Hi, People,

Is it possible to have an "empty" or "dummy" <a href> ***without***
the browser jumping back up the page??

I have a hyperlink that doesn't point to another document, but is used
to call forth a modal window onClick (or is there another way, without
text or image links, of calling forth JavaScript on user activity??).
I would like to spare my visitors the inconvenience and visually
jarring effect of getting thrown back up to the top of the page! =(

Ah, well, using "javascript:;" for a value did the trick! The browser
no longer throws the viewer back up to the top of the page.

Unfortunately, that modal window doesn't center vertically, so *it* is
still up at the top of the page!

How can I center an element *vertically*, please?

It's just a box, actually, and I know that with CSS "auto" centers it
horizontally -- but what about vertically??

On 05/01/08 04:16 pm, Prisoner at War wrote:
>
> Is it possible to have an "empty" or "dummy" <a href> ***without***
> the browser jumping back up the page??
>
> I have a hyperlink that doesn't point to another document, but is used
> to call forth a modal window onClick (or is there another way, without
> text or image links, of calling forth JavaScript on user activity??).
>
You can use the onClick attribute with just about any element. It soes
not have to be an anchor.

--
jmm (hyphen) list (at) sohnen-moe (dot) com
(Remove .AXSPAMGN for email)

On May 1, 7:16 pm, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi, People,
>
> Is it possible to have an "empty" or "dummy" <a href> ***without***
> the browser jumping back up the page??

End the JavaScript with "return false;" and that will suppress the
jump to the normal href destination.

It's then a good idea to make the href value a URL to a separate page
with the same content as the attempted popup, so as to make that
content accessible to non-JavaScript users.

--
Dan

On May 1, 7:16pm, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi, People,
>
> Is it possible to have an "empty" or "dummy" <a href> ***without***
> the browser jumping back up the page??
>
> I have a hyperlink that doesn't point to another document, but is used
> to call forth a modal window onClick (or is there another way, without
> text or image links, of calling forth JavaScript on user activity??).
> I would like to spare my visitors the inconvenience and visually
> jarring effect of getting thrown back up to the top of the page! =(

Try using <a href="#" onclick=" . . . ;return false">

Herbert

[Note: follow-up to comp.lang.javascript]

Thu, 1 May 2008 16:16:49 -0700 (PDT), /Prisoner at War/:

> Is it possible to have an "empty" or "dummy" <a href> ***without***
> the browser jumping back up the page??
>
> I have a hyperlink that doesn't point to another document, but is used
> to call forth a modal window onClick (or is there another way, without
> text or image links, of calling forth JavaScript on user activity??).
> I would like to spare my visitors the inconvenience and visually
> jarring effect of getting thrown back up to the top of the page! =(

If the element is not really a hyper link why marking it as such?
Better use generic SPAN element or A(nchor) element without 'href'
and attach 'click' handler to it. This will spare your visitors the
confusion with encountering hyper links which are not really hyper
links.

Apart from that from the incorrect hyper link usage note, you could
always return false in the 'click' handler to prevent the browser
from doing its default action - to follow the link:

<script type="text/javascript">
function openWindow(url, name, features) {
if (open) {
var n = (name) ? name : "_blank";
var f = (features) ? features : "resizable,scrollbars";
var win = open(url, n, f);
if (win) {
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
</script>

<a href="http://www.w3.org/"
onclick="return openWindow(this.href);">W3C</a>

--
Stanimir

On May 1, 8:19 pm, dorayme <doraymeRidT...@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
>
>
> Looked at
>
> <http://www.jakpsatweb.cz/css/css-vertical-center-solution.html>
>
> ?
>
> --
> dorayme


Hmmm!! Looks interesting!

Thanks, this just might be the ticket! I'll have to give it a shot --
but it looks like it will work! (At least I can understand the
example in theory!)

On May 1, 8:18 pm, Jim Moe <jmm-list.AXSPA...@sohnen-moe.com> wrote:
>
>
> You can use the onClick attribute with just about any element. It soes
> not have to be an anchor.

