[thelist] [OT] Is fixing on a certain platform/programming language good or bad?

[VOLKAN ÖZÇELİK]

> 
> where's the ot tip? ;^)
> 
 
Sorry, I'm a newcomer in the list and I did not get used to the
undocumented rules of it. (if there is somewhere I can learn, or if
someone can tell me off-list, I'd appreciate. Currently I learn by
living it :) )

Here goes the tip:

<tip type="Getting rid of selects" author="Volkan Ozcelik">
As you may know the html <select>s render on the top of any element in
the page, regardless of the elements' z-index. So when you open a
DHTML pop-up layer if there is a select beneath it, the select will
render on the top of the layer, which is unpleasent visually and in
terms of usability.

Here is a DOM-compliant way to show/hide selects:

  function DOMController() {}

  DOMController.prototype.hideCombos = function() {
       var arCombo = document.getElementsByTagName("select");
       for(var i=0;i<arCombo.length;i++) {
           arCombo[i].style.visibility = "hidden";
       }
   };

   DOMController.prototype.showCombos = function() {
       var arCombo = document.getElementsByTagName("select");
       for(var i=0;i<arCombo.length;i++) {
           arCombo[i].style.visibility = "visible";
       }
   };

   var page = new DOMController();

....
and a possible usage illustration:

function showMyLovelyDHTMLLayer() {
     page.hideCombos();
     // do rest of the logic.
}

function hideMyLovelyDHTMLLayer() {
    // do whatsoever
    page.showCombos();
}

...

DOMController has been written as an object so that it can be extended
to suit your needs. The methods showCombos and hideCombos can be used
separately either.

</tip>

cheers,
Volkan.