<head runat="server">

  • Thread starter Thread starter Scott M.
  • Start date Start date
Scott said:
Why do we need runat="server" on our <head> tags?
Click to expand...

So that the head tag will be parsed into a server control, so that the
server code can access it.

Without the attribute the tag would just be treated like literal text,
and the server code could not easily add tags inside the head tag.
 
Well, I understand what runat="server" means in general, but we haven't
always had that in .NET and the server never had any trouble adding tags to
the head section before. What, specifically, does the head tag need this
for? Why does the server need to be able to access the head tag as a server
object?
 
Scott said:
Well, I understand what runat="server" means in general, but we haven't
always had that in .NET and the server never had any trouble adding tags to
the head section before.
Click to expand...

In framework 1 it didn't add anything to the head.
What, specifically, does the head tag need this
for? Why does the server need to be able to access the head tag as a server
object?
Click to expand...

It's only needed if you use anything that actually adds something to the
head section, like themes or the Title property.

If the head tag wouldn't be a server control, it would be in a string in
a LiteralControl object in the page. In order for the Title property to
set the title in the head, it would have to locate the LiteralControl
containing the head tag and parse the string to find out which part of
the string contained the head tag, and if it aleady contained a title
tag or not.
 
Göran Andersson said:
In framework 1 it didn't add anything to the head.
Click to expand...

Yes it did said:
It's only needed if you use anything that actually adds something to the
head section, like themes or the Title property.
Click to expand...

Uh no. We've been able to modify the page titile without the runat="server".
If the head tag wouldn't be a server control, it would be in a string in a
LiteralControl object in the page. In order for the Title property to set
the title in the head, it would have to locate the LiteralControl
containing the head tag and parse the string to find out which part of the
string contained the head tag, and if it aleady contained a title tag or
not.
Click to expand...

If the title tag needs to be accesses via the sever, then why not just add
runat="server" to the title tag? As far as being able to add any
informaiton into the head section, you don't need runat="server" to do that.
You could simply place a literal contrin somewhere inside the head section.

I'm sorry, but your responses don't seem to reall explain why this is needed
since everything you've said it's for has been accomplished without it for
years. Adding runat="server" makes that particular element programmable at
the server. Why would I need/want to program the head tag at the server?
Obviously, someone at Microsoft feels that this is so important that all VS
2008 generated pages get the head tag marked with this attribute.

-Scott
 
Scott said:
I'm sorry, but your responses don't seem to reall explain why this is needed
Click to expand...

Well, I tried to explain, but if you choose not to believe me you can
just... well... whatever...
 
It's not about believing you. You just haven't provided an ansswer that
explains anything. You're answer is that it is needed to be able to add
things into the head section and since we've been able to do that since .NET
1.0 (and even classic ASP), I don't see how that can be the case.

You may well be right, but I'm looking for an answer that explains why it is
needed now, since it wasn't before.
 
Scott M. said:
It's not about believing you. You just haven't provided an ansswer that
explains anything. You're answer is that it is needed to be able to add
things into the head section and since we've been able to do that since
.NET 1.0 (and even classic ASP), I don't see how that can be the case.

You may well be right, but I'm looking for an answer that explains why it
is needed now, since it wasn't before.
Click to expand...

Can you post a chunk of ASP.NET 1.1 that does what you mean?

Your comment that 'even classic ASP' could do it seems to indicate that
there is a misunderstanding in this thread. Code usually helps clear things
up. (I prefer to speak in VB or C# myself rather English, less likely to be
mis-interpreted ;)
 
Place this: <%="<meta name='keywords' content='one,two,three' />"%> in
between the opening and closing head tags and you get a meta tag. Not to
mention, that since most IDE's have been generating custom meta tags (with
the code generator flagged in the tag) for years, I'm having trouble
understanding why we need runat="server" to get at an area that IDE's have
always been able to get to.
 
Scott said:
Place this: <%="<meta name='keywords' content='one,two,three' />"%> in
between the opening and closing head tags and you get a meta tag. Not to
mention, that since most IDE's have been generating custom meta tags (with
the code generator flagged in the tag) for years, I'm having trouble
understanding why we need runat="server" to get at an area that IDE's have
always been able to get to.
Click to expand...

That's not specifically adding a meta tag in the head tag, that is just
adding a literal string among other literal strings.

If you want to create all the response as string literals, you don't
need any server controls at all.
 
Allow me to jump in here with my 2 cents..

Starting .NET 2.0 @Page directive has a Title property (Page class has a
Title property).

