-Enabling JavaScript in your Browser


While there are some risks to enabling JavaScript, if done properly you can minimize the risk involved and still get the functionality you want. This tutorial was created because several features of this website use JavaScript (soon more will come) and if it is not enabled in your browser you won't be experiencing the site as it was intended.

First make sure javascript needs to be enabled. If it is enabled, this icon should appear in crazy colors.



-In Firefox 2.0.x
Opening Internet options and clicking on the "content" tab opens the JavaScript settings in Firefox.

The options here are fairly straitforward, the Enable JavaScript checkbox is the one which is needed for this site's proper operation. From there the advanced button gives you several new options, each checkbox describes the JavaScript feature which can be disabled. The status bar text and raise or lower windows are similar to Internet Explorer, but the other options when disabled can minimize the annoyance factor of some JavaScript applications.


-In Internet Explorer 7
The simplest method for enabling JavaScript on one page (and the safest) is adding that site to your trusted sites list under the Security tab of Internet Options. Of course, since this is a website which you may not trust, there are other ways to enable JavaScript partial functionality without completely trusting any one site.

To configure your browser's JavaScript options, open the "Internet Options" tab and pull up the "Security" tab. Then click the "Custom Level" button. Your window should be a large scrolling menu with lots of options, scroll down until you can see these options:

From here you can select which options you want to allow. Active Scripting is the basic JavaScript control, enabling or prompting and clicking yes will activate it for this site. Allow Programmatic Clipboard Access can potentially give away personal data, for all purposes of this website, this can be disabled and retain full functionality. Some fancier scripts may require this though. Status bar updates appear in the lower left corner of the browser and can be somewhat helpful, but are often used for advertising. Prompting for information can be important for some scripts, but it is also a type of pop up. This site will never utilize either option. Scripting of Java Applets allows extra script functionality in a running applet, but this website currently has no applets and should not require this (it is somewhat platform dependant).
Enabling Active Scripting or setting it to Prompt should suffice for any JavaScript this site uses now or in the future.

The chief risk with JavaScript and the reason it can be blocked in browsers is that through script it is possible to execute code within the browser of the client computer. This code can be malicious and may not be detected or stopped by virus scanners and firewalls because it runs entirely in the browser.



9/6/07