View Source (IE 6.00)

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Something happened to my IE – used to be i could right-click on a page, and then select View Source to see what the html code looks like. This doesnt work anymore.

Do I need to change the Edit option for files in WINDOWS Explorer to get INTERNET Explorer to work properly?

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Do you still get the option to View source? I’m assuming that you do and that nothing happens when you select it. If that’s the case, you should be able to select the editor in the Internet Options dialog. Failing that, you could always run the IE repair tool, and see if it corrects it.

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“Do I need to change the Edit option for files in WINDOWS Explorer to get INTERNET Explorer to work properly?”

I don’t think that will do you any good. The IE repair tool should be tried first. But, like Mark says, it is not clear if “View Source” does not exist on the Context Menu, it is ‘grayed out’ on the Context Menu, or if it simply does not work when you click it.

Next, I would Empty the Temporary Internet Files. To do this, use Tools|Internet Options…|General tab. Find the “Temporary Internet Files” pane and Click “Delete Files” and then OK. Delete offline content as well — unless you have some specific reason not to. This problem is described here. An alternate method for emptying the “TIF” is also outlined.

Sadly, the Tools|Internet Options…|Programs tab only allows you to select the Default HTML Editor for the File|Edit menu command and the Edit button on the IE Tool bar — it does not effect the View Source HTML Editor. Microsoft recognizes this quirky behavior in this article on “Changing Source Code Editor in Internet Explorer“:

“Although the Edit button and Current Page command both open the HTML source in the editor you specified, using the Source command on the View menu still opens the HTML source code in Notepad.”

As they state, the default the Veiw Source editor is MS Notepad. If you do not have Notepad installed, functional, or stored in the usual and customary place, then View Source command will fail. This less likely source of your problem is described here.

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Appendix:

There is no ‘user interface’ in IE that will allow you to select a different View Source editor. Instead, a specific registry modification must be made:

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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerView Source Editor]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerView Source EditorEditor Name]
@=”Path to your Editing Program”
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The “View Source Editor” and “Editor Name” keys are not in the registry by default and must be added.

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Thanks for the thorough response!

Notepad works, and that’s all i really wanted. So I went looking for the “tif”. Before i found it (win2k has it stored somewhere other than windowstemporary internet files) i figured i’d try one more time on an open IE window — of course, it worked. Must’ve been a couple of days worth of files that got flushed out because its a new day

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The TweakUI that is used with Windows XP, one can change the program to use with View Source to any program.
Just open TweakUI, select Internet Explorer and the the “View Source” entry. There is a “Change Program” button.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Oh man, that is nice. What version of TweakUI is that? The one I have for Win2K and Win98 doesn’t have that.

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This is the Windows XP version of “Powertoys” and can be gotten at http://www.microsoft.com/indonesia/windows…s/powertoys.asp%5B/url%5D

Note this is at the Indonesia server, the Redmond copy has been pulled for update.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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