Still can't resolve this problem - need your help, Please!

Poster: rudy
Dated: Tuesday August 10 2004 - 20:38:11 BST

The problem explained below, shows up in IE version 6.0 and maybe other browsers as well. Shows up on both of my home computers and I have also tried it on about a dozen computers at my local library and it does the same thing. I am using Milonic version 5.40. I have tried different images (small and larger) but same results and have tried different padding sizes but still have the same problem. The following is the problem as best I can explain it.

I have a separate image for the main items (the Milonic menu you see as the page opens and before you mouse over it) and a different image for the submenus. If you go to the link I provided below, and mouse over the first item on the menu (left side - named OSI Model) the submenus will open up. You will also see a black arrow image and next to it a small amount of background that shou NOT be there. If you mouse over another main item menu and then go back the the first main item, the extra background space is no longer there and the arrow is positioned all the way to the right at it should be. This only happens the very first time the page is opened. Kind of a hard thing to explain, hope you can understand what is happening here

Your suggestions will be appreciated!

Here is a link so you can check it out: http://www.networkdriven.com/qp/579bb62.html

Here is the code I'm using to get the image on the main item bar and the code for the subimage as the menu drops down.
Code:
with(windows98style=new mm_style()){
onbgcolor="#000000";
oncolor="#FFFFFF";
offbgcolor="#FFAD73";
offcolor="#000000";
bordercolor="#BFBFBF";
borderstyle="raised";
borderwidth=2;
subimage="/qp/black_round.gif";
subimagepadding="2";
overfilter="Fade (duration=0.2);Alpha (opacity=90);Shadow(color=#777777', Direction=135, Strength=5)";
outfilter="randomdissolve(duration=0.3)";
separatorsize="2";
padding=4;
fontsize="75%";
fontfamily="tahoma, verdana";
headercolor="#FFAD73";
headerbgcolor="#000000";
high3dcolor="#eeeeee";
low3dcolor="#7F7F7F";
swap3d="1";
}



with(substyle=new mm_style()){
onbgcolor="#000000";
oncolor="#FFFFFF";
offbgcolor="#FFAD73";
offcolor="#000000";
bordercolor="#BFBFBF";
borderstyle="raised";
borderwidth=2;
subimage="/qp/black_7x7.gif";
subimagepadding="0";
overfilter="Fade (duration=0.2);Alpha (opacity=90);Shadow(color=#777777', Direction=135, Strength=5)";
outfilter="randomdissolve(duration=0.3)";
separatorsize="2";
padding=4;
fontsize="75%";
fontfamily="tahoma, verdana";
headercolor="#FFAD73";
headerbgcolor="#000000";
high3dcolor="#eeeeee";
low3dcolor="#7F7F7F";
swap3d="1";
}

Poster: kevin3442
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 4:11:52 BST

Hi Rudy,

Hmmmm... very strange. It's as if the submenu is being built before it knows how big the subimage (arrow.gif) is. If that's the case, then putting

at the top of your menuquizinetplusdemo_data.js file should cause all of the menus to be built before they're displayed, which should take care of the problem.

In having a look, I noticed a few issues with your style definitions. e.g., I don't think "raised" is a valid borderstyle. Of course, since you're using high3dcolor and low3dcolor to get the 3d border effect, borderstyle is ignored anyway (so you don't need it). You're also missing an opening single quote around the color definition in the Shadow() component of the overfilter in windows98style (seems to forgive you though). Also, since the main menu doesn't ever close, you don't really need an outfilter in it's style. A couple of other not-needed settings. Since your two styles are very similar, you can also copy the windows98style to the substyle and make only a few changes. I took the liberty of editing a little, and I think you'll find that the following will work:


Anyway, let us know if the buildAllMenus trick works.

Cheers,

Kevin

Poster: Ruth
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 4:33:05 BST

If the buildAllMenus doesn't work, you might try removing the overflow=scroll on that OSI submenu. It doesn't need it and perhaps the menu is leaving the space for it until you mouseover and it realizes it doesn't need the scroll bar? Just a thought.

