Trident (layout engine)

Trident (also known as MSHTML ) is the HTML rendering engine of web browser Internet Explorer from Microsoft. The first version of Trident was introduced in 1997 with the release of Internet Explorer 4 and further developed until today - it is a key element in all subsequent versions of Internet Explorer.

In versions 7, 8 and 9 of this browser before Microsoft made major changes to the engine to improve its compatibility with the established web standards. An important advance in this direction represents the Internet Explorer 7 because Microsoft could so many mistakes, sometimes serious fix. The follow-up version, Internet Explorer 8, is the first time the Acid2 test that Internet Explorer 9 the Acid3 test. In addition, many new features of web standards have been implemented with this version again. The current version of the browser ( Internet Explorer 11) continues this development.

Trident in software development

Trident was designed to allow developers to easily integrate in -house developments. The engine offers a COM interface to display websites in environments with COM support and editing; For example, set the C programming language and the. NET runtime environment such support. In this case, a browser control to a C - or VB program are added and used to retrieve the contents of a loaded site in the browser. Likewise events, the browser operation can be queried. The Trident functionality is achieved by associating the file mshtml.dll to the project.

Versions

( a) The version number refers to the version of the MSHTML.dll, this is also with each of the Internet Explorers identical. ( b ) With the Internet Explorer 8.0 browser identifier has been extended, that a reference to the version used by Trident is included.

Trident -based applications

All versions of Internet Explorer since version 4 use as Trident rendering engine. In Windows, Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000, the Windows Explorer uses the Engine, in Windows XP, it is used for system control elements " software " and " User Accounts"; the modules are HTML applications.

Besides making numerous program components and third-party applications use of it, including:

  • AOL Instant Messenger 6.x, the Trident used to render conversations, Profile window and commercials
  • EA Link is with Trident 5 (as in Internet Explorer 7 ) is not compatible
  • Google Talk uses Trident to display message box and profile cards
  • LimeWire below renders so that the page ' New @ Lime'
  • The web browser Avant Browser
  • Xtravo Explorer
  • TheWorld Browser
  • The web browser Lunascape
  • Maxthon uses the Trident 5 engine and adds features that are not available in Internet Explorer 7
  • MenuBox Trident adds an extended DOM added to perform so HTML applications and Web services wrap as local applications can
  • Microsoft InfoPath
  • Microsoft Encarta
  • Compiled HTML Help Files
  • Microsoft Outlook (up to version 2003) to render emails in HTML format and " Outlook Today " show
  • To render Microsoft Outlook Express emails in HTML format
  • Windows Live Messenger to provide Flash - based games and display advertising
  • The web browser Netscape Navigator (version 8 ) to render web sites in IE compatibility mode
  • RealNetworks
  • Site Kiosk
  • Souvergin
  • Teega
  • TomeRaider
  • Windows Media Player to view album information. Other players like Winamp and RealPlayer bring with similar functions.

Standards Compliance

Although each version of Internet Explorer supports web fundamentally ( in Internet Explorer 6 was a "Standards - Compliant Mode " implemented), some core standards were incompletely rendered. There were, for example, does not support the element , which was introduced with HTML 4.01 and umfließender in the presentation padding of containers ( style = "margin: float; " in div containers) that were defined in CSS 1. It was also the CSS specification min-height is not supported, which should allow a minimum height expandable container.

Internet Explorer 8 supports CSS 2 completely.

Alternatives of the manufacturer

In addition to Trident Microsoft has also developed some other renderer. One of them is known as the Tasman and has been used in Internet Explorer 5 for Mac. Internet Explorer for Mac has been using Trident. The development of Internet Explorer for Mac was discontinued in 2003, Tasman was developed further restricted and later used in Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac.

Microsoft's latest web design project Expression Web uses a specially developed instead Trident renderer to implement, according to Microsoft, the Web Standards most consistently.

.NET Framework Windows 7 Document Object Model Tasman (layout engine)
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