[thelist] IE click border...

Matt Patterson ltu97mp at reading.ac.uk
Mon Jun 4 14:07:04 CDT 2001


On 4/6/01 at 11:33 am, jeff at members.evolt.org (jeff) wrote:

> matt,
> 
> :~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> : From: Matt Patterson
> :
> : I'm not sure I'd go quite as far as Jeff... 
> :~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> visit the link below using ie4+.
> 
> http://members.evolt.org/jeff/code/link_accessibility_usability.cfm
> 
> start with the address in the address bar highlighted.  now, try to tab to
> the various links on the page.  you'll notice that you can tab through the
> first two columns of links.  when it comes to the third column however you
> can't tab through the links.  in fact, pressing tab twice brings you back to
> the first item in the first column.

Hmmmm. 

The test page is excellent and I'd recommend that everyone has a quick look.

In case you're saying that you should never ever switch off the link outlines Jeff, I'd still say that it's possible to replace that functionality with something that works as well, like using a background change instead of an outline. 

However, I think that the alien-ness of the outline and its universality (because it's implemented in the client and not because the page asks for it to be there) make replacing it a very hard thing to do. The fact that it's so odd and occurs across sites means that you can identify it as a piece of information rather than just another aspect of that particular site's visual experience.

In short: think long and hard and test exhaustively if you want to mess with that outline...

Matt

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matt Patterson:
   Student
   Reading University
   Department of Typography & Graphic Communication

   ltu97mp at reading.ac.uk
   
   http://www.rdg.ac.uk/~ltu97mp/

   'Is Piglet organdized too?' asked Pooh.
   'We all are,' said Rabbit.




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