Ah, yes, thanks; I'd forgotten that! As it is, I do need a hyperlink,
though it doesn't point to another document, but to a function that
manipulates a <div> or two in order to present a modal window....

> --
> jmm (hyphen) list (at) sohnen-moe (dot) com
> (Remove .AXSPAMGN for email)

On May 1, 8:26 pm, Dan <d...@tobias.name> wrote:
>
>
> End the JavaScript with "return false;" and that will suppress the
> jump to the normal href destination.

Good grief! I'd totally forgotten that!!

Yes, it says just so in Chapter 4, Rollover Buttons, of "The Book of
JavaScript, Second Edition!" Damn, in one ear, out the other....

> It's then a good idea to make the href value a URL to a separate page
> with the same content as the attempted popup, so as to make that
> content accessible to non-JavaScript users.

Actually, the href doesn't point to a document, but to text that's
invisible until invoked by an onClick, creating that modal window.

God, what a dilemma! Just what in heck am I supposed to do about
those people (like me!) whose IE7 disabled ActiveX Controls??

> --
> Dan

On May 1, 8:26 pm, Herbert Blenner <a1ea...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>
> Try using <a href="#" onclick=" . . . ;return false">
>
> Herbert

Many thanks -- for the reminder! Can't believe I forgot that one....

On 01 May 2008, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_war@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I have a hyperlink that doesn't point to another document, but is used
> to call forth a modal window onClick (or is there another way, without
> text or image links, of calling forth JavaScript on user activity??).

Sure. onmouseover, onmouseout, onsubmit, etc., etc.

> I would like to spare my visitors the inconvenience and visually
> jarring effect of getting thrown back up to the top of the page! =(

--
Neredbojias
http://www.neredbojias.net/
Great sights and sounds

Say, just as an update: it turns out that I was able to achieve
vertical alignment by simply using the position:fixed property and
value, in conjunction with margin:23% (it was originally margin:
400px)....

I may have lucked out, though, as I'm not sure exactly how it's
working in the code I've got (below)...also rather bummed that Sam
Collison's good if dry CSS book didn't discuss the vertical-align
property at all despite listing it in the appendix!


#overlay div
{
width:300px;
margin: 23% auto;
background-color: #fff;
border:1px dashed #000;
padding:15px;
text-align:center;
position:fixed;
left: 38%;
}

Ackk!!

That position:fixed property and value has an odd visual artifact in
Firefox 2! (It has a different one in Opera 9!)

The modal window that's "on" the page is invisible until turned on by
a function that's called onClick -- except when scrolling the webpage,
without having clicked on the hyperlink that calls the function: text
scrolling past that invisible modal window "drags by" in the form of
that modal window! It's like when in the Schwarzenegger movie
"Predator" the alien goes invisible, but you can still see the vague
"shimmer" of its outline, especially when it moves....

In Opera 9, position:fixed causes the bottom half of the text in the
modal window to not display if that modal window pops up below "the
fold" (the halfway scroll-point of a webpage)!

Can somebody tell me what's the matter with all this?? Some kind of
inheritance bugaboo??

#overlay div
{
width:300px;
margin: 23% auto;
background-color: #fff;
border:1px dashed #000;
padding:15px;
text-align:center;
position:fixed;
left: 38%;
}

Scripsit Prisoner at War:

> Hi, People,

People just left after noticing your pointless crossposting without even
setting followups and your continued violation of netiquette when you
comment without quoting what you are responding to. Stay tuned to
getting ignored in future unless you learn some habits.

> Is it possible to have an "empty" or "dummy" <a href> ***without***
> the browser jumping back up the page??

Yes, <a href="#foo" name="foo">. But why would you do that? It's 100.1%
certain that you don't understand what your real problem is and that you
are consequently creating new problems.

> I have a hyperlink that doesn't point to another document, but is used
> to call forth a modal window onClick

So what made you use a link when you don't want to link?

> (or is there another way, without
> text or image links, of calling forth JavaScript on user activity??).

Yes of course. Read any introduction to basics of the elements of using
client-side scripting on www pages. Make sure it's a modern one that
discusses the problem "how do I create the <input type="button"> element
dynamically so that it does not appear when it does not work, i.e. when
scripting is disabled?".

> I would like to spare my visitors the inconvenience and visually
> jarring effect of getting thrown back up to the top of the page! =(

Spare them the nasty effects of creating new windows for them.

Followups set to alt.html.

--
Jukka K. Korpela ("Yucca")
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/

On May 2, 1:52 am, "Jukka K. Korpela" <jkorp...@cs.tut.fi> wrote:
>
>
> People just left after noticing your pointless crossposting without even
> setting followups and your continued violation of netiquette when you
> comment without quoting what you are responding to. Stay tuned to
> getting ignored in future unless you learn some habits.

I don't understand what you mean. How's the cross-posting pointless?
I'm working on my site, which involves CSS and JavaScript in addition
to HTML and general design issues.

> Yes, <a href="#foo" name="foo">.

Hmmm, using a name or id attribute stops the browser from trying to
follow the href the way a "javascript:;" or "return false;" does?
Interesting!

> But why would you do that?

"
I have a hyperlink that doesn't point to another document, but is used
to call forth a modal window onClick (or is there another way, without
text or image links, of calling forth JavaScript on user activity??).
I would like to spare my visitors the inconvenience and visually
jarring effect of getting thrown back up to the top of the page! =(

"
> It's 100.1%
> certain that you don't understand what your real problem is and that you
> are consequently creating new problems.

Very possible. That's why I'm asking around!

> So what made you use a link when you don't want to link?

Well, the user has to have a way of calling forth information in that
modal window. (And no I really do want that information in a modal
window instead of "cluttering" up the rest of my paragraph.)

> Yes of course. Read any introduction to basics of the elements of using
> client-side scripting on www pages. Make sure it's a modern one that
> discusses the problem "how do I create the <input type="button"> element
> dynamically so that it does not appear when it does not work, i.e. when
> scripting is disabled?".

Hmm, an input button! I would need it very small, though...I'm using
a modal window like a footnote, see, or an endnote...I wonder if I can
style that button to be visually minuscule....

> Spare them the nasty effects of creating new windows for them.

But that's the thing -- I don't want a webpage full of footnotes, or
redirect the user to another page full of endnotes. A modal window is
the only way I can think of where somewhat extraneous information can
still be offered...unless...I use some kind of "thought balloon"??
Hey, can I do them Ajax-style onMouseOver balloons with *JavaScript*??

> Followups set to alt.html.

Why? The topic of modal windows and how to best implement them seems
relevant to all the newsgroups I'd chosen.

> --
> Jukka K. Korpela ("Yucca")http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/

I hate yucca...it's cactus -- ful for thirst in the desert I
suppose but not a good-tasting plant to cook with!

Followup-To: comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html

On 02.5.2008 г. 04:21, /Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn/:
> Stanimir Stamenkov wrote:
>> Thu, 1 May 2008 16:16:49 -0700 (PDT), /Prisoner at War/:
>>
>>> I have a hyperlink that doesn't point to another document, but is used
>>> to call forth a modal window onClick (or is there another way, without
>>> text or image links, of calling forth JavaScript on user activity??).
>>> I would like to spare my visitors the inconvenience and visually
>>> jarring effect of getting thrown back up to the top of the page! =(
>>
>> If the element is not really a hyper link why marking it as such?
>> Better use generic SPAN element or A(nchor) element without 'href'
>> and attach 'click' handler to it. This will spare your visitors the
>> confusion with encountering hyper links which are not really hyper
>> links.
>
> However, this reasoning is flawed because the confusion of the user about
> what looks like a control that does not appear to work remains.

I agree HTML Form controls (non-submit buttons) should be used
whenever possible, but as far as I know people avoid them because
they are "harder" to style (they are replaced elements the styling
of which is non-standardized, currently). Styling is the main
reason people abuse hyper links instead of using standard form buttons.

