I keep reading about how bad Frames are. One feature I really like is how the user can drag a splitter to resize the frames. If I don't use frames, how might I go about providing the same feature?
A:
If you insist on having a splitter you can easily find a JavaScript one, for example this jQuery Splitter Plugin.
Personally, for a regular website I believe it indicates a design problem, your design should be good as is. Very few users tweak it anyway.
Kobi
2010-03-15 06:12:04
Thanks, but I don't understand why it is a design problem. Surely, allowing the user to decide the relative widths of a content-tree and the content is a good thing? I really hate websites that have fixed widths and force me to scroll more than I need to.
Dave
2010-03-15 13:23:03
@Dave - Well the site should look ok when you enter it. Also, frames positions are not saved, so the users have to redo it every time they enter. Mostly, statistics show that the absolute majority of people won't change any setting. You said you "read how bad frames are" - does it say why?
Kobi
2010-03-15 19:10:45
In my reading of frames being bad, splitters weren't given as a problem. Also in the solutions as alternatives, no mention of slitters.I'm not worried about frames not saving their positions because I'm not looking to use frames. My question was about using splitters. If I implement splitters, saving the position is simple.I need to provide a windows explorer-style interface. The tree on the left is dynamically built from the content. Can you imagine using Windows Explorer and not being able to adjust the relative sizes? I want to provide that level of richness to my users.
Dave
2010-03-19 18:00:31
Of course. That's why I made some text *italic*. No rule is good for all sites. Should I remove my answer, is it helpful? Maybe I should remove the latter half of it...
Kobi
2010-03-19 18:29:58