Q: (Terms of Use) Does it cost anything to use the scripts/documentation found here?
A: No, everything found at scriptasylum.com (and its sub-pages) is considered freeware. However, all materials found here are copyrighted by myself or the contributing developer (for those whose submitted entries appear at this site). Information on copyrights can be found at http://www.whatiscopyright.org for those interested.
Use of these materials are limited to personal and commercial use as long as long as credits are left intact. Modification of the original material is permitted as long as credits for the original developer(s) are left intact and permission is granted by the developer(s).
Freely redistributing materials found here is permitted provided credit is given to the author. The contributing developers at this site will not be held responsible for the notification of newer version releases.
Under no circumstances will any of the material found at this site be used or redistributed, in whole, or in part, for profit. This will be strictly enforced and offenders will be prosecuted to the limit of the law.
The intent of this site is to provide aspiring webmasters free javascripts/DHTML and reference materials to help them build their own site. Again, the materials here are free, but if someone would like to donate a small token of appreciation, please use the following Paypal link:
Other developers' contact information should appear in their work.
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A: No, everything found at scriptasylum.com (and its sub-pages) is considered freeware. However, all materials found here are copyrighted by myself or the contributing developer (for those whose submitted entries appear at this site). Information on copyrights can be found at http://www.whatiscopyright.org for those interested.
Use of these materials are limited to personal and commercial use as long as long as credits are left intact. Modification of the original material is permitted as long as credits for the original developer(s) are left intact and permission is granted by the developer(s).
Freely redistributing materials found here is permitted provided credit is given to the author. The contributing developers at this site will not be held responsible for the notification of newer version releases.
Under no circumstances will any of the material found at this site be used or redistributed, in whole, or in part, for profit. This will be strictly enforced and offenders will be prosecuted to the limit of the law.
The intent of this site is to provide aspiring webmasters free javascripts/DHTML and reference materials to help them build their own site. Again, the materials here are free, but if someone would like to donate a small token of appreciation, please use the following Paypal link:
Other developers' contact information should appear in their work.
Q: I am trying to use your Progressbar script to load images on my page, but the bar only appears once the page is done loading?
A: This is because you are probably trying to use the bar in a way it was not designed to. This script is simply a fancy "GUI" for the typical way of preloading images on a page. It does not make loading images any faster. You really only want to preload the images that are not "hard-coded" on your page, not any of the images on your page that the browser loads when it loads the page. The only images you might preload are the "other" ones used in mouse rollover images (where you mouse over an image and a script replaces that image with another one).
The reason why it appears only after the page is done loading is so it will not hinder the load speed of the page. Pages would take longer to load if the browser had to load the page and preload the images at the same time. This would be particularly noticeable for users with slower internet connections.
Typically, images are preloaded using a relatively simple, non-GUI script like:
var imageList=[ 'img1.jpg' , 'img2.jpg' , 'img3.jpg' , 'img4.jpg' , (others here...)];
var preloadList=new Array();
for(i=0;i<imageList.length;i++){
preloadList[i]=new Image();
preloadList[i].src=imageList[i];
}
The script simply loops through an array of images that you enter and preloads them. This is basically what the progressbar script is doing, except it also shows the progress graphically. Nothing magical here.
This script could be used to preload all the images on a page if it were used in an intro page. Then, once the bar is done, it can be set to auto-redirect to the next page. Some people have opted to use the script this way successfully. Be careful though: If the page you are preloading has a lot of big images, a 56k user may not want to wait around for them to preload. You might want to add a link to skip the preloading for such users.
Incidentally, You'll notice the script is designed to preload images only. Some people ask if it can load flash animations, sound files, etc. The answer is no. I know there is a way to preload sounds, but I have never had consistent results in non-IE browsers. Since I know nothing about Flash, you'll have to find a Flash expert.
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A: This is because you are probably trying to use the bar in a way it was not designed to. This script is simply a fancy "GUI" for the typical way of preloading images on a page. It does not make loading images any faster. You really only want to preload the images that are not "hard-coded" on your page, not any of the images on your page that the browser loads when it loads the page. The only images you might preload are the "other" ones used in mouse rollover images (where you mouse over an image and a script replaces that image with another one).
The reason why it appears only after the page is done loading is so it will not hinder the load speed of the page. Pages would take longer to load if the browser had to load the page and preload the images at the same time. This would be particularly noticeable for users with slower internet connections.
Typically, images are preloaded using a relatively simple, non-GUI script like:
var imageList=[ 'img1.jpg' , 'img2.jpg' , 'img3.jpg' , 'img4.jpg' , (others here...)];
var preloadList=new Array();
for(i=0;i<imageList.length;i++){
preloadList[i]=new Image();
preloadList[i].src=imageList[i];
}
The script simply loops through an array of images that you enter and preloads them. This is basically what the progressbar script is doing, except it also shows the progress graphically. Nothing magical here.
This script could be used to preload all the images on a page if it were used in an intro page. Then, once the bar is done, it can be set to auto-redirect to the next page. Some people have opted to use the script this way successfully. Be careful though: If the page you are preloading has a lot of big images, a 56k user may not want to wait around for them to preload. You might want to add a link to skip the preloading for such users.
