Question: I am trying to reach my website, but instead of loading the normal page I keep getting a message telling me to upgrade my browser version. I am using IE 7, so why do I see this error?

Answer: This is generally an issue with application logic on the server or code within a webpage that does not recognize the new MSIE 7.0 version number used in Internet Explorer 7. Prior to the release of IE 7 most web development practices accounted for versions up to, and including, 6.0. The logical operators they used did not account for future versions, and an unexpected result higher than 6 is causing the application to show an error.

Solution: Depending on where the application logic is being performed (in the server or within a webpage), that code would need to be modified to recognize the MSIE 7.0 string and accept it as a valid version number. Regardless of where the fix resides, its a trivial bit of code to update and wont cause regression problems. If the application logic is contained within a webpage, it can be seen by right clicking in the browser window and selecting View Source. If you do not see some kind of JavaScript browser version checking code in the page, the logic is most likely contained in a server side application. One common example of web page based browser checking logic is:

if ( ver 6.0 ) 
msg ="You're using a recent copy of Internet Explorer."

else

msg ="You should upgrade your copy of Internet Explorer."

The problem with this version checking logic is that it specifically matches a version number, rather than looking for a minimum value. While this code is not incorrect, it causes unnecessary issues (and unintended errors) with newer browser versions. Simply changing the code to:

if ( ver 6.0 ) 
msg ="You're using a recent copy of Internet Explorer."

else

msg ="You should upgrade your copy of Internet Explorer."

fixes the issue and accommodates for any value greater than 6.0. By adding the > operator, the code will now be able to handle any future version values for IE.

Identifying application logic issues for server side applications requires looking for similarly written conditional statements. Given the vast number of possible server side application platforms and languages it is impractical to provide every server side example in this document. Microsoft has published a best practices document for effectively detecting Internet Explorer (covering both webpage and server side application logic), which is located at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms537509.aspx.

Question: My webpage loads and the content renders, but some of the functionality (e.g. menus, buttons, rollovers, etc.) is not working. Is there something wrong with using IE7?

Answer: This issue is generally tied to browser identification logic errors within a webpage where the JavaScript code is not designed to properly handle the version of Internet Explorer you are using. There is nothing wrong with using IE7, nor is anything specifically wrong with the web application.

Solution: Since the webpage renders in the browser window, it appears the browser detection logic is likely happening in some JavaScript within the HTML content. In order to view the HTML source for the webpage (including the JavaScript programming code) simply right click in the browser window and select View Source. In looking at the source code you should focus on content contained within <script></script> tags, especially looking for JavaScript variables that reference the >navigator object. For example, you might see JavaScript code like:

this.ver=navigator.appVersion;

this.agent=navigator.userAgent;

These lines are working with elements of the Document Object Model (DOM) that allow web developers to read information about the user and take actions based on the results. If you do not see any >navigator object references in the webpage source code, you will need to find where the source code is being referenced. Some web developers prefer to use externally sourced JavaScript files rather than include all their code in one HTML page. For those situations you may need to load the URL indicated and open that .js file in a text editor. To find those files you would need to search for HTML tags that look like:

<script language="JavaScript1.2" src="inc/mycode.js">

Once you have found the JavaScript code relating to the browser logic activity, you need to look for instances where the code references versions of Internet Explorer. Specifically, you need to find any items where the web developer may have limited the conditional operator to exclude new versions (or at least those beyond Internet Explorer 6). For example, you may see code which looks like this:

this.ie5=(this.ver.indexOf("MSIE 5")>-1
&& this.dom)?1:0;

this.ie6=(this.ver.indexOf("MSIE 6")>-1
&& this.dom)?1:0;

this.ie4=(document.all && !this.dom)?1:0;

