Nice one, Internet Explorer

I'm still experimenting with means to effectively use the performance advantages data-uri images can have.

Today I was bitten however by another case of IE does it differently:

When creating an img tag with a data-uri payload:

var el = document.createElement ("img");
   el.src = "data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAD/ACwAAAAAAQABAAACADs=";

You may want to access the payload again (for instance to use it as a css background). Our approach in Intermedia Fotoficient is to reduce unnecessary copying of data, even in the client browser. So, when I create an img object, can I access the data-uri payload?

Sure you can: Opera, Safari, Chrome and Firefox provide access to the payload exactly as expected:

myElement.style.backgroundImage = 'url('+ el.src + ')';

In IE this throws an exception, and the debugger shows why: the src attribute is null.

When in IE, you access a data-uri payload this way:

myElement.style.backgroundImage = 'url('+ el.href + ')';