Incidentally, You'll notice the script is designed to preload images only. Some people ask if it can load flash animations, sound files, etc. The answer is no. I know there is a way to preload sounds, but I have never had consistent results in non-IE browsers. Since I know nothing about Flash, you'll have to find a Flash expert.
Q: Why do some form elements overlap your Alttxt script?
A: When the Alttxt script and certain form elements are viewed in certain browsers, the form elements will overlap the altttxt box like in the picture below:
Unfortunately, I know of no way to overcome this browser "bug". It seems to happen only in Netscape 4.x and all Internet Explorer browsers. No amount of playing with the z-index style values helps. However, careful positioning of the link can overcome this issue. If you place the link either to the right and/or below the drop-down list, the problem will never present itself. An example is shown in the picture below:
I am almost certain this "bug" will never be fixed in Netscape 4.x, but it may be fixed someday in IE.
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A: When the Alttxt script and certain form elements are viewed in certain browsers, the form elements will overlap the altttxt box like in the picture below:
Unfortunately, I know of no way to overcome this browser "bug". It seems to happen only in Netscape 4.x and all Internet Explorer browsers. No amount of playing with the z-index style values helps. However, careful positioning of the link can overcome this issue. If you place the link either to the right and/or below the drop-down list, the problem will never present itself. An example is shown in the picture below:
I am almost certain this "bug" will never be fixed in Netscape 4.x, but it may be fixed someday in IE.
Q: Why does my Flash animation always overlay some draggable or flying elements on my page?
A: This is because Flash objects have higher z-order precedence. You can overcome this by putting a stylesheet attribute in the object tag for your Flash animation. Here is a quick sample of what the modified tag would look like:
<OBJECT STYLE="z-index:1" ...other Flash parameters here... >
Then, make sure all the other elements that may overlap this Flash object have a higher z-index value; in this case, starting with 2.
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A: This is because Flash objects have higher z-order precedence. You can overcome this by putting a stylesheet attribute in the object tag for your Flash animation. Here is a quick sample of what the modified tag would look like:
<OBJECT STYLE="z-index:1" ...other Flash parameters here... >
Then, make sure all the other elements that may overlap this Flash object have a higher z-index value; in this case, starting with 2.
Q: What level of expertise must I have to use these scripts?
A: Generally, a basic knowledge of HTML, the knowledge of "where things go", and a wee bit of javascript knowhow are needed. If you dont know what "tags" are, or where the "<HEAD>" section of your page is, then you most probably will have trouble using my scripts. I try to be fairly explicit in explaining where to put the various parts to make a script work.
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A: Generally, a basic knowledge of HTML, the knowledge of "where things go", and a wee bit of javascript knowhow are needed. If you dont know what "tags" are, or where the "<HEAD>" section of your page is, then you most probably will have trouble using my scripts. I try to be fairly explicit in explaining where to put the various parts to make a script work.
Q: Can you make a special version of an existing script or custom make a script?
A: If you have any script requests, E-mail me and I may customize them (for free) if it something fairly simple and doesn't require a full re-writing. If you want something specific, I can custom design scripts for a modest fee. The amount is proportional to the complexity of the task. Contact me via e-mail for more details.
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A: If you have any script requests, E-mail me and I may customize them (for free) if it something fairly simple and doesn't require a full re-writing. If you want something specific, I can custom design scripts for a modest fee. The amount is proportional to the complexity of the task. Contact me via e-mail for more details.
Q: Why does this site require a username and a password when I try to download one of your files?
A: This is caused by a combination of two things: My site host provider and the fact that you probably have a download manager running such as Getright and/or GoZilla. For some reason these types of programs do weird things when trying to download from this site. All the files on this site are free and DO NOT require any username or password. Simply disable (temporarily) any download managers you are running and try again. If you still have problems, let me know!
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A: This is caused by a combination of two things: My site host provider and the fact that you probably have a download manager running such as Getright and/or GoZilla. For some reason these types of programs do weird things when trying to download from this site. All the files on this site are free and DO NOT require any username or password. Simply disable (temporarily) any download managers you are running and try again. If you still have problems, let me know!
Q: How do I incorporate any of these scripts into my webpage?
A: You can either view the source of the script demo and "cut-n-paste" the necessary sections into your HTML page, or download the zip file which contains all necessary files and do your editing from there. Some scripts are designed to be opened in their own window due to complexity. Generally, I try to give the best instructions to integrate a script into your page on a script-by-script basis.
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A: You can either view the source of the script demo and "cut-n-paste" the necessary sections into your HTML page, or download the zip file which contains all necessary files and do your editing from there. Some scripts are designed to be opened in their own window due to complexity. Generally, I try to give the best instructions to integrate a script into your page on a script-by-script basis.
Q: I have copied and pasted a script on my page and it doesn't work.
A: You must make sure you have copied and pasted ALL the code from my script into your page. All my demo pages are very basic pages, so it should be fairly easy to pull out only the desired script.
Many servers are case sensitive, meaning "Index.html" and "index.html" are NOT the same because of the capitalized first letter. Make sure all files are saved like they appear in my example/download.
