ASCENDER Recommended Browser Settings

Updated November 2020

The ASCENDER Browser Settings document lists supported browsers and recommended browser settings which will allow you to utilize the ASCENDER system at its fullest potential on any personal computer.

Currently, ASCENDER supports the following browsers:

For PC users:

• Google Chrome (current version)
• Mozilla Firefox (current version)

For Mac users:

• Apple Safari (current version: Mac only)

Please check your browser settings to ensure that your browser is set up to produce the best results with ASCENDER.

The minimum recommended screen resolution is 1280 x 1024.

To ensure optimal security when using Chrome, you must turn off some default settings using the following steps. From the Chrome menu, select Settings.

• Click Cookies and other site data.
• Select Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome.

ASCENDER uses pop-up windows to display reports and other information. The ASCENDER website must be set up as an allowed site.

• Click Site Settings.
• Click Pop-ups and redirects.
• Blocked (recommended) is selected, go to the next step.
• Next to Allow, click ADD.
• In the Site field on the Add a site dialog box, type the exact website address that you use to access ASCENDER.
• Click ADD.

JavaScript must be enabled for the ASCENDER website for proper operation of ASCENDER. JavaScript is enabled by default in the most current version of Chrome. To make sure it is enabled follow these instructions.

• Click Site Settings.
• Click JavaScript.
• If Allowed (recommended) is NOT selected, go to the next step (or select Allowed (recommended)).
  • Next to Allow, click ADD.
  • In the Site field on the Add a site dialog box, type the exact website address that you use to access ASCENDER.
  • Click ADD.

AutoFill may cause some fields within ASCENDER applications to fill automatically. The options are located under Autofill.

• Click Addresses and more.
• Deselect On (the field changes to Off).

From the Firefox menu, select Options. The Options dialog box is displayed with the General tab as the default tab.

• Under Cookies and Site Data, click Manage Exceptions.
• The Exceptions - Cookies and Site Data pop-up window is displayed
• In the Address of website field, type the exact website address that you use to access ASCENDER.
• Click Save Changes.

• Under Cookies and Site Data, click Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed.

• Under History, in the Firefox will drop-down field, select Never remember history.

ASCENDER uses pop-up windows to display reports and other information. The ASCENDER website must be set up as an allowed site.

• Under Permissions, select Block pop-up windows, if it isn't already selected (if you don't want to block any pop-up windows, deselect this and move on to Enable JavaScript below).
• Next to Block pop-up windows, click Exceptions. The Allowed Websites - Pop-ups pop-up window is displayed.
• In the Address of website field, type the exact website address that you use to access ASCENDER.
• Click Save Changes.

Note: The following three configurations use the address bar. In the address bar, delete any existing website address and type about:config and press ENTER. A warning message is displayed (deselect Warn me when I attempt to access these preferences if you don't want to see this warning every time). Click Accept the Risk and Continue. (To view all the options without searching, click Show All.) The Mozilla Firefox preferences search bar is displayed.

JavaScript must be enabled for the ASCENDER website for proper operation of ASCENDER. JavaScript is enabled by default in the most current version of Firefox. To make sure it is enabled follow these instructions.

• In the Search field, type “javascript.enabled”. As you type a list of matches is displayed.
• The Value column should be true. If it is not, click the toggle button on the right to change it to true.

• In the Search field, type “browser.cache.check_doc_frequency”. As you type a list of matches is displayed. The default value for this setting is 3.
• Double-click the setting in the list or click the pencil.
• Change the value to 1.
• Click the blue checkbox (Save).
• Confirm the browser.cache.check_doc_frequency value changed from 3 to 1 in the Value column.

• In the Search field, type “network.http.response.timeout”. As you type a list of matches is displayed. The default value for this setting is 300.
• Double-click the setting in the list or click the pencil.
• Replace the existing value with 3600 (or greater). Note that this is the number of seconds. 3600 seconds equals one hour.
• Click the blue checkbox (Save).
• Confirm the network.http.response.timeout value changed accordingly in the Value column.

You may need to restart Firefox for some of these changes to take effect.

• In the address bar, type about:profiles.
• Under Restart, click Restart normally.

Alternately:

• In the address bar, type about:restartrequired.
• Click Restart Firefox.

From the menu bar, select Safari, and then select Preferences.

Note: All of the settings are performed in the Preferences dialog box.

Cookies are enabled by default in Safari. To make sure they are enabled follow these instructions.

• Click Privacy.
• Next to Cookies and website data, make sure Block all cookies is not selected.

ASCENDER uses pop-up windows to display reports and other information. By default, Safari blocks pop-up windows. The pop-up blocker must be disabled for the ASCENDER website for proper operation of ASCENDER.

• Click Websites.
• Select Pop-up Windows.
• Open ASCENDER in Safari. The address is displayed in the Allow pop-up windows on the websites below field.
• Next to the site, select Allow.

JavaScript must be enabled for the ASCENDER website for proper operation of ASCENDER. JavaScript is enabled by default in Safari. To make sure it is enabled follow these instructions.

• Click Security
• Next to Web content, ensure that Enable JavaScript is selected.

AutoFill may cause some fields within ASCENDER applications to fill automatically.

• Click AutoFill.
• Next to AutoFill web forms, clear all four check boxes.|