IE 11 and twitter’s notification page

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Hello,

Yesterday morning, my instance of IE 11 (v11.0.9600.18617) began displaying my twitter account’s notifications page incorrectly. Prior to yesterday it had always worked fine. What it’s doing is failing to contain quoted text within the quote bubble borders. It will no longer wrap long strings of quoted text and simply extends them across the page. The result is that strings overlap onto both the left and right-hand side panels.  It looks terrible and is difficult to read. All other twitter pages seem to display normally.

I would like to know if this condition is the result of twitter making a code change on their notifications page, or if it may me the effect of an update that my IE has recently pulled in? The patch level shown for my copy of IE is KB4012204. Google Chrome displays my twitter notification page correctly.

I can provide screenshots if necessary. But I think I’ve explained the issue adequately. I’m also wondering whether anyone here who uses IE 11 with twitter.com has noticed this same behavior of late? Any information on this issue will be appreciated.

Thank you

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There was a hotfix for IE11. You can find it here
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/2000003-ongoing-list-of-group-b-monthly-updates-for-win7-and-8-1/

It has to be downloaded and installed manually. KB4012204 caused some other problems with rendering in the browser. This may help. If not, come back with the problem and we’ll go from there.

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Thanks… I’ll give it a try and report back.

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So there’s a lot of stuff in that thread. I’m unsure which hotfix link to try. Can I simply remove kb4012204 by uninstalling it?

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Don’t uninstall KB4012204.
In the article at the top

There is a list for Win7 March IE hotfix with 32-bit link and 64-bit link.
There is a list for Win8.1 March IE hotfix with 32-bit link and 64-bit link.

Choose the version of Win you have and click on the link for the bittedness of your system.
That will automatically download the correct update.

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The hotfixes mentioned are listed here. Start by looking for your Windows version (7 or 8.1), then by 32-bit or 64-bit.

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Well, the IE hotfix  was KB4016446 … So I installed it, but unfortunately it made no difference on my twitter notifications page. The text strings are still stretched across the page. Any other ideas?

And I would still like to find someone else using IE 11 with an active twitter account to learn whether or not this page rendering distortion issue may be exclusively peculiar to me. However, they would have to have quoted text long enough to violate the bubble boundaries within some of their notifications in order to see the problem.

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Did you reboot after the installation?

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Sportsman wrote:

I’m in Group B, Windows 7 HP 64-bit. After installing the IE security update 4012204, IE 11 no longer passes the Logjam security test at Qualys SSL Labs. I also installed the Hotfix, which didn’t help.

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Kirsty, sorry for the late reply. And I do appreciate your help. Lots of things going on here this afternoon. No, I didn’t reboot yet. I’ll try that now and I’ll report back. Thanks.

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I’ve rebooted, but it made no difference. The text on the page still renders improperly.

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OK, now we’re going to see if the problem was caused by the patch or something else on your computer or Twitter settings.

Go to Windows Update. In the lower left corner click on the link “installed updates”
Go down to the Windows section. Uninstall KB4016446 first, then KB4012204.
Reboot.
If the problem goes away, the updates were the cause.
If the problem is still there, the updates were not the cause and you will need to reinstall them. Then you will need to check your Twitter settings and settings on your PC.

In either case, please let us know the results. If the updates were the cause, we will see if we can find a solution.
Please let us know which version of Win you have.

1 user thanked author for this post.

woody

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OK, my OS version is Win 7 home premium (64-bit). I can see KB4016446 in the list of installed updates, but I can’t find KB4012204. It does, however, show as a link on the ‘About Internet Explorer’ popup with other IE version info.

And fwiw, I’ve already reviewed all of my twitter settings.  They’ve not been touched since long before this problem emerged yesterday morning. The same with my computer’s settings – it’s an HP laptop.

I will proceed as you instruct if we can figure out why KB4012204 isn’t showing in the list. But I can’t do anything more this afternoon, as I need to go run some errands for a while. I can proceed with things either later this evening or tomorrow.

Thanks kindly.

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And by the way, while there’s no KB4012204 item in the list… there is an item simply called “Internet Explorer 11”. Might removing that be the way to remove KB4012204?

