Re: [boost] Re: Front page, one last time.

From: Rene Rivera (grafik.list_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-12-14 10:10:23

Anthony Williams wrote:

> Having images on web-site buttons is awkward; you need to provide alternate
> text for those people who don't have browsers capable of rendering the image,
> but this needs to be hidden if the browser is showing the image. Setting the
> indent to -9000px (as you have) works, *except* if you have a browser
> *capable* of showing the image (e.g. Firefox/Win2k), but with image viewing
> disabled --- in which case you don't get anything displayed at all.

Hm, interesting problem, not sure how often it comes up. And that button 
does have an alt which it should have displayed, without shifting the 
text away :-( I'll see what I can do to make the text show up in this 
circumstance.

> In the past I have given up trying, and just had a text button. I thought
> about maybe having a block with a background image directly on top of a text
> button. That way, if the image isn't visible (for *any* reason), then the text
> shows through. I don't know how easy that is to arrange, though; I didn't get
> as far as trying it.

The usual text buttons are just offensive to the style of web pages. 
They're even offensive in the regular GUI, which is why you see many 
applications use image buttons instead.

> In any case, the Google button does nothing to indicate that it is a button
> (unless you click on it): it has no border, it doesn't highlight when the
> mouse goes over it, and the cursor doesn't change either. (Tested in
> firefox/win2k)

It's not meant to indicate it's a button. It's meant to look like a logo 
label. The button functionality is actually superfluous as you can just 
press return to do the search. But submit input item is required fr the 
form, and text browsers, and 508 accessibility. So I don't think it's 
important or desirable having it announce itself as a button.

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