Floating Nav. or Menu Bar

[kneelsit]

http://www.echoecho.com/toolfloatinglayer.htm ( [url) [/URL]

HAVE ANY OF YOU TECHIES OUT THERE COME ACROSS THIS

The navigation links follow your cursor as you move down the page.

There is one heck of a lot of script in it but it seems the results could be worthwhile if you did not want to use frames.

Am wondering, however, if there might not be a simpler solution in CSS??




[Moved to more appropriate forum. - Jill]

[kneelsit]

http://www.echoecho.com/toolfloatinglayer.htm

O.K. I'll try again

[ihelpyou]

Yes. That has been around for quite awhile. To me it's irritating. Of course, maybe I'm not the norm. :)

[Blue]

And remember, Greg, that you can place that script in an external file to reduce code bloat.

[JuniorHarris]

Also know that SEs may not read/follow the links in the JavaScript, so it's wise to include static links for SEs to follow.

[kneelsit]

Also know that SEs may not read/follow the links in the JavaScript,

Well that is enough for me to leave it alone!

Thanks a lot for your comments and info.

Doug, I guess that the email notification did not work for this since it was moved from the previous forum. Would that be right??

[Blue]

Greg,

IMO, javascripts are not a problem, when used as navigation aides. If you feel that that particular script (or another) would make it easier for your sites visitors to navigate the site, then by all means use it.

The classic example is to use a javascript nav bar somewhere on the page, in conjunction with a TEXT nav section, usually at the bottom. The javascript to "fancy up" the page or for "ease of use", and the text nav for the spiders.

[kneelsit]

Thanks Blue, I will have a look at that.
Some of my pages do contain a fair amount of text and I felt that a floating nav bar could be helpful and useful for visitors.

I just received some excellent reviews for my site from a group of reviewers. (Glad they did not look too closely at my coding as I am STILL learning CSS :) )

I imagine that I could cram and repeat the navigation links at the bottom of the page in small script since it would only really apply for the SEs.

[excell]

Floating nav bars are one of the worst thing I have seen on the Internet! eh yuck.

If Greg had decent navigation & a sitemap he would have no problems for visitors or search engines as far as internal links go.
Only other problem would be cleaning up the server mess.

[Mertu]

Depends on the type of float. Usually, I'd much rather deal with one that follows you down the page, but in a fixed position, than a framed navigation bar. Same effect, no frames.

You want an annoying menu? Take the javascript for making images circle around the cursor on a page and replace the images with the nav bar. The catch-me-if-you-can navigation. :bouncy:


Sean

[kneelsit]

Boy!!

Guess the subject of navigation bars & menus can stir up quite a hornets nest. :D

Everyone seems to have very distinct likes and hatreds.
Seems to me there are no correct
or incorrect answers.

The only answers worthwhile IMHO are the ones that WORK. Since many of my customers have complimented me on my ease of navigation, I guess I'll stay for now with what I know works. Was just looking and window shopping I guess. Wondering if anyone else used them or had worked with them, if there were drawbacks or glitches? Thanks again Blue for your helpful advice - always appreciated.

Point taken about annoying images Sean, and trying to catch them with your mouse.

So lets open up the discussion a little then.

1. Site Maps?? with loads of further pages hidden away beneath the bonnet like a Chinese puzzle forcing you to click and click again and again.

Quite often I have seen these atrocities at the top of the page with tiny size8 font. Certainly they have their applications and uses - such as on a huge University site with many faculties and departments.
BUT for a single product or service??

OR

2. Clearly labelled pages with each one showing exactly what it deals with, set out in an ordered manner easily read in medium size font?? If they are in the same order in the same place on each page then I believe they help keep the visitor oriented.

I must admit I did not like the way in which the particular floating nav. bar I saw was situated over the top of text; IMO it would work better with its own free space in which to run.

Quite a number of sites I have seen using frames with a fixed menu on one side seemed to cause problems - could have been due to sloppy coding - but I have read in many places that SEs do NOT like frames so would prefer to avoid them.

Will PM you Blue on a couple of points.