Be back a bit later.

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DO NOT uninstall Internet Explorer 11. We need to uninstall only the patches.

Look in the “update history.” Does it show there? Note the wording. It should show today’s date.
Check the Windows section under “installed updates.” If it’s sorted by date it will be easier. It may be listed as a “Security Update for Windows” and have today’s date.
If you find them, do the uninstall as above.
Let us know if it fixes the problem.

Edit: One other thing I forgot to ask. If you have access to another computer, login to your Twitter account on it and see if you have the problem there.

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Okay, I won’t uninstall IE 11. KB4012204 doesn’t show in the update history list either. It only shows on the ‘About Internet Explorer’ popup window. I’m attaching screenshots of the ‘about’ window, the top of the update history, and the top of the installed updates screen.

The externally linked screenshot images showed while composing my message and editing. But after submitting there was only a slashed circle in place of the image frames. So I’m unable to include the screenshots for some reason.

 

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@beatglitch
To add an image to your post, scroll down to the “select file” box, select your file, and for the sake of non-logged in site visitors, click “insert into content”.

To add a further image, click “add another file”, then repeat the process.

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Thanks. Here you go…

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There have been other reports of problems with KB4012215, which I see you have installed.

@PKCano mentions in Patch Tuesday Just Hit that

PKCano wrote:

KB4012215 is the Security Monthly Quality ROLLUP for Windows 7. This is for Group A. This ROLLUP contains the Cumulative Rollup for IE11 as well as Windows.

You might like to try uninstalling KB4012215, to see if that resolves your problem.

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I see from your screenshots that you are in Group A, not Group B.

You have installed KB4012215 the “Security Monthly Quality ROLLUP for Windows 7.” The ROLLUP contains security and non-security updates for Windows as well as the update for IE11. That’s why you can’t find KB4012204, because it is included in KB4012215. You also do not need the hotfix. So lets first uninstall KB4016446 and reboot.

After the reboot, wait 10 minutes after logging in and run “search for updates.” Send me a list of the updates that are under the “important updates” link.
Also, check to see if the problem still exists with Twitter.

FYI: You say you haven’t changed any settings on your PC. But I see you just installed IE11 lately. That is a BIG change.

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Okay, allow me to clarify a few things. I installed all updates shown with an installation date of 3/30/17 _after_ the twitter notifications page rendering problem first appeared two mornings ago. And that installation of course included the KB4012215 rollup. I don’t allow the OS to automatically install updates and installed them manually on Thursday in hopes that doing so might somehow correct the twitter page rendering issue. So the items installed on March 30 can’t be the problem, can they? However, I should as well mention that while never allowing system updates to automatically install (WU has always been set to ‘notify only’ when updates become available), I did have the “Install new versions automatically” box checked on IE 11. So I’m unsure whether that would have overridden my WU ‘notify only’ setting? Next question:  If I remove KB4012215, will that also remove KB4012204?

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beatglitch wrote:

So the items installed on March 30 can’t be the problem, can they?

If they were installed arter the problem arose, they are not the cause.

beatglitch wrote:

Next question: If I remove KB4012215, will that also remove KB4012204?

The answer to this is most likely yes, because KB4012215 contains KB4012204. But if the problem arose before you installed KB4012215, then it is not the problem and you shouldn’t have to uninstall it.

Please confirm that when you do “search for updates” that there are no more checked updates in the “important updates” list.

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https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/ie-install-new-versions-automatically/

EDIT circular link replaced with direct link

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In this case, the User had installed IE11 in Jan, two months prior to this discussion. Whether he did it manually or automatically is beside the point.

In this case, the User installed the Security Monthly Quality Rollup. The IE11 update is included in and installed with the Rollup. Whether he did it automatically or manually would not matter since IE would receive the update in either case.

He got “KB4012204” from the IE information box (see his screenshot sent later in the discussion). The misunderstanding here was that he originally spoke only of KB4012204 and did not mention that he had installed the Rollup, seeming to imply he was in Group B and had downloaded and installed the separate IE cumulative update. Thus the discussion about uninstalling it before the revelation that he had installed the Rollup and, in that case, it was not separately uninstallable.

