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osCommerce

The e-commerce.

DHTML Menu's


Snowman

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I thought i had seen someone contribute a DHMTL menu mod that changed the categories box into a dhtml hiermenu system??

 

or maybe it was a hiermenu for the header....anyway i cant find it

 

anyone know the link to it???

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I searched for one, but never found one, so I just did my own.

 

Try the one Harald always mentions at Milonic.com

 

No more complicated than just dumping the script in the right place.

 

CC.

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Personally I think DHTML is a dead end. Too many complications and updates needed whenever a browser comes in a new version.

 

I also think that using JavaScript for menus is a no-no. Many of the more sophisticated users have JavaScript disabled completely for some good reasons. Personally I use WebWasher for years. Webwasher filters all cookies, referrers, JavaScript, Pop-Ups etc.

 

Surfing the web with such a tool gives a good impression of good and bad design. Most sites that attract users like me will work that way as the designers know about their audience.

 

Those sites that only work with all whistles and bells tend to be sites that are of no real value.

 

On some rare occasions I make exceptions. PayPal for example needs a cookie, which I understand.

 

In general - though it might be hard to do - make sure your sites can be visited and navigated under all circumstances. If you rely on a method that is non-standard (DHTML is non-standard IMHO) you must accept that you loose customers.

 

Please don't answer with "my stats show that Mozilla is not used on my site". The argument is weak. If I cannot surf your site with Mozilla I wont do it, so you never see Mozilla in your stats.

 

My personal advice is to make sure by testing with many browsers and options disabled/enabled that your site works in as many ways as possible.

 

Use standard HTML/XHTML only. Use the validator at w3.org and learn from its output.

 

These are just my personal views though. The fact that IE can be attacked/spoofed in many ways is related to the fact that people use specific extensions that are non-standard.

 

Let's all make the web a better place ;-)

 

P.S: These views are not pointing at any specific person in this thread, they are menat to be general.

You can't have everything. That's why trains have difficulty crossing oceans, and hippos did not adapt to fly. -- from the OpenBSD mailinglist.

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some valid points there...

 

what then would be a good and standard way to achieve a hiermenus type setup for the categories list???

 

I have a site im working on with a large amount of categories and when fully expanded takes up a lot of space and stretches the page a bit too much...

 

any suggestions on ways around this???

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Something that we've started to do in the project is to make sure the bells and whistles (javascript) still work when the browser does not support it.

 

I think the only example I can provide is the product image in the product information page.

 

Clicking on it with javascript enabled will bring up the picture in a new window. Clicking on it with javascript disabled will load a new page with just the image showing.

 

This can be done by specifying logic in <noscript></noscript> tags and be writing the javascript logic in javascript itself (huh? I mean with document.write :))

 

I do not mind DHTML menus etc - as long as the feature they are representing works with browsers that have it disabled.

 

An example here is a DHTML menu - the buttons representing the menus should still be clickable to go to that area so that browsers that do not show the menu can still navigate on your site.

 

This isnt a case for dropping bells and whistles - but making sure your site can be navigated by as much browsers as possible - which is important for an online shop otherwise potential customers will be that no more.

:heart:, osCommerce

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I tend to disagree with some of those points.

 

not that I feel you are wrong, but IMHO alot of people like the ease of dhmlt menu's. I do agree that there are many issues to get around, but if these are done succesfully then you have something very nice to offer your visitors.

 

Here are a few instances of very large businesses using such menu's:

 

http://www.insight.com/uk

http://www.ebuyer.com

http://www.cdw.com

 

Dont pick on my choice of examples for the companies, I dont use this as an example of them. JUST THEIR MENUS.

 

But I cant imagine they would turn away custom in the market they are in.

I would like to think they have found a reliable way to provide for all.

 

Also if you want to make sure you can offer everything, keep your standard category also, just try and make it all look astheitcally pleasing on your site. Plus you will probably need to add the cut out script for anyone not using IE if you want to be sure.

 

This is just MHO.

 

CC.

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Right yous are.

 

There is nothing wrong with using bells and whistles as long as you ALSO offer a method for people that don't want them.

 

There were some discussions in the past that said "my stats show only .2% mozilla, so why should I support them?" and that is the wrong way of looking at the problem. If you only support one browser and only support one method of navigation you will for sure notice that no other browser shos up in the statistics as these other browser are not able to visit your site.

 

That is my point:

 

Take a look at slashdot, securiteam etc. Some people say "back to the roots, ugly" but these sites are very succesfull because they know their audience.

 

HTH

You can't have everything. That's why trains have difficulty crossing oceans, and hippos did not adapt to fly. -- from the OpenBSD mailinglist.

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best just to stick with the menuing system we have now. I to beleive DHTML and Java will cause problems for not everyone uses the same browsers. Mainly OSC works with IE NutScrape, Opera and many others with no conflictions. Using DHTML will restrict users from using a easy to use navigation.

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That is my point.

 

You should not think like that if you want a site with an edge. Dont just dismiss it but try and MAKE it work!

 

Why not just give it your best shot to try and make it work for all users instead of just presuming it wont.

 

If you want a head start use this which Harald keeps mentioning...

 

http://www.milonic.com

 

CC.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry but I think I will toss my 2 cents in here.

 

You are all right!

