code question--links

[middletree]

I went to a site today which had some links which were very annoying because
the little hand didn't come up when you mouse over them, so you had no way
of knowing they were links, except the wording said "click here" or some
such thing. Anyway, clicking these links would bring up popup windows, and
the code for one such link looks like this:

<u
onclick="MM_openBrWindow('request.htm','winRequest ','scrollbars=yes,width=85
0,height=500')">Click
to Fill out the Request Form</u>

I am not sure what the <u> tag is, but is this way of linking preferable to
the <a href> way? What possible reasons could this webmaster have had for
doing it this way?

[darrel]

> <u
>

onclick="MM_openBrWindow('request.htm','winRequest ','scrollbars=yes,width=85

> 0,height=500')">Click
> to Fill out the Request Form</u>

Ouch. That's horrible.

A link is a link. There is a perfectly good tag for that: <a>

> I am not sure what the <u> tag is

Underline. Another awful tag.

> but is this way of linking preferable to
> the <a href> way?

Absolutely not.

> What possible reasons could this webmaster have had for
> doing it this way?

Ignorance? Stupidity? Spite? Doesn't like people that use text browsers? Or
who use screen readers? Or whoe don't surf with javascript turned on?

-Darrel

[Peter Connolly]

"middletree" <middletree@verywarmmail.com> wrote in message
news:bfhmga$hg4$1@forums.macromedia.com...

> I went to a site today which had some links which were very annoying

because

> the little hand didn't come up when you mouse over them, so you had no way
> of knowing they were links, except the wording said "click here" or some
> such thing. Anyway, clicking these links would bring up popup windows,

and

> the code for one such link looks like this:
>
> <u
>

onclick="MM_openBrWindow('request.htm','winRequest ','scrollbars=yes,width=85

> 0,height=500')">Click
> to Fill out the Request Form</u>
>
> I am not sure what the <u> tag is, but is this way of linking preferable

to

> the <a href> way? What possible reasons could this webmaster have had for
> doing it this way?
>

The <u> tag is the deprecated Underline tag (removed from HTML 4.0; you're
supposed to use text-decoration:underline in your style sheet, instead).

The real work is done by the onclick action. I don't believe it will work if
javascript is turned off, and accessibility is going to be compromised for
users with alternative browsers such as Lynx and Jaws. The call gives the
user more control over the size and format of the pop-up window, which is
probably why the developer did it that way.

HTH,

Pete.