Reference to installing a new version automatically doesn’t seem to fit this case.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Kirsty

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PKCano wrote:

beatglitch wrote:

So the items installed on March 30 can’t be the problem, can they?

If they were installed arter the problem arose, they are not the cause.

beatglitch wrote:

Next question: If I remove KB4012215, will that also remove KB4012204?

The answer to this is most likely yes, because KB4012215 contains KB4012204. But if the problem arose before you installed KB4012215, then it is not the problem and you shouldn’t have to uninstall it. Please confirm that when you do “search for updates” that there are no more checked updates in the “important updates” list.

The only important update in the list now is KB915597, a Windows Defender definition update. Nothing else is there. So I should try removing KB4012215 then, right? Because it would also remove KB4012204 and we don’t know when that was installed … it could have been installed as an automatic update for IE 11 due to the checked box? Or is that wrong?

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PKCano wrote:

beatglitch wrote:

So the items installed on March 30 can’t be the problem, can they?

If they were installed arter the problem arose, they are not the cause.

beatglitch wrote:

Next question: If I remove KB4012215, will that also remove KB4012204?

The answer to this is most likely yes, because KB4012215 contains KB4012204. But if the problem arose before you installed KB4012215, then it is not the problem and you shouldn’t have to uninstall it. Please confirm that when you do “search for updates” that there are no more checked updates in the “important updates” list.

The only available important update shown right now is KB915597, a Windows Defender definition update. So should I still try removing KB4012215 since it would presumably get rid of KB4012204? Because I’m not clear on whether having the IE 11 box checked to allow new versions to install automatically would also allow updates affecting IE 11 to install automatically as well. Isn’t KB4012204 an IE 11 update? Or does that check box only allow auto-installation of major browser releases?

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The IE update is INCLUDED in the Monthly ROLLUP, it is not separate. If the problem arose BEFORE you installed the Monthly ROLLUP, it is not the cause of the problem.

Check back here later today. I do not do Twitter, so I need to discuss this with someone who does.

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PKCano wrote:

The IE update is INCLUDED in the Monthly ROLLUP, it is not separate. If the problem arose BEFORE you installed the Monthly ROLLUP, it is not the cause of the problem. Check back here later today. I do not do Twitter, so I need to discuss this with someone who does.

Understood. I’ll wait. Thank you.

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I do Twitter all the time, but wouldn’t touch IE with an old egg icon.

Is it possible this is associated with the bizarre new way Twitter online is showing @ references?

Can you replicate the problem with Firefox or Chrome?

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You could also search or post at EdgeHTML issue tracker. It’s for Internet Explorer issues also apparently.

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woody wrote:

I do Twitter all the time, but wouldn’t touch IE with an old egg icon. Is it possible this is associated with the bizarre new way Twitter online is showing @ references? Can you replicate the problem with Firefox or Chrome?

Hi Woody. It sounds like you would prefer not to use IE on twitter. I respect that. But is there a way you might just log on once with IE to test the notification page for obvious rending issues? If not, that’s ok.

I don’t know what you mean by the “new way” twitter is displaying @ references. They look just as they always have to me. However, while I’ve had my twitter account since 2009, I’ve only been using it rather heavily since January. And I haven’t noticed any obvious @ reference changes since then. So clarification concerning your comment could be helpful.

I’ve checked my notifications page on each of two twitter accounts that I have on both Google Chrome and Firefox. The problem does not manifest with either of them. Only with IE 11, since Thursday.

As mentioned in my initial post, the notifications page rendering issue just appeared out of nowhere on Thursday morning. I’ve noticed nothing else peculiar; all other twitter pages display perfectly for me in IE 11 . To reiterate a bit, on the notifications page, any message with a long text string now extends indefinitely beyond the quote bubble. The strings simply don’t wrap anymore as they used to do. And they not only exceed their respective quote bubbles, they as well breach entirely out of the center frame (on both sides) and into the sidebar panels. My guess is that the issue almost has to involve some code that was changed recently on the page itself, or within IE’s rendering engine. It could be scripting-related I suppose. Whatever the case, I simply don’t have the expertise to figure out what’s going on.

