Troubleshooting Hidden Elements in Block Origin Tech Support Sites
Have you ever encountered a situation where a form element, such as a button or input field, is hidden on a tech support site, causing trouble while trying to seek assistance? This article will guide you through the process of identifying and troubleshooting hidden elements on a website, specifically focusing on block origin sites.
Understanding Hidden Elements
Web developers often use hidden elements in the HTML code to create a better user experience. These hidden elements can include input fields, buttons, or div tags that aren't visible to the user. Reasons for using hidden elements can vary, like storing temporary data or handling specific backend operations.
Identifying Hidden Elements
To identify a hidden element, you need to inspect the webpage. In most browsers, you can right-click on the webpage and select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element" to open the developer tools panel. Within the panel, you can search for DOM elements quickly using the search function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F).
Handling Hidden Elements with Block Origin
Block Origin, a content blocker extension available in various browsers, has the capability to hide certain elements, even the ones initially designed to be hidden. However, it might also lead to issues when you need to interact with the hidden elements on the tech support sites.
Example: SakugaBooru — Reply Form
Consider the following example: suppose you want to access a specific reply form on www.sakugabooru.com via the link https://www.sakugabooru.com/posts/267797#reply-267797. However, the textarea for the reply isn't displayed. Here's what you should do to resolve this issue.
<form id="reply-form-267797" class="reply-form form-reset" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<div class="hidden">
<input type="hidden" name="post[id]" value="267797"/>
<input type="hidden" name="post[page]" value="1"/>
<input type="hidden" name="post[parent_id]" value="267797"/>
<input type="hidden" name="reply_to[]" value="267797"/>
<input type="hidden" name="authenticity_token" value="..."/>
</div>
<!-- Form content omitted -->
<div class="form-actions form-buttons">
<textarea id="comment-post_comment_267797_body" name="post[comment][body]" class="form-control" placeholder="Compose your comment here..." cols="150" rows="10" autocomplete="off"></textarea>
</div>
</form>
In the HTML code above, the textarea with the "post[comment][body]" name is the actual form field that needs to be activated to create a reply. You can use the following CSS code to override block origin rules temporarily.
#reply-form-267797 .form-actions {
display: block !important;
}
#reply-form-267797 .form-actions textarea {
display: block !important;
}
Paste the CSS code above in the developer tools console on your browser (right-click on the page, select "Inspect", navigate to the Console tab, and paste the code).
- Hidden elements can be part of HTML code for design or functionality purposes.
- To inspect and identify hidden elements, use the (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) function in browser’s Developer Tools.
- Content blocker extensions like Block Origin might cause issues by hiding the hidden elements.
- Override the display settings with custom CSS to display hidden elements temporarily.
References
- books:
- articles:
- online resources: