is there an HTML screen Limit

@cgishackJan 22.2007

Hello,
I am a web developer that develops online mapping applications.

I was looking at Google maps and the way they use their PAN tool.
They create layers on the fly as you move around and load the proper image into that div.

Now my question is… is there a limit on the distance you can place HTML on the screen..
Can you have a layers top property at -20000 or a left at +20000
(20000 is just random numbers i picked)

Will a browser start to throw errors, or crash if you move divs that far out ?

Drew

to post a comment

HTML

16 Comments(s) _↴

@drhowarddrfineJan 22.2007 — #There is no limit but what Google does there is use Ajax and downloads the different parts of the map on the fly. It is not downloading the whole map at once. There would be memory issues before any other web browser problems.

@cgishackauthorJan 22.2007 — #Cool,

Ya, I am looking a developing a Ajax mapping app.

Thanks for the info.

if anyone else knows of any issues, feel free to post..

Drew

@CharlesJan 22.2007 — #if anyone else knows of any issues, feel free to post.[/QUOTE]Well Ajax, like all JavaScript only worse, tends to not work for huge numbers of users. If this is a web application make sure that you have a backup plan; a redundant, JavaScript free version.

@cgishackauthorJan 22.2007 — #I think most modern browser now support Ajax, do they not ?

@CharlesJan 22.2007 — #I think most modern browser now support Ajax, do they not ?[/QUOTE]One in ten or twenty don't use JavaScript. And because some of them cannot use it because of some disability the law comes into play sometimes.

@cgishackauthorJan 22.2007 — #Honestly.....

I have used many computers at clients offices/ home pc's etc.. and have yet to find anyone that has turned off javascript.

I think your www experience would be limited if you turned off client side processing.

@felgallJan 22.2007 — #Most Javascript doesn't make sense in web readers and text only web browsers and a lot of IE6 users have Javascript turned off to get rid of all the annoying popups about pages not displaying correctly because activeX is disabled (and any IE6 user should have activeX disabled in order to plug the 500+ security holes in their browser that can only be plugged that way or by switching to a different browser).

Some disabled people are unable to use a browser with javascript enabled even if they wanted to. They are the ones most likely to sue if they can't use a web page because it requires javascript. There have been several court cases already where companies have had to pay huge amounts in compensation because a disabled person couldn't use their site because it breached accessibility laws.

Create your site so that it is usable without the javascript and then add the Javascript in such a way as to make it easier to use with javascript enabled but so that it still works without Javascript.

@cgishackauthorJan 22.2007 — #Its a crazy world.

Yes,. i have read these disabled court cases too...

So from what I am gathering, when you all develop a web site using Ajax, You detect weather the user is using JavaScript or not, if NOT then you transform the rest of that page to use the basic HTML (0% JavaScript) and simple button / Link Get / POST request so a disabled user can interact with the site.

Show me your page. I would like to see it.

Drew

@drhowarddrfineJan 22.2007 — #Those web browser laws do not apply in many countries including the US, although one large company was sued over it and it is still pending, afaik. (Target)

@cgishackauthorJan 22.2007 — #Id sue the web page reader the disabled user would use instead of the site creators.

The reader should be compatible with all types of technologies.

@wamboidJan 22.2007 — #Looking back at the OP, he is creating a mapping app. I'm all for accessibility, but just how is a map going to be displayed under any circumstances so that a blind person can see it, with or without ajax? I can see that a portion that might contain driving directions needs to be accessible, but the maps themselves just need notify the reader that it's a map.

As far as how many people disable javascript, I've found that it generally depends on the type of site and therefore the type of viewers your site draws. Most sites I've looked at the stats for that were made for the general public have only between 1 and 2% have javascript disabled. Sites for the more tech savvy have a higher percentage.

@drhowarddrfineJan 22.2007 — #I could be more irritated about this stuff than I am but I think back many years when I had a few friends who were blind and I was amazed at what they were able to do on their own. Not one of them was ever upset about not be able to view anything (though the net wasn't available then). But I do try and imagine how to make my sight easier for them to use if they were to go there.

In any case, some of these laws are forcing people to do double duty creating sites that work for everyone and sometimes it just can't happen.

@CharlesJan 23.2007 — #I think your www experience would be limited if you turned off client side processing.[/QUOTE]To the contrary, I surf without JavaScript by choice and I find the experience [i]greatly[/i] improved. Faster pages, no mouse trails and such.

@CharlesJan 23.2007 — #Those web browser laws do not apply in many countries including the US...[/QUOTE]To the contrary, the US Department of Justice is on the record as believing that the Americans With Disabilities Act applies to electronic media such as the internet. ( http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/foia/tal712.txt ) This does not mean that every web page in the US has to be accessible by law. The Constitution limits the power of Congress but if your toilets are required to be accessible then your web page is as well.

@CharlesJan 23.2007 — #In any case, some of these laws are forcing people to do double duty creating sites that work for everyone and sometimes it just can't happen.[/QUOTE]Any minimally competent web author can make any web site accessible.

@wamboidJan 23.2007 — #Any minimally competent web author can make any web site accessible.[/QUOTE]
Accessible yes, but practical for them to use, not always. I'm currently working on a site for an aviation museum. It will be accessible. A blind person will be able to navigate the site with ease and learn all about the history of the planes at the museum and know what is depicted in each picture. But, they still won't be able to see the pictures in any more detail than the short descriptions I give, and I doubt I could ever really go into enough detail to describe it well enough to feel like you've seen it.

What if the site was for a modern art gallery? A little info and good design makes it accessible, but practical for a blind person to visit, I doubt it.

Soon I'll start work on a project much like the OP talked about. Our county has had some very fine flyover pictures taken of the county that we will be putting on the web. They can be used for several purposes since they show to within 3 inches the exact layout of house, tree, fence, etc in the county and also you can see the elevation changes. No matter how accessible this site is, I doubt a blind person will have much use for it with just a screen reader.

I wish this wasn't true, but only so much can be done.

Also in #HTML _↴

Divs.margin free pictures html validation for target="_blank"

Success!

Help @cgishack spread the word by sharing this article on Twitter...

Tweet This

is there an HTML screen Limit

16 Comments(s) _↴

Also in #HTML _↴

Success!

Social

Version

is there an HTML screen Limit

16 Comments(s) ↴

Also in #HTML ↴

Success!

The web is an endless sea of information. Don't miss the boat... Subscribe!

Social

Version

16 Comments(s) _↴

Also in #HTML _↴