This is probably the most popular reason why some people have problems with images not appearing like they should.
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A: You must make sure you have copied and pasted ALL the code from my script into your page. All my demo pages are very basic pages, so it should be fairly easy to pull out only the desired script.
Many servers are case sensitive, meaning "Index.html" and "index.html" are NOT the same because of the capitalized first letter. Make sure all files are saved like they appear in my example/download.
This is probably the most popular reason why some people have problems with images not appearing like they should.
Q: How do I know if there is an updated version of a script?
A: Generally, I will replace the old version with the new version. There's usually a version number in the scripts which I have re-written or adjusted to help determine which version is newest.
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A: Generally, I will replace the old version with the new version. There's usually a version number in the scripts which I have re-written or adjusted to help determine which version is newest.
Q: I have copied and pasted a script on my page which already has other script(s) and now nothing works.
A: If you try to incorporate multiple scripts into the same page, sometimes variable or function names may clash. For instance: If one script uses a name as a variable, but the other happens to use the same name as a function name, there will be errors. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to know who will use what name in which script. The solution would require "debugging" the script, or opening one of them in a seperate page if possible.
Another (popular) reason why the scripts aren't working may be because both scripts need to be started when the page is finished loading. You can find a lengthy discussion on this topic here in the Tutorials page.
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A: If you try to incorporate multiple scripts into the same page, sometimes variable or function names may clash. For instance: If one script uses a name as a variable, but the other happens to use the same name as a function name, there will be errors. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to know who will use what name in which script. The solution would require "debugging" the script, or opening one of them in a seperate page if possible.
Another (popular) reason why the scripts aren't working may be because both scripts need to be started when the page is finished loading. You can find a lengthy discussion on this topic here in the Tutorials page.
Q: What is an external ".js" file and how do I use it?
A: A .js file is simply a list of javascript functions saved as a ".js" text file. This is handy if you have a script that needs to be in many pages. Normally, you would cut and paste the whole code into your HTML for each page, but using a .js file allows you to only add one line of code per page. This method also makes it MUCH easier to make changes to the script, instead of editing every page with the code, you just edit the .js file! Plus, if you need to use the same code in many pages, the js file will be cached for even quicker access in successive pages.
To use this feature, simply put all your script functions in a blank text file and save it with the .js file extension. Then just insert the following line in the HTML page (usually in between the <HEAD></HEAD> tags):
<SCRIPT language="javascript" src="http://www.url.com/path/filename.js"></SCRIPT>
Note: Do not put any other javascript between the tags, if you need to put in more scripts, make another set of tags.
Now, any function or variable in the .js file is available just like if you had pasted the script itself.
This method is ideal for a javascript powered menu system, or if you have a set of scripts that you use frequenty, like a library of javascript commands. This file doesn't have to be in the same directory as your HTML, just make sure you show the path in the "src" attribute.
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A: A .js file is simply a list of javascript functions saved as a ".js" text file. This is handy if you have a script that needs to be in many pages. Normally, you would cut and paste the whole code into your HTML for each page, but using a .js file allows you to only add one line of code per page. This method also makes it MUCH easier to make changes to the script, instead of editing every page with the code, you just edit the .js file! Plus, if you need to use the same code in many pages, the js file will be cached for even quicker access in successive pages.
To use this feature, simply put all your script functions in a blank text file and save it with the .js file extension. Then just insert the following line in the HTML page (usually in between the <HEAD></HEAD> tags):
<SCRIPT language="javascript" src="http://www.url.com/path/filename.js"></SCRIPT>
Note: Do not put any other javascript between the tags, if you need to put in more scripts, make another set of tags.
Now, any function or variable in the .js file is available just like if you had pasted the script itself.
This method is ideal for a javascript powered menu system, or if you have a set of scripts that you use frequenty, like a library of javascript commands. This file doesn't have to be in the same directory as your HTML, just make sure you show the path in the "src" attribute.
Q: Why won't some scripts run in Internet Explorer 6 ?
A: This is most likely due to the (or lack of) the !DOCTYPE declaration in your HTML code. IE6 now has "modes" where it will adhere scrictly to the W3C standards or not. Adhering to the standards is a good thing, but since there are still a lot of older non-standards browsers out there (any browser older than IE5.5 or NS6), I have switched all my scripts to the non-standards mode.
The doctype declaration is a line of code placed before the beginning <HTML> tag in the page's HTML source. To cause IE6 to be in non-standards mode, use the following code:
<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
If you want a thorough explanation of this, you can go to the Microsoft website for more details.
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A: This is most likely due to the (or lack of) the !DOCTYPE declaration in your HTML code. IE6 now has "modes" where it will adhere scrictly to the W3C standards or not. Adhering to the standards is a good thing, but since there are still a lot of older non-standards browsers out there (any browser older than IE5.5 or NS6), I have switched all my scripts to the non-standards mode.
The doctype declaration is a line of code placed before the beginning <HTML> tag in the page's HTML source. To cause IE6 to be in non-standards mode, use the following code:
<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
If you want a thorough explanation of this, you can go to the Microsoft website for more details.