Thanks much!

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Here’s a quick overview of the Twitter change that took place earlier this week:

https://theringer.com/twitter-new-rules-replies-pros-cons-21a7f9d0dbd3

Arrrghhh… I tried over and over to log in to Twitter with IE11 and it doesn’t “take.” I’m returned, over and over, to the sign-in page. I’m using the same logon name and password that I’m using on Chrome. Bizarre.

Anyway, I’ve never heard of notifications in Twitter on IE. I see how to enable notifications in iOS and Android, and on Firefox and Chrome.

https://support.twitter.com/articles/20170772

Can you enlighten me on IE?

Also… is it possible that this is the source of the problem?

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/mute-twitter-egg-notifications-how-to/

Also… are you using the web version of Twitter? That is, are you pointing IE11 to twitter.com?

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Okay Woody. I’ll try to touch on everything. To begin with, I need to correct something that I’ve stated incorrectly. Below is my quoted text:

beatglitch wrote:

The strings simply don’t wrap anymore as they used to do. And they not only exceed their respective quote bubbles, they as well breach entirely out of the center frame (on both sides) and into the sidebar panels.

I misstated that the text breaching the quote bubbles extends beyond the bubble on each side. It only extends beyond the bubble on the left side. The right side of the text is aligned properly with the right side of the bubble. But the quoted lines never wrap now (as they used to do). Instead, they extend to infinitum on the left side up to the length of the quoted reply. I’ve attached a screenshot that I made from the twitter notifications page from IE 11.

I’m not sure how the new protocol of excluding the user identifiers from the 140 character limit would create the problem I’m noticing. But the timing indeed seems right. So I don’t know.

About your access to the notifications page with IE 11, once logged onto your account, simply click on the “Notifications” link on the upper navigation bar. It will take you to the notifications page. Or am I misunderstanding your question? If you can’t log on to twitter from IE 11, I’m not sure I can help. I simply click on the “Log in” button, which in turn pops up an account name / password field dialog. But it sounds like you’re getting that far and your login execution is cycling you back to the login fields for some reason. Might it be a script blocker issue? If not, I have no idea. That’s weird.

I’m not at all sure how the newly implemented account blocking/hindering feature might impact IE 11 to produce this problem. Do you have a theory about that? Again, the timing may be right for that as well.

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So that’s what you meant by notifications. Yes, sure, of course.

I was looking all over for Twitter notifications inside  IE or, failing that, in Win10.

My bad. Glad you figure it out! Cool workaround, too.

1 user thanked author for this post.

beatglitch

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Oops. Yes, this issue happens exclusively with the web version of twitter (i.e., on the twitter.com website notifications page as rendered by IE 11 on my Win 7 x64 system). The precise URL where it occurs is: https://twitter.com/i/notifications

The more I think about twitter’s new message thread @ reference grouping strategy and the date they rolled it out (Thursday, March 30), I become more convinced that it’s likely the culprit. They effectively moved the thread @ references out of the text body area to a point directly above it. So those references are now in a separate field. And my understanding is that this new @ reference field can independently accommodate many user @ references without impacting the 140-character text string limit. Logically, as the number of @ references increases, though, so does the area required for additional characters within a respective notification message. So I’m guessing it’s somehow connected to the problem I’m seeing. But I don’t know why the issue only happens on IE and not Firefox or Google Chrome. Both of those browsers seem to handle twitter’s recent change just fine as far as text wrapping and proper containment of notification text.

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I found a workaround that displays all notifications correctly. I simply load the mobile version of twitter.com on a separate tab and click on its notifications timeline display. And I’ve created a favorite for it (URL: https://mobile.twitter.com/i/connect) for quick access. On the mobile site notifications timeline, all of the quoted text wraps properly and respects message border boundaries. It seems to be an adequate solution for me.

Thanks everyone.

2 users thanked author for this post.

woody, PKCano

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Congratulations! GOOD job!

1 user thanked author for this post.

beatglitch

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