................................................................................................... 323
Adding a UI to a Managed Control......................................................................................................323
Setting a Control’s OLE UI Flags.........................................................................................................326
Exposing Events to ActiveX Hosts ............................................................................... 326
Creating the Event Interface ..............................................................................................................326
Practicing Safe ActiveX with IObjectSafety................................................................. 329
Staying Safe in the Great IUnknown ..................................................................................................329
Implementing IObjectSafety...............................................................................................................330
Looking At Alternative Platforms and Technologies ................................................... 332
Summary..................................................................................................................... 332
■Chapter 13: Building In-Process Extensions with Browser Helper Objects ......333
Understanding BHOs ................................................................................................... 333
Building a Generic BHO............................................................................................... 335
Registering and Running BHOs ................................................................................... 337
Sinking Browser Events .............................................................................................. 339
Summary..................................................................................................................... 342
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■Chapter 14: Extending the Browser Frame Using Band Objects .......................343
Understanding Band Objects ...................................................................................... 343
Building a Generic Band Object .................................................................................. 345
Registering Band Objects............................................................................................ 351
Constructing a Toolbar................................................................................................ 355
Constructing a Vertical Explorer Bar ........................................................................... 357
Constructing a Horizontal Explorer Bar....................................................................... 360
Summary..................................................................................................................... 362
■Chapter 15: Scripting and Automating Internet Explorer..................................363
Using IE with the Command Line ................................................................................ 363
Getting to Know the IE Command Line...............................................................................................363
Changing IE Registry Settings............................................................................................................364
Invoking IE APIs Using RunDLL32 ......................................................................................................365
Writing Basic Scripts for IE ......................................................................................... 367
Creating IE Objects with the Windows Scripting Host........................................................................367
Creating IE Objects with PowerShell..................................................................................................368
Sinking Events Using VBScript and CreateObject ..............................................................................368
Learning Common IE Scripting Techniques by Example....................................................................369
Summary..................................................................................................................... 373
■Index .................................................................................................................375
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About the Author
■ Matthew David Crowley is Chief Technology Officer of Browsium, a company that provides solutions
to enterprises experiencing browser-related compatibility and operational issues. Prior to this role,
Matthew was the Program Manager for Developer Community and Tools on the Microsoft Internet
Explorer team. During that time he focused on planning, development, and implementation of fe