[WEB4LIB] Re: drop-down menu query

[Johan_Ragetli at kpr.edu.on.ca]

As we are on the topic of drop down menus I have a question I hope one of
you may be able to answer for me.

I need to create a header--actually several-- to sit on top of our union
catalogue which is shared by a number of school libraries and a public
library.  Needless to say each location would like to have its own
presence.

In my first draft I have been using frames to accomplish this.  The problem
is establishing the target for the links in the header portion.   I would
like the links in the header to open in a full window or a new window but
not in the main frame or the header.  I can do this by setting the base
target to blank or top in page properties.  But it doesn't work for any of
the links in the drop-down menu I have included.

Any ideas on how to accomplish this--frames or not--would be greatly
appreciated.  Is there a way to include a defined target in the form
itself, for example?


Server=NT
Header=
http://www.kpr.edu.on.ca/BoardInfo/Services/Educ/LRC/test/lrc_header.htm
Frames page=http://www.kpr.edu.on.ca/BoardInfo/Services/Educ/LRC/test/ipac.htm

_____________________
Johan Ragetli, Library Information Analyst
Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB
Peterborough, ON Canada




Thomas Dowling <tdowling at ohiolink.edu>@webjunction.org on 07/11/2002
09:38:50 AM

Please respond to tdowling at ohiolink.edu

Sent by:    web4lib at webjunction.org


To:    Multiple recipients of list <web4lib at webjunction.org>
cc:

Subject:    [WEB4LIB] Re: drop-down menu query


At 09:17 AM 7/11/2002, Patty Bradley wrote:
>--On Thursday, July 11, 2002 6:02 AM -0700 Thomas Dowling
><tdowling at ohiolink.edu> wrote:
>
> > [May I recommend that you start by tweaking the code so that it works
on
> > browsers with Javascript turned off?  As it is, some non-negligible
> > percentage of your users cannot use these menus at all.]
>
>I believe that the only way to accomplish this is to associate a submit
>button with each drop down menu, and remove the javascript. Each drop-down
>menu will be a separate form in the code. Please correct me if I am wrong.


Write good HTML and things are accessible by default.  Valid markup
requires an action for the form, and good authorship adds a submit button.

It is not necessary to remove the Javascript, so exactly the same
functionality can be retained for JS users.  It is necessary to have a
server-side script that will do the necessary redirection as the non-JS
fallback.

<form action="redirector.cgi" method="get">
   <p><select name="selected_item" onchange="submit(this.form)">
     <option>Apples</option>
     <option>Bananas</option>
     <option>Cherries</option>
     <option>D'Anjou Pears</option>
   </select></p>
   <noscript> <!-- If you want to get fancy -->
     <p><input type="submit" value="Go!"></p>
   </noscript>
</form>


As a less attractive alternative (IMO), you could use JS document.write
statements to write out the current form and use the noscript element
either to write out the links or to write one link to a standalone list of
the links on another page.


Thomas Dowling
OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu