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Does closing "Firefox prevented this page from automatically reloading" allow the auto-reloads; or continue to deny them but without notifying you?

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  • Last reply by Rick216

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In Options/Advanced/General I have "Warn me when websites try to redirect or reload the page" selected.

However there are certain cases -- e.g., where a page has me "on hold" temporarily when the site is too busy ("we'll keep you in the queue and notify you when the site is available"), with the "Firefox prevented this page from automatically reloading" bar appears across the top.

If I just let the bar remain there without any intervention on my part, can the page REALLY let me know when the site is available? Or how about if I click Close (the X) on the bar, making it go away. Is Firefox then allowing reloads for that page, or is it still blocking them but just suppressing the notification that it's doing so? (A third choice, clicking the "Allow" button is essentially useless in this case because it just instantly reappears.)

Bottom line, I am trying to ensure that the page that's too busy REALLY can notify me when it's available, without having to change any global settings.

In Options/Advanced/General I have "Warn me when websites try to redirect or reload the page" selected. However there are certain cases -- e.g., where a page has me "on hold" temporarily when the site is too busy ("we'll keep you in the queue and notify you when the site is available"), with the "Firefox prevented this page from automatically reloading" bar appears across the top. If I just let the bar remain there without any intervention on my part, can the page REALLY let me know when the site is available? Or how about if I click Close (the X) on the bar, making it go away. Is Firefox then allowing reloads for that page, or is it still blocking them but just suppressing the notification that it's doing so? (A third choice, clicking the "Allow" button is essentially useless in this case because it just instantly reappears.) Bottom line, I am trying to ensure that the page that's too busy REALLY can notify me when it's available, without having to change any global settings.

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Rick216 said

If I just let the bar remain there without any intervention on my part, can the page REALLY let me know when the site is available? Or how about if I click Close (the X) on the bar, making it go away. Is Firefox then allowing reloads for that page, or is it still blocking them but just suppressing the notification that it's doing so?

If you do not click Allow, Firefox will ignore a meta refresh tag like the following designed to reload the page at 30 second intervals:

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="30">

But as you point out, clicking allow causes the page to reload immediately and triggers the same infobar again. One of the many reasons that this feature is more trouble than it's worth.

If you leave the bar displayed or if you "x" the bar off, scripts can still reload the page. In other words, this feature does NOT stop something such as the following from reloading the page every 60 seconds:

<script type="text/javascript"> window.setTimeout(function(){window.location.reload()}, 60000); </script>

So what happens in that particular page depends on how it is designed.

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Chosen Solution

Rick216 said

If I just let the bar remain there without any intervention on my part, can the page REALLY let me know when the site is available? Or how about if I click Close (the X) on the bar, making it go away. Is Firefox then allowing reloads for that page, or is it still blocking them but just suppressing the notification that it's doing so?

If you do not click Allow, Firefox will ignore a meta refresh tag like the following designed to reload the page at 30 second intervals:

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="30">

But as you point out, clicking allow causes the page to reload immediately and triggers the same infobar again. One of the many reasons that this feature is more trouble than it's worth.

If you leave the bar displayed or if you "x" the bar off, scripts can still reload the page. In other words, this feature does NOT stop something such as the following from reloading the page every 60 seconds:

<script type="text/javascript"> window.setTimeout(function(){window.location.reload()}, 60000); </script>

So what happens in that particular page depends on how it is designed.

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Thanks, very helpful. Yes, maybe I'll just untick "Warn me when websites try to redirect or reload the page," as i'ts more trouble than its worth...especially if the outcome can vary depending on how the site is designed.

FYI, for the page in question, I had clicked close on the bar to get rid of it, and later (awhile after I posted this question) the page did indeed refresh and allow me to start using the site.