Scripting is used to implement non-standard UI controls, too. The
Google Maps map, for instance. It can't be "expressed" using
standard form controls and it can't possibly work without full
scripting and styling support. In this regard I think it is better
to style a SPAN like a button (or whatever is appropriate) and
attach a custom script action to it, rather than abusing a hyper
link element for that purpose.

--
Stanimir

Fri, 02 May 2008 19:10:32 +0300, /Stanimir Stamenkov/:

> In this regard I think it is better to style a SPAN
> like a button (or whatever is appropriate) and attach a custom script
> action to it, rather than abusing a hyper link element for that purpose.

Hyper-link elements - HTML <A> elements with 'href' attribute
specified. <A> element without 'href' is not a hyper-link so it is
perfectly possible to use it in place of SPAN, also.

--
Stanimir

On 05/01/08 06:58 pm, Prisoner at War wrote:
>>
>> You can use the onClick attribute with just about any element. It soes
>> not have to be an anchor.
>
> Ah, yes, thanks; I'd forgotten that! As it is, I do need a hyperlink,
> though it doesn't point to another document, but to a function that
> manipulates a <div> or two in order to present a modal window....
>
I guess I don't get it then. You need a link that's not a link but looks
like a link and does non-link things. I can see why you are having difficulty.
Use a <span>, give it a class that makes it look like a link (to confuse
everyone), and the onClick attribute to do the non-link things.

--
jmm (hyphen) list (at) sohnen-moe (dot) com
(Remove .AXSPAMGN for email)

Stanimir Stamenkov <s7an10@netscape.net> writes:

> Fri, 02 May 2008 19:10:32 +0300, /Stanimir Stamenkov/:
>
>> In this regard I think it is better to style a SPAN like a button
>> (or whatever is appropriate) and attach a custom script action to
>> it, rather than abusing a hyper link element for that purpose.
>
> Hyper-link elements - HTML <A> elements with 'href' attribute
> specified. <A> element without 'href' is not a hyper-link so it is
> perfectly possible to use it in place of SPAN, also.

But then you'd have to differentiate between "pure anchors"; <a
name="something"> and "my special click thingies": <a
onclick="dostuff()">. Still better to use a span or a div.

If styling form controls wasn't so annoying, I'd always recommend
<button>. As it is, it's just too hard to style portably in some
cases.

--
Joost Diepenmaat | blog: http://joost.zeekat.nl/ | work: http://zeekat.nl/

Fri, 02 May 2008 19:49:36 +0200, /Joost Diepenmaat/:
> Stanimir Stamenkov <s7an10@netscape.net> writes:
>
>> Hyper-link elements - HTML <A> elements with 'href' attribute
>> specified. <A> element without 'href' is not a hyper-link so it is
>> perfectly possible to use it in place of SPAN, also.
>
> But then you'd have to differentiate between "pure anchors"; <a
> name="something"> and "my special click thingies": <a
> onclick="dostuff()">. Still better to use a span or a div.

Is there anything ambiguous in differentiating a named anchor or
link and an <A> element which does not specify an anchor? At least
the HTML specification states (a bit down below)
<http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/links.html#edef-A>:

> Authors may also create an A element that specifies no anchors,
> i.e., that doesn't specify href, name, or id. Values for these
> attributes may be set at a later time through scripts.

Until href, name, or id gets set the <A> element doesn't signify an
anchor. Similar case would be:

<ul>
<li><a href="section1">Section 1</a></li>
<li><a href="section2">Section 2</a></li>
<li><a>Section 3</a></li>
<li><a href="section4">Section 4</a></li>
</ul>

The given list used as navigational menu in a multi-page document
where the current page is "Section 3".

--
Stanimir

On May 2, 12:51 pm, Jim Moe <jmm-list.AXSPA...@sohnen-moe.com> wrote:
>
>
> I guess I don't get it then. You need a link that's not a link but looks
> like a link and does non-link things. I can see why you are having difficulty.
> Use a <span>, give it a class that makes it look like a link (to confuse
> everyone), and the onClick attribute to do the non-link things.

I suppose I'm not making myself clear (or maybe I really don't know
what I'm trying to do!)...instead of footnotes on every page, I
figured I'd present such information as an option. That means a
button or a link, right?

So clicking a link -- say, an asterisk -- brings up a modal window.
That way, the page itself is not cluttered by extraneous info but the
user has the option of viewing it.

I could use a button, but unless buttons can be made as small as an
asterisk, I think a hyperlink is what I have to use.

Or is there anything else other than a hyperlink or button?

In the meantime, I'm considering onMouseOver " balloons" instead,
instead of onClick modal windows. balloons seem less intrusive
and in-your-face than modal windows.

Any more advice much appreciated.

> --
> jmm (hyphen) list (at) sohnen-moe (dot) com
> (Remove .AXSPAMGN for email)

Stanimir Stamenkov <s7an10@netscape.net> writes:

> Fri, 02 May 2008 19:49:36 +0200, /Joost Diepenmaat/:
>> Stanimir Stamenkov <s7an10@netscape.net> writes:
>>
>>> Hyper-link elements - HTML <A> elements with 'href' attribute
>>> specified. <A> element without 'href' is not a hyper-link so it is
>>> perfectly possible to use it in place of SPAN, also.
>>
>> But then you'd have to differentiate between "pure anchors"; <a
>> name="something"> and "my special click thingies": <a
>> onclick="dostuff()">. Still better to use a span or a div.
>
> Is there anything ambiguous in differentiating a named anchor or link
> and an <A> element which does not specify an anchor? At least the
> HTML specification states (a bit down below)
> <http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/links.html#edef-A>:
>
>> Authors may also create an A element that specifies no anchors,
>> i.e., that doesn't specify href, name, or id. Values for these
>> attributes may be set at a later time through scripts.

Now that you mention it, I'm not sure I stand by my initial
assessment. The main reason I still wouldn't use A here, is that I
generally use unqualified CSS styles for links, which would make all
of these uses look the same (though A NAME anchors can be empty).

--
Joost Diepenmaat | blog: http://joost.zeekat.nl/ | work: http://zeekat.nl/

On May 2, 6:13 pm, dorayme <doraymeRidT...@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
>
>
> P@W, if you want to give extra information without cluttering but
> without your users charging off to another page and having to come back
> - the motivation for footnotes - then it is simple enough really.
> Because, so it is told here in this church, a significant number of
> people have javascript disabled, you can make them footnotes. You can
> make the asterisks link to notes at the bottom of your page.
>
> You can do this by <a href="#footnote1">*</a> when you have also made
> sure of identifying the footnote concerned at the end with something
> like <p id="footnote1">footnote1...</p> You can have a similar mechanism
> at the footnote end, to take the reader back to the area of asterisk
> they clicked so they can read on. There are some details and
> considerations that I leave out.

Yes, I could use an HTML-only approach, of course, but that's so,
like, 1992!

The main thing, though, is that my site will be a "lifestyle
resource," let's say...and such a thing needs to be somewhat "glossy"
and not give the feel of a local church newsletter, if you understand
what I mean...visual effects to me are like body language -- they
communicate much, even if non-verbally...my site's success will in
large part depend on style in addition to substance (and, again, being
what it is, style is almost half-"substance" itself)....

Footnotes would only add to the visual clutter. They would be at the
bottom of the page and "train" my visitors to ignore that part of the
page. I don't think that's a good idea -- and again, it just wouldn't
look very elegant. I mean, a book with footnotes or endnotes is one
thing, but a webpage? BTW, these aren't "proper" or "real" footnotes,
either, citing works or something of the sort -- they are more like
quick and casual asides, too small for an actual sidebar but too large
for inclusion in the content proper....

> Why don't you try this, it is thoroughly honest and decent and your
> captors will have no option but to release you (I assume you are
> prisoner at war in addition to being a prisoner of war: because you are
> waging a private battle with your captors?)

LOL! I wage a war against society. I do not like the hypocrisy I see
around me.

Right now, though, I am in quite the designer's dilemma!

> --
> dorayme