Preserved Topic: Button for Javascript rollover or flash?

Hi, people. Please advice me.

I am making my home page. I made a very simple button by flash becase it is pretty easy to me. I have made rollover button using Javascript.

My concern is if flash button consume more bandwith than javascript rollover? It looks just simple navigation button inculding simple picture.

And also I am very crious of javascript animation. I guess it is better to use javascript animation when you create very simple text or picture animation for web. Is that right? And I assume that is why there are so many simple text animation made by javascript or DHTML on web rather than Flash. Is that also right?

Any advices are really welcome and make me feel happy.

Thanks for inadvance.

Hiroki Kozai

You should not make any vital part of the page in Flash. There are a lot of people out there (like me) who doesn't have Flash installed, either because it is unavailable to them or because they don't like it. So the only reason to make you navigation in Flash is if you make the whole page in Flash imo...

A simple thing like a rollover is probably easier on the bandwidth when done in javascriptl, but I can't guarantee that.

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"There are 10 kinds of people; those who know binary, those who don't and those who start counting at zero"

[This message has been edited by Veneficuz (edited 02-12-2003).]

Agreed.

I would also make sure if you use JS for the rollover, that the navigation work even with js disabled.

Veneficuz: Couldn't agree more.

WarMage: Amen - there are many ways to make your JavaScript menu break too but as long as you have an A tag with a proper HREF attribute then you should be OK.

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Emps

FAQs: Emperor

So the answer to my question is better use javascript rollover for my navigation bar.

And I assume that is why I often find animation made by Javascript or DHTML on the net. Is that collect?

And guys, haven't you used Flash to make navbar before? My tutor said that he charge three time if customer want Javasript roll over. Because Flash let him make navbar easier and quicker. That's why I made one by Flash.

What reckon?



Hiroki Kozai

JavaScript is used for many animations on the internet, as is Flash. However, JavaScript has some advantages:

1. JavaScript works for well over 90% of users, while only around 80% of users have Flash installed.

2. If a page is well written, any JavaScript-based features will degrade to simple HTML that any user can use, even if they don't have a browser that supports scripting, or if they have JavaScript turned off. This is very important for something like navigation links.

3. Again, if the page is well coded, a JavaScript solution won't block out search engines, and won't cause the page to be inaccessable to users using screen readers, PDAs, etc.

4. If you make your navigation in Flash, I can click on the links to go where I need to go. If you make your navigation in JavaScript, I can click on the links to go where I need to go, or I can right click on the links to go there in a new window, or I can copy the hyperlink URL to send it to my friend, or I can select the text (if it's an HTML link) and copy it, or I can add the target to my favorites list, or I can get information about the page that's being linked to, or I can save the linked page to my hard drive to look at later.

Your tutor may be right that using flash is easier, but it seems to me that he doesn't have the user in mind, or he doesn't realize the accessability and useability issues that flash presents.

Hi, Slime. I understand what you say.

Thank you very much. Have a good day.



Hiroki Kozai