this.ie=this.ie4||this.ie5||this.ie6

You can see that this JavaScript code has conditions to deal with versions up to 6, but in the case of IE 7 the code will simply exit without returning a result. Often this type of exit condition will cause a webpage to render properlythere is nothing wrong with the HTML or JavaScript codebut the functionality will be broken and you will not be able to use the application. The fix for this situation is to modify the JavaScript to include conditions which properly handle the IE 7 (and IE 8) version string. By modifying the code to look like:

this.ie5=(this.ver.indexOf("MSIE 5")>-1
&& this.dom)?1:0;

this.ie6=(this.ver.indexOf("MSIE 6")>-1
&& this.dom)?1:0;
this.ie7=(this.ver.indexOf("MSIE
7")>-1 && this.dom)?1:0;
this.ie7=(this.ver.indexOf("MSIE
8")>-1 && this.dom)?1:0;

this.ie4=(document.all && !this.dom)?1:0;

this.ie=this.ie4||this.ie5||this.ie6||this.ie7||this.ie8

You should immediately see the proper functionality with IE 7 that you experienced with IE 6.

Question: I have too many applications to test in my organization, is there a quick way I can test the User-Agent string issue without digging through any code?

Answer: Yes, Microsoft recognized the need to have a simple solution for broad based web application testing.

Solution: Microsoft offers the User-Agent String Utility for system administrators, web developers, application owners and any other users to quickly and easily modify their browser settings to send the Internet Explorer 6 User-Agent string values. This tool, available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9517db9c-3c0d-47fe-bd04-fad82a9aac9f&displaylang=en, enables you to launch an instance of Internet Explorer 7 that will send the modified User-Agent string (it will send the IE 6 UA String). You do not need to modify the system registry or make any other system modifications to use this tool. It is meant as a diagnostic tool to help you in evaluating deployment preparedness, and therefore does not permanently change any system values. If you find the testing is successful when using this tool, but your web applications fail to work properly when sending the Internet Explorer 7 User-Agent string, Microsoft recommends that you modify any applications to properly accommodate for the Internet Explorer 7 User-Agent string value. In the case of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS), Enterprise Resource Planning, or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software applications you should contact those vendors for availability of any upgrades or patches to their applications.

Microsoft does not recommend using this tool as an enterprise deployment solution, it is meant for testing and diagnostic purposes only. See the registry based solution for a suitable enterprise deployment and distribution solution.

Question: Ive checked out my applications and they work if I set the User-Agent string to version 6, but I need to deploy this to my entire organization (and the software vendor/developer does not offer a patch or upgrade to their application). How do I change it on every machine? And will it break anything else?

Answer: Making changes to the web application code is the recommended solution, but there can be logistical reasons that make it difficult or impossible. Sometimes the source code is not available (in the case of server side applications) or exists in too many places (in the case of embedded code in HTML pages) to be a viable solution in your environment. There are also many older (legacy) applications used in an organization and some applications vendors have chosen to only support the newest versions of their web based applications, and upgrades are either impractical or impossible. To facilitate migrations to Internet Explorer 7, you can modify system settings in the registry to force Internet Explorer 7 to send the Internet Explorer 6 User-Agent string. Fortunately, making this change will only skew the web statistic usage reports gathered by website administrators it will not break any functionality of Internet Explorer 7, nor will it reduce any of the feature and security enhancements available to Internet Explorer 7 users.

Solution: The registry key is located at:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\InternetSettings\5.0\User Agent]

Under that key you will need to make the following entry:

"Version"="MSIE 6.0"

These changes can be made using Active Directory configuration changes or you can use login scripts to run a registry file file update for installations that do not have AD infrastructures. The registry file needs to contain both of the lines above and have a .reg extension for it to properly import to the system registry. This registry file is supported on both Windows XP and Windows Vista. Administrator rights are required to install registry files, or they can be deployed via login scripting.

Microsoft recommends using this registry fix as a temporary solution while working to make your web applications compatible with a standard installation of Internet Explorer 7. When your web applications and software vendors provide compatible versions of their software, you can safely remove this registry modification and not lose any functionality.