FIX: Inet Control Method OpenURL Fails If No Proxy Selected

ID: Q176419

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0
Internet Client SDK, version 4.0
Microsoft Internet Explorer (Programming) version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

If the Internet Explorer 4.0 option "Access the Internet using a proxy server" check box is not selected when using the Internet Transfer control "OpenUrl" method within an HTML page, then the OpenURL method will fail.

CAUSE

The problem is inherited from a bug in the Internet Explorer 4.0 WinInet API function InternetOpenUrl. The problem occurs only on computers that have Internet Explorer 4.0 installed, rather than Internet Explorer 3.x.

RESOLUTION

Using the Inet control "Execute" method with the "GET" verb retrieves a file if the "Access the Internet using a proxy server" check box is not selected. The complete HTML code page is shown later in the MORE INFORMATION section.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This bug has been fixed in Internet Explorer 4.01. The problem should not occur on systems that have this installed.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

Start Internet Explorer 4.0.

From the View menu, select Internet Options.

Click the Connection tab.

Clear the "Access the Internet using a proxy server" check box.

Put the code below in a HTML page.

Bring up the HTML page you just created in Internet Explorer 4.0.

Enter the URL you want to access.

Click the "Test Me with OpenUrl" command button. The OpenUrl method fails.

Click the "Test Me with Get" command button. The HTML page is retrieved as expected

NOTE: Using the "Execute" method with the "GET" verb is the workaround to the OpenUrl bug.


   <HTML>
   <BODY>

   <FORM NAME="MyForm">
    <INPUT TYPE="BUTTON" NAME="MyButton" VALUE="Test Me with OpenUrl">
    Enter URL you want to access:<INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME="MyText" VALUE="">
    <INPUT TYPE="BUTTON" NAME="Get" VALUE="Test Me with Get">
   </FORM>

   <OBJECT ID="Inet1"
    CLASSID="CLSID:48E59293-9880-11CF-9754-00AA00C00908">
   </OBJECT>

   <SCRIPT Language="VBScript">
   <!--
   Sub MyButton_onClick()
    Response = Inet1.OpenURL(MyForm.MyText.Value)
    If Inet1.ResponseCode <> 0 Then
     MsgBox ("ErrorCode: " & Inet1.ResponseCode)
     MsgBox ("Error: " & Inet1.ResponseInfo)
    Else
      MsgBox(Response)
    End If
   End Sub

   Sub Get_onClick()
     Response = Inet1.Execute(MyForm.MyText.Value, "GET")
     If Inet1.ResponseCode <> 0 Then
       MsgBox ("ErrorCode: " & Inet1.ResponseCode)
       MsgBox ("Error: " & Inet1.ResponseInfo)
     End If
   End Sub

   Sub Inet1_StateChanged(State)

    Select Case State
    ' ... Other cases not shown.

    Case 12

         Dim strData: StrData = ""
         Dim vtData
         Dim bDone : bDone = 0

        ' Get first chunk.
        vtData = Inet1.GetChunk(10240, icString)

        Do While bDone = 0

           strData = strData & vtData
            ' Get next chunk.
            vtData = Inet1.GetChunk(10240, icString)
            If Len(vtData) = 0 Then
                bDone = 1
            End If

        Loop
        MsgBox strData
    End Select

   end sub

   -->
   </SCRIPT>

   </BODY>
   </HTML>

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q176420 : BUG: InternetSetOption Does Not Set Timeout Values

Additional query words: kbdsi kbDSupport kbVBpkbVBp500 kbVBp600 kbINetDev kbIE400

Keywords :
Version :
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug