The Fix

The selectBlog() function checks to see if the browser is IE, and if it is, it resets the SELECT object’s VALUE property to “none”. Now, when the user comes back to the OSM site, the list box will be in its initial state. The box will still have the focus, so the user must click out of the box, but they won’t be sent to another page if they operate the mousewheel, and THAT was what the problem was.

If the browser is Netscape, then the selectBlog() function only sends the user to the selected page. There was never a problem with netscape as far as the list box went.

Since the posts on this are spread out, here’s a short recap of the changes to the code:

1) remove the ONCHANGE from the SELECT object and added an ONCLICK function that calls the selectBlog() function.

2) change SCRIPT type to “text/javascript” because the selectBlog() function is working with text.

3) added the selectBlog() function, enclosed within SCRIPT tags in the HEAD section.

This change will make using the list box with IE much more user-friendly.

I’ve come up with a fix for IE to fix this, but it results in a problem with Netscape Navigator.

Oh well. The fix here will involve browser incompatibility issues, and the code is not trivial, and I would be delving too deeply into the site’s mechanization to come up with the code. Sorry about this. Charles knows what he’s doing though, and he can code around the problem. Just make sure that he knows there is a problem with that list when using IE.

In Internet Explorer, when the user comes back to the OSM site after clicking to one of the 25 main contributers in the drop down list box, the list box item still has the focus. If the user attempts to scroll down the OSM page using the mousewheel (as would be typical), they will instead be whisked to another page in the list. This is unsatisfactory. This does not happen in Netscape Navigator, but most of the world uses IE.

To duplicate the problem (and assuming that you have IE on a Windows PC), click to one of the 25 contributers in the list, than go back to the OSM site and operate the mousewheel. You’ll find that you go to another site on the list.

Here is the fix:

OSM List Box

In the code, I only change three things:

1) removed the ONCHANGE attribute of the SELECT tag and added an ONCLICK attribute, which calls a function selectBlog(this.value). The value sent to the selectBlog function has blog url that was clicked by the user operating the list box. The problem with ONCHANGE is that when the list has the focus, just using the mousewheel causes ONCHANGE to kick in, sending the user to a page, which is unsatisfactory, as noted for the reason above.

2) in the selectBlog(blog) function I added error checking code to make sure that the function does nothing if “none” or “” is the value sent to it, which are the values assigned to the first two list items in the SELECT object.

3) in the SCRIPT tag, I change the type to “text/javascript”. This is important because the selectBlog function is working on text.

In the fix, you’ll notice that, when you come back to the list (after navigating to a page by clicking on one of the items), and then operate the mousewheel, that you will now no longer get sent to a web page. There is still the annoyance of scrolling with the mousewheel and not going anywhere (because the list still as the focus), but clicking to get out of the box is preferable to getting whisked to another page AND THEN figuring out what they have to do (click out of the box).

The normal expectation for a mousewheel movment is scrolling down a page, but a mousewheel will also scroll down a list in a list box, which is why using the ONCHANGE attribute is a bad idea in the case of your list box. ONCLICK is much better.

I suggest that first you get a bare bones blog spin working on a test web page, as per my example. Put the function in the html HEAD section like I did, and don’t forget to enclose it within the SCRIPT tags (but use lower case). Put the button within the BODY tags. Once you’ve got it working on your test page, consider the graphics that will accompany the button. I would suggest an image, either one you jin up or one that you get off the internet or from a software package like Art Explosion. Put this catchy image on the your test page, (I’d probably use Microsoft PhotoDraw to make a jpg that combines text and a graphic). Under that image put the button. Now you have a pleasing image and the selection button, and you can go live with it. Insert the code into your blog. For an off-line project, to be done at a leisurely pace, search the internet for a cooler looking button (they are available), or make your own up, and then use THAT button to select the selectBlog function. If you’re familiar with HTML, then you should be off and running on your own with this. If you’re not familiar with HTML (nothing to be ashamed about…in fact hating HTML is a personality plus…and I wouldn’t wish Javascript on my worst enemy), then I’ll provide specific help if you’d like.

Can I use that code for a Blogspin at my own (non-OSM) site? I love that idea! (Although I dread inputting all the URLs I’d use!)

Roger,

Serious question. The big issue (most of) the critics have SEEMS to be that nobody “gets” it (admittedly, myself included, although I’m not taking a position as a critic nor a “cheerleader” at this early stage).

Are you Gawker Media/Nick Denton? Tech Central Station? I know you’re not trying to duplicate someone else’s business model, but telling us in plain language with some basic models with which to compare (i.e. Denton’s) about what we should expect to see would be helpful and would certainly garner more support.

Gee, tefta, think of it as literary license to make a point.