FIX: document.referrer Property Returns Incorrect Value

ID: Q164496

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Explorer (Programming), versions 3.0, 3.01

SYMPTOMS

The referrer property of the document object should contain the calling page's URL. In Internet Explorer version 3.0 and 3.01, the referrer property contains the current page's URL.

CAUSE

This has been confirmed to be a problem with the object model of Internet Explorer.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, you can use script code to pass the information in a cookie.

The following two files, Alpha.htm and Comments.htm illustrate how to work around this problem. Alpha.htm uses a cookie named referrer to keep track of the calling page's URL. It passes this cookie to Comments.htm, which then displays the referrer.

   ====File Alpha.htm====
   <HTML>
   <HEAD>
   <TITLE>New Page</TITLE>
   <SCRIPT LANGAUGE="JAVASCRIPT">
   function clicked() {
     document.cookie='referrer='+ document.location + '; path=/';
     }
   </SCRIPT>
   </HEAD>
   <BODY>

   <a href ="http://Server/Comments.htm" onClick=clicked();>Comments</a>
   <BR>

   </BODY>
   </HTML>

   ====File Comments.htm====
   <HTML>
   <HEAD>
   <TITLE>New Page</TITLE>
   <script langauge="Javascript">
   document.write("<BR><BR>cookie=" + document.cookie );
   </script>
   </HEAD>
   <BODY></BODY>
   </HTML>

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem has been fixed in Internet Explorer 4.0.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

The following two pages illustrate the problem. Page1.htm calls Page2.htm, which displays the referer property.

   ===Page1.htm===
   <HTML>
   <HEAD><TITLE>Page 1</TITLE></HEAD>
   <BODY>
   <a href ="http://Server/Comments.htm" >Comments</a><BR>
   </BODY>
   </HTML>

   ===Page2.htm===
   <HTML>
   <HEAD><TITLE>Page 2</TITLE>
   <script langauge="Javascript">
      document.write(document.referrer);
   </script>
   </HEAD>
   <BODY></BODY>
   </HTML>

Keywords          : kbprg vbObjMdlIE kbbuglist
Version           : 3.0 3.01
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

Last Reviewed: October 2, 1997