Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Having problems with DHTML Menu? There is usually somebody here who knows the answer.
wpatters1229
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by wpatters1229 »

My pleasure...see the site at http://www.fxtas.org/index_new.htm (still under wraps) ...a different site had some interesting problems with keeping the submenus to "stick" to the main menus. Figured it out but not sure it is anything normal...just hacked until they stuck. Position=relative is an interesting concept that is hard sometimes to get your head around. If interested go look at the draft site http://www.wwmgmt.org/stephenwellsNEWcom/

I just wanted the submenus to stick when the site is wider or narrower since the page is centered.
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Ruth
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by Ruth »

Hi,

If you use the old method for relatively positioned menus the submenus will always open where they are supposed to open. To do that you need to remove the main menu from the data file, put it in its own file with a drawmenus at the end of it. Then call the data file right after the program files, and call the main menu in the div where you want it. Using that method you shouldn't have a problem. Here's a test page and if that works for you, here are the Here
Let me know when you get this so I can remove the links :) Take a look at the data files to see what I did for the separtors and images and such. Also note that, because you have two menus and separate files for them you can't use the same style names, I just added an a or b so the menu could distinquish between the styles for the top and for the left side. You could actually put all the sub and style parts in one file and just the two main menus in their own files. Anyway, take a look at the files and see what I did.

Ruth
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by wpatters1229 »

OK...I see what you have done with the placement of the files in the html but when I try to download the zip file it sends me to a bogus website...??? I see it in the status line but that is not where I end up. If I do a save as it says the zip file is not a valid file...got a virus or been hacked?
wpatters1229
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by wpatters1229 »

I actually got the menus to stay where they are suppose to with the coding I did but the only thing that they do not do now is when you are too close to the window edge the menus do not push up to compensate so part of the submenu is hidden.
I will look at the files you made and try them out.

Thanks
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Ruth
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by Ruth »

Hi,

I sent you an email with the file attached. I do not know what is happening, perhaps something in the upload. I can't get the file either, but if I ftp to my site I can see it there, but it tells me it isn't there when I click the link. There is no virus, I scanned it with Avast. I removed your email. Let' me know when you no longer need the page since I used your page with your stuff on it, so I don't think you want that to remain at my poems2u site, I'll delete it when you don't need to go there anymore :)

Yes, the way you did it would get them to be wherever you positioned them, however, it's a lot of extra coding. Doing it this way, they will be where they belong automatically so you don't have to try and figure out position for each submenu.

Let me know if you need anything more.

EDIT: I must have done something wrong in the link, because I just re-did it and now it is working :) thought I'd let you know in case you would rather download it. Again, just let me know when you are done and I'll remove all that stuff :)

Ruth
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by wpatters1229 »

I will deal with it in the AM...don't ya just love computers? I am an old retired IBMer who remembers programming hardware with yellow wires on a board...things have come a long way and very fast..it is truly amazing what we can do now.

Thanks again for your help...love these forums and the community of brains on the Internet...you all make it possible to do anything!
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by wpatters1229 »

I have an interesting problem and thought someone might know the answer. I am using milonic menus on a site and then use an application from coffecup called sitemapper. It works great if you are not using dhtml menus or menus like milonic which are js based. I have a site www.fxtas.org that I have included the keyboard.js file so people who can't use a mouse can get around. I also have the menus hidden from view except when you turn off js.

Do you think just using he keyboard.js addition will still let the sitemapper work? Trying to build a listed based menu that is hidden except when js is turned off is a pain.

I guess what I am trying to say is there a module that will show the menus (read the js) and allow a scanning sitemapper to see the links and build the site map?

Thnks
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by Ruth »

Hi,

The site index type programs won't read the data in a js file where the links are. They only look at links on the pages. However, there is a php_sitemap in the extras folder which is a Milonic created item. There is also a function created by Kevin, and a little module, which will let you make a 'sitemap' of the menu data file. http://support.milonic.com/demos/site_index/index.htm I have used this one to create a sitemap I uploaded for my site [when I actually worked on my site!]

I don't know about the php one, though a lot of people use it and it seems to work just fine. There is a link on the main Milonic site http://milonic.com/ Look at the right side just to the right of the search box at the top.

I don't know why the coffee cup one wouldn't work on the links on the pages, it just won't read the js files. Open your coffee cup thing and put in milonic.com and it will give you a site map of Milonic. I downloaded the coffee cup thing to test and tried that. Worked fine, but of course it doesn't read the js menu, but it read all the other links on the page

Ruth
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Re: Accessibility and keyboard-only users

Post by wpatters1229 »

I find that if I do a noscript tag and place all the menus in list format the sitemap tool from coffeecup works just fine. I will play with the tools you sent me to look at. Part of the reason I did the menus hidden behind the noscript tag is for 508 compliance and the ability to see a menu structure when css and js are turned off. Screen readers need to read the menus. Maybe with those suggestions I can find a way to not have to list the menus in a noscript area. The main reason for using milonic is having a single central file that affects all pages. I guess I could use an include file for the noscript area.

This is reference to the www.fxtas.org site

Thanks
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