Loading 'fck_editorarea.css' two times per instances

[Koen Willems]

I don't think it's really a bug, but i sure think it should be solved someday.

I was trying to improve the loadingtime of fckeditor, since in a application I use 14 plugins. Studying the logfiles of my server i discovered that fck_editorarea.css is loaded two times per instance (in that specific CMS I use five instances, which makes 10 requests for fck_editorarea.css). With an empty cache the server gives a '200' at the first two request, at the other eight request the server generates a '304'. Well, although a '304' doesn't generate traffic, it still does take some time.

So i think it would be better that fck_editorarea.css is only asked for once per instance, instead of twice. I was looking at the code, but could not figure out why it's called two times.

By the way: this only happens with IE 6 and IE 7.

Regards, Koen Willems

[Frederico Caldeira Knabben]

The editor uses the editing area CSS file in the editing area (of course), but also uses it in some toolbar combos ("Style" and "Format"), to reflect the css stiles.

I did the same test, using Fiddler, with the FCKeditor demo page. I had the following requests:

/fckeditor/editor/fckeditor.html?InstanceName=FCKeditor1&Toolbar=Default
/fckeditor/editor/js/fckeditorcode_ie.js
/fckeditor/fckconfig.js
/fckeditor.config.js
/fckeditor/editor/skins/default/fck_editor.css
/fckeditor/editor/lang/en.js
/fckeditor/editor/images/spacer.gif
/fckeditor/editor/skins/default/images/toolbar.start.gif
/fckeditor/editor/skins/default/images/toolbar.buttonarrow.gif
/fckeditor/editor/skins/default/fck_strip.gif
/fckeditor/editor/skins/default/images/toolbar.expand.gif
/fckeditor/editor/skins/default/images/toolbar.collapse.gif
/fckeditor/editor/css/fck_editorarea.css
/fckeditor/fckstyles.xml
/fckeditor/editor/css/fck_internal.css

All of them with status 200, and no 304.

As we can see, there is only one request for fck_editorarea.css.

If you are really having different results, couldn't it be that the server configured in some way that IE doesn't get the css from the cache?

Maybe a correct usage of mod_expires would help us on solving it. Something like the following in the .htaccess of FCKeditor:

ExpiresActive on
ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 5 minutes"

[Koen Willems]

I did some testing this evening. I was able to grab the file from the cache, but it's still requested two times per instance (in my special case that makes 10 times, because i use five instances at a time). Well, i will keep digging in this issue. Since you have different testing results (sure it was IE?) it must have something to do whith my server configuration.

Regards, Koen Willems

[Frederico Caldeira Knabben]

Actually, after further tests, I've randomly had cases where the CSS has been requested too times, both with status 200! But I believe it is not your case, as you are having 304.

Unfortunately IE is known to be buggy with its cache system. It makes the same request a second time if the prior request was not yet received.

As you are having 304, I would really point you to configure your server to set the expiration of CSS files, as described in my last comment. If you are not running Apache, I think something similar can be achieved with other servers too.

Let us know if you have more news regarding it.

[Alfonso Martínez de Lizarrondo]

The cache system of #1622 should take care of it.