Source Code

[Donna]

Hi,

I have noticed on a few sites that when you go View---Source to look at the Source code nothing is shown & nothing happens.
It is totally blocked from view, i have a need to do this for some parts of my HTML code & was wondering if someone could help out with what to do on this subject.

Thanks

[Adam S]

Hi Donna,

There is no effective way to block access to the source code of any page: for the page to be readable by browsers and search engines, the source code has to be accessible, and so can be copied. That's just how the web works: HTML is sent as a text document and interpreted client-side.

There are a lot of people out there who disable the right click function to prevent others from clicking "view source", a lot of web designers can get around this very easily. I use an extension with my browser which allows me to view the source code without actually right clicking the interface of the website.

The only real way the source code can be hidden is if you convert your HTML into a flash which would take too long and become a hassle to maintain.

Here's a read which you may find interesting: http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=419751

[Shannon W]

Hi Donna,

Here is a piece of code that may help. It disables the right click feature in IE and FireFox. This will help prevent some people from trying to steal images or code, however it does not disable the View -> Source command from the top menu.

Also, as Adam said above, there is no real way to completely stop someone from accessing your code. If you find someone has stolen your code and the text on their website copies yours word for word, you should contact the relevant Copyright authorities (information here http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Copyright).

Code: Select all

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
<!--

var message="";

function clickIE()

{if (document.all)
{(message);return false;}}

function clickNS(e) {
if
(document.layers||(document.getElementById&&!document.all))
{
if (e.which==2||e.which==3) {(message);return false;}}}
if (document.layers)
{document.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEDOWN);document.onmousedown=clickNS;}
else
{document.onmouseup=clickNS;document.oncontextmenu=clickIE;}

document.oncontextmenu=new Function("return false")
// -->
</script>


If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

Regards,
Shannon