With CRM Javascript, sometimes timing is everything

We all appreciate how easy it is to customize Microsoft Dynamics CRM form experience through form and field level events using javascript.  It is very common to do things like hiding fields and navigation bar links, changing requirement levels, or dynamically setting the URL of an iframe to display an embedded grid or aspx page.

In some implementations that have very specific business logic, some forms can become very javascript heavy.  In these cases, choosing the right order for your jscript steps can make the difference between a good user experience and a poor user experience.

An example from a recent deployment:

Based on the clients requirements, we had one entity with over 40 javascript steps in the form on load event.  This included hiding/revealing multiple fields based on relationship type, some filtered picklists, and 4 embedded grids in i-frames.  The issue was that when the form was opened, the users would have to wait several seconds before the iframes were populated and the form would be usable.

The javascript was actually taking less than a couple of seconds to run; however, after the javascript set the URL of the iframe, it took IE a couple of more seconds to render the page inside of the iframes.

After reviewing the on-load event, I found that the embedded grid javascript to set the URL of the iframes was at the bottom of the on-load event.  I moved this javascript to the top of the on-load event, so it would happen first. 

As a result, now the iframe URLs are set first on load of the form.  While the rest of the javascript completes, IE populates the iframes.  The total run time of the javascript is no faster, but to the user it is much quicker because almost as instantly as the form appears the embedded grids are there.

Lesson learned:  When customizing form and field events in CRM, it is important to consider the user experience and structure them in an optimal order.

 

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Comments

[adaptateur secteur]

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