Try to set it with out having <head runat=server>... You will get an error..
Also read documentation on Page.Title
"Use the Title property to set the page title in the HTML header sent to the
requesting browser.
Note The page must contain a <head> element with the attribute
runat="server", otherwise the title will not render."

PS: If you are not using Title property in your project then you (probably)
do not need to have <head runat=server>

George.






Scott M. said:
It's not about believing you. You just haven't provided an ansswer that
explains anything. You're answer is that it is needed to be able to add
things into the head section and since we've been able to do that since
.NET 1.0 (and even classic ASP), I don't see how that can be the case.

You may well be right, but I'm looking for an answer that explains why it
is needed now, since it wasn't before.
Click to expand...
 
You miss my point. Call it what you want, but I am able to gain access to
the content that will be rendered in the head section without
runat="server". So, my question still stands: What does runat="server" in
the head tag buy me that I didn't have before it?
 
So is the ability to use the @Page Title directive the only thing that
adding runat="server" to the head tag buys me?


George said:
Allow me to jump in here with my 2 cents..

Starting .NET 2.0 @Page directive has a Title property (Page class has a
Title property).

Try to set it with out having <head runat=server>... You will get an
error.. Also read documentation on Page.Title
"Use the Title property to set the page title in the HTML header sent to
the requesting browser.
Note The page must contain a <head> element with the attribute
runat="server", otherwise the title will not render."

PS: If you are not using Title property in your project then you
(probably) do not need to have <head runat=server>

George.
Click to expand...
 
YES and again if you are no using it then you do not need <head
runat=server>.
The Title property makes sense when used in conjunction with MasterPages.
When <HEAD> tag is in the MasterPage and each page needs to set custom Title
(Good for Google/Yahoo). So that was a Microsoft's way to let developers do
it (set custom title on page).


George.
 
Thank you very much!


George said:
YES and again if you are no using it then you do not need <head
runat=server>.
The Title property makes sense when used in conjunction with MasterPages.
When <HEAD> tag is in the MasterPage and each page needs to set custom
Title (Good for Google/Yahoo). So that was a Microsoft's way to let
developers do it (set custom title on page).


George.
Click to expand...
 
Scott said:
You miss my point. Call it what you want, but I am able to gain access to
the content that will be rendered in the head section without
runat="server". So, my question still stands: What does runat="server" in
the head tag buy me that I didn't have before it?
Click to expand...

No, it's you who are missing the point.

You can add content in the actual head, not just in a container that you
have placed in the head.

This is required to use any built in features, like themes, that need to
put code in the head.

If you get an error message that tells you that runat="server" is
required in the head tag, it's because you are using some of the built
in fetures that needs to put code in the head. The error message also
tells you exactly what it is that you are using, so if you don't want to
use that featue, you don't net to put runat="server" in the head tag.
 
No, it's you who are missing the point.

I am quite sure that I am and I'm quite sure that you aren't explaining it
in a way that makes me get the point.

All you are saying is that it is requires so that content can be placed in
the head secation and I'm telling you that this can be done without
runat="server".

Anyway, thanks for trying.
 
Scott said:
I am quite sure that I am and I'm quite sure that you aren't explaining it
in a way that makes me get the point.

All you are saying is that it is requires so that content can be placed in
the head secation and I'm telling you that this can be done without
runat="server".
Click to expand...

Yes, of course it's possible, but far from practical.

The way that you demonstated is to put a server control or an inline
code block inside the head tag, but that requires you to know where the
head tag is already. That can't be done automatically.

Another alternative is to loop through all the literal controls in the
page to locate the head tag. Then the string containing the head tag
could be parsed so that the string could be modified. Although possible,
it would be doing exactly what's done when you put runat="server" in the
head tag, only over and over again every time the header needed
modifying. The mechanism for parsing the code already exists, there is
no reason to do it in a different way for the head tag.
 
The way that you demonstated is to put a server control or an inline code
block inside the head tag, but that requires you to know where the head
tag is already. That can't be done automatically.
Click to expand...

[sigh] Yes it can, it's been done for years by every HTML editor that wanted
to insert a <meta name="Generator" ...> tag into the output.
 
Scott said:
The way that you demonstated is to put a server control or an inline code
block inside the head tag, but that requires you to know where the head
tag is already. That can't be done automatically.
Click to expand...

[sigh] Yes it can, it's been done for years by every HTML editor that wanted
to insert a <meta name="Generator" ...> tag into the output.
Click to expand...

[sigh] Yes, as I said, it's possible. It can be done, but it would be
stupid. It doesn't make sense to parse the code one extra time to find
the head tag, when the code has already been parsed once.
 
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