imgext questions

[dylan]

Greetings,

After getting the queries on the maps to work, I have run into another
problem with the imgext argument...

I found that if i manually entered the map extent into the html template for
my main map page: <input type="hidden" name="imgext" value="(numbers here)">

i was able to load the map page from a url that contained no mapserver
arguments. for example i could enter the URL of the map page, and click on
"Refresh" and a map would be generated.

here is that URL:
http://169.237.34.168/~dylan/mapserver/ca_county/ca_statsgo_map.html

...however, the hardcoding of the imgext into the HTML file lead to very
strange results from map queries, so i decided to replace the line:
 <input type="hidden" name="imgext" value="(numbers here)">

with:
 <input type="hidden" name="imgext" value="[mapext]">

I saw this on some of the example mapserver application pages...

now, if i access the main map page without any mapserver arguments in the
url, i get the error:
loadForm(): Web application error. Not enough arguments for imgext.

...which would make sense, as i no longer specify an extent in the first
loading of the main map page....

is there any way to give the map HTML page an initial extent, and then allow
it to change as the use zooms in and out of the map - thus allowing queries
to function properly?

thanks in advance for any ideas - surely there must be a simple answer that
i am overlooking...

--
Dylan E. Beaudette
Soil Science Graduate Group
Dept. of Land, Air, and Water Resources
University of California at Davis