Fix for Firefox and College Math flashcards

[usernumber9]

While looking over the flashcards for College Mathematics I noticed there would occasionally be an odd character or two within the question and/or answer section. I took a look at the source code for the problem pages and noticed that the issue would occur when the page used Symbol for its font face. This usage is not web standards compliant and Firefox cannot (or will not) render the character as intended.

In order to view the cards as intended I put together a script that will look for the Symbol and replace it with its Unicode equivalent. This allows Firefox to render the page as intended without needing to wait for the site owners to make any changes to the underlying code.

I’ve only skimmed over half of the sections within College Math. I’m certain there are still symbols that will need to be converted. If you happen to come across any of them, please post the direct link to the question and I’ll update the script. Please do not PM me with anything regarding the script. It’s quite possible that I might not get it if my membership lapses. By posting to the forum its more likely to get fixed in my absence, or by someone else with a basic understanding of javascript.

In order to use this script you’ll need:

1. Install the GreaseMonkey addon: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748
2. Restart Firefox once GreaseMonkey has finished installing
3. Download the attached script
4. Rename the attached script from instantcert.user.txt to instantcert.user.js
5. Right click (ctrl click on the Mac) the script file and open the script with Firefox
6. A window will open asking you to verify that you want to install this GreaseMonkey script. Go ahead and install it.

The script is now active. There’s no need to restart Firefox again. If you’re still seeing the odd symbols please try refreshing the page and/or clear cache first.

This script will only work on http://www.instantcertonline.com/ and will have no effect on any other website.