 

JAVA & DHTML is Cool and useful

 

Plain HTML is functional

 

Some like it some dont

 

So we should all just make two different ways to view the site

 

My website I think is a good example.

 

http://www.the-wizards.com

 

I make shure that any feature that I have in Java is also available in plain HTML text.

 

If someone has java turned off or they have a problem with it... fine

 

There is a plain text link on the page for all java menus

 

Anyway.. Thought I would point that out

 

Shawn

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thanks...ive got a lot more to do yet and a lot more functionality to get sorted out as well...

 

Im going to have a packaged up all the mods day shortly....once i have gotten them all sorted out.

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  • 1 month later...
thanks...ive got a lot more to do yet and a lot more functionality to get sorted out as well...

 

Im going to have a packaged up all the mods day shortly....once i have gotten them all sorted out.

 

Did you finish the DHTML menu feature and contribute it on osCommerce?

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  • 1 year later...
Something that we've started to do in the project is to make sure the bells and whistles (javascript) still work when the browser does not support it.

 

I think the only example I can provide is the product image in the product information page.

 

Clicking on it with javascript enabled will bring up the picture in a new window. Clicking on it with javascript disabled will load a new page with just the image showing.

 

This can be done by specifying logic in <noscript></noscript> tags and be writing the javascript logic in javascript itself (huh? I mean with document.write :))

 

I do not mind DHTML menus etc - as long as the feature they are representing works with browsers that have it disabled.

 

An example here is a DHTML menu - the buttons representing the menus should still be clickable to go to that area so that browsers that do not show the menu can still navigate on your site.

 

This isnt a case for dropping bells and whistles - but making sure your site can be navigated by as much browsers as possible - which is important for an online shop otherwise potential customers will be that no more.

I have a question about the javascript validation during checkout_xxxx.php scripts on MS2.2. The credit card entry page sometimes doesnt seem to work correctly when a browser has javascript disabled.

 

i'm thinking checkout_payment.php for example.

 

A customer complained about the continue button giving a blank screen! His browser was netscape 4.79, and my guess is he also may have had javascript disabled.

 

 

I've noticed theres a javascript popup produced by the checkout_payment page, and if javascript is disabled the best one gets if there is an error is the page just gets displayed again with no popup, no indication as to what may be wrong.

 

i added a <noscript> tag to warn the user to turn on javascript.

 

But my question is, can we go to an option to just use server side validation as a default, and add optional fancy javascript for those who want to lose old browser/paranoid customers?

 

Part of the problem may be the checkout codes run through payment module code,, and theres such a wide variation of vendors that write the modules. If they screw up something for browser X, then the osc team cannot even deal with it! The presentation of various checkout pages logic maybe needs to be made independent of the payment module writers. Currently it doesnt seem to be.

 

Thanks

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Everyone,

I have installed the DHTML menu and it's looking nice but I have a session problem.

Everytime I select a new Item of the Pull down Catagory menu, the shopping cart looses it's content. goes back to empty.

 

Also, I noticed something and I think it could be related, when I look the URL of any items within the Catagory pull down menu, it doesn't forward the

Session ID. here is an example:

http://www.myshop_domain.com/index.php?cPa...=category_test2 <- No osCsid :

 

Should't I see something like this instead ??

http://www.myshop_domain.com/index.php?cPa...7d49347bd6352e2

 

 

The problem could be within this file, I just don't know how to solve it B) . --> menu_items.js.php somewhere on line 23

 

 

<--line 23--->

print "\t[\"" . $categories['categories_name'] . "\", \"index.php?cPath=" . $categories['categories_id'] . "&name=" .urlencode($categories['categories_name']) ."\"";

 

<--->

 

I would appreciate your feedback,

 

Thanks

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Hi Everyone,

I have installed the DHTML menu and it's looking nice but I have a session problem.

Everytime I select a new Item of the Pull down Catagory menu, the shopping cart looses it's content. goes back to empty.

 

Also, I noticed something and I think it could be related, when I look the URL of any items within the Catagory pull down menu, it doesn't forward the

Session ID. here is an example:

http://www.myshop_domain.com/index.php?cPa...=category_test2 <- No osCsid :

 

Should't I see something like this instead ??

http://www.myshop_domain.com/index.php?cPa...7d49347bd6352e2

 

I have the same problem. I know a little javascript but I'm new to PHP - what I've worked out so far is that you can easily 'plug-in' the session id string by adding

...

 . "&" . SID .

to the line you mention so you get

print "\t[\"  " . $categories['categories_name'] . "\", \"index.php?cPath=" . $categories['categories_id'] . "&" . SID . "&name=" .urlencode($categories['categories_name']) ."\"";

 

I'm not sure the dependancy on the global 'SID' is safe, it would probably be better to use something like

 . "&" . tep_session_name() . '=' . tep_session_id()

instead of SID

 

HOWEVER - although you now end up with the missing &osCsid=value in the querystring it's no use because (at least in my case) the menu has picked up a different session id. (If you check the osCommerce Admin>Tools>WhoseOnline you'll see the two sessions.) I'm guessing that this due to the fact that menu_items.js.php performs an include of 'application_top.php' which seems to set up the session etc.

As a newbie I'm out of my depth here - Can anyone help?

 

EtU

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