[WEB4LIB] Character limit with Mac/Netscape text entry?

[Eric (Eric Rogers)]

Yes, I believe that this is true.  Mac Netscape limits the one-line text box
to 200-some characters.  Perhaps you could try using a rectangular scrolling
text box instead.  I don't think these have a character limit, especially
since the web mail services use them for message composition windows without
problems.

--------------------------------
Eric Rogers
Internet Services Administrator
Kansas City Public Library
http://kclibrary.org
eric at kclibrary.org
--------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Duncan [mailto:duncanr at lafvax.lafayette.edu]
Sent: Monday, July 19, 1999 3:30 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] Character limit with Mac/Netscape text entry?


Is anyone aware of any limitation Netscape (Macintosh only) imposes on the
number of characters which can be processed from a form's text entry box?
We have encountered the following problem (using Netscape 4.5 at ISI's Web
of Science):
(1)  A lengthy string of source titles is pasted into a search form's text
box.  The entire string appears in the box.
(2)  User clicks on the search button.
(3)  When the search is processed, the string of titles has been truncated
(as indicated by the string's appearance at the top of the results as well
as the results themselves).  Truncation occurs around the 210-220 character
mark (not counting spaces).

Several different strings were tried with similar reults.  Behavior does
not exist in IE on a Mac, nor in Netscape on a PC (various versions).  The
very nice tech folks at ISI tested a couple of versions of Netscape/Mac and
got the same results.  They say "this is due to the 219 character limit
(not counting spaces) within the Netscape browser on the MAC."  Their only
suggestion (so far) is to not use Netscape on a Mac when entering lenghty
search strings.

Has anyone ever heard of such a limit (219 characters or otherwise, and I
think that once you add spaces to the count we're near 250 characters)?
Any insights?

Bob Duncan

~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
  Robert E. Duncan
  Systems Librarian
  David Bishop Skillman Library
  Lafayette College
  Easton, PA 18042
  610-330-5156
  duncanr at lafayette.edu
  http://www.library.lafayette.edu/