And, I think somehow that 'raised' got out on the web for the
valid css 'outset'

Ruth

Poster: rudy
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 18:49:37 BST

Kevin wrote:
It's as if the submenu is being built before it knows how big the subimage (arrow.gif) is. If that's the case, then putting

at the top of your menuquizinetplusdemo_data.js file should cause all of the menus to be built before they're displayed, which should take care of the problem.


Does the buildAllMenus=true; go as shown below? This is the very top of the menuquizinetplusdemo.data.js file (note no semi-colon)


or in this section of the code? (note semi-colon used)

Poster: Ruth
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 21:24:05 BST

As Kevin said, buildAllMenus=true goes at the top of your menu data file so your first choice is correct.

Ruth

Poster: rudy
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 21:57:27 BST

I was confused by Kevin's code of: buildAllMenus=true; as items in the very top of the menuquizinetdemo_data.js. file have an underscore _ before it and do not have a semi-colon ; at the end of it, that's why I thought this would go in the to of the main_menu. Your pretty sure of this, right?





I also removed the overflow=scroll from the OSI submenu as you suggested. I thought that needed to be in there if the sub-menus got so long that a scrollbar was needed. I see the scrollbar is still there even though I removed the overflow=scroll - don't know where I got that from.

Also removed the "raised" thing as well.

My problem now is that I can't get it to reproduce the problem, so either these things fixed the problem or it still exists. I have emptied my cache and restarted my browser but it seems like it doesn't always show up. Maybe you could click the like and check it out on your computer?

http://www.networkdriven.com/qp/579bb62.html

This is the code I have if I've done it right? Sorry this is a little long:

Poster: kevin3442
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 22:44:29 BST

Hi Rudy,

I'm still getting the problem in IE6... but only the very first time I visit your site. It's very odd... even if I clear the cache, then visit again, the problem doesn't show up. I have to actually reboot to see it again in IE6. With NS7.1 however, I see the problem every time I open the page in a new instance of the browser (so, testing with NS7.1 will probably be better).

Re: buildAllMenus... I think this is a fairly recent, and not widely known addition to the menu system. I'm pretty confident that it'll take care of the problem (it did in my lcal tests with your menu file). You use it just like I mentioned...

at the top of the ...data.js file, where the other global variables (with the _ at the front) are defined. The semicolon at the end is not really needed. js syntax follows C syntax pretty closely, and as a result I'm just used to putting a semicolon at the end of a line like that. js no longer requires the semicolon at the end, so it's optional... I just do it out of habit, but Andy typically doesn't (I guess because fewer characers in his code means faster downloads). Anyway, sorry for the confusion on that. Feel free to leave the semicolon out if you want.

Regarding the underscore... there should not be an underscore at the front of the variable name, like you see in the other "standard" global variables that are usually at the top of the ...data.js file (like _subOffsetTop). It should be

It should NOT be

so you'll want to fix that in your current code. I'm betting that once you do that, the problem'll go away.

Let us know how it goes....

Kevin

Poster: Ruth
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 22:48:43 BST

I'm on IE5.5 and the problem is there all the time now, it never goes away even if I mouseover another menu item.

Ruth

Poster: rudy
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 22:55:20 BST

Thanks for helpin Ruth!

I just made the change that Kevin thinks will resolve the problem - maybe you could check it again for me. Kevin states that just clearing out his cache doesn't work, that he actually has to reboot. Lot to ask, but I just have to fix this problem as this is an e-commerce site and something like this can drive my customers away.
Thanks again for your help and Kevin's as well.

Poster: Ruth
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 23:02:39 BST

Yes, that seems to have fixed it.


Ruth

Poster: rudy
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 23:09:17 BST

I haven't rebooted and tried it myself yet, but WOW, I hope that does it, as I have really worked on trying to fix this as have you and Kevin - Thanks soooooo much

Poster: kevin3442
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 23:17:17 BST

Just checked using NS7.1. No more problemo.

Cheers,

Kevin

Poster: rudy
Dated: Wednesday August 11 2004 - 23:58:12 BST

Kevin:
I rebooted and went to the menu and it worked perfectly. Ruth said it works now in her IE 5.5 and I'm using IE 6.0, so hopefully that will fix it for good. I have the Milonic menu on several of my Web sites pages all with different data.js files. I guess I just need to add the code into each of those - correct?

Again thanks a bunch