Bookworm — Mon, 28 May 2001 14:33:18 +0000

Thanks but we've done the custom colour thing already (check out the links in my sig)

She's actually changed her mind over the layout now so she doen't need the scrollbar on the left anymore.

But thanks anyway.

The layout she was going for was two frames next to each other and equal width. The content in both frames extended downwards causing a verticle scroll bar to appear to the left of both frames spoiling the look of the 'join'
like this:

So putting the scrollbar for the left frame on the left looked much neater like this:

But she's changed all that now, so nevermind!

mairving — Mon, 28 May 2001 11:48:17 +0000

You could also make your scrollbar disappear except for the arrows. This too only works in IE. Here are the variables for the scrollbar.

<STYLE type="text/css"><!--
BODY {
 scrollbar-base-color: color;
 scrollbar-track-color: color;
 scrollbar-face-color: color;
 scrollbar-highlight-color: color;
 scrollbar-3dlight-color: color;
 scrollbar-darkshadow-color: color;
 scrollbar-shadow-color: color;
 scrollbar-arrow-color: color;
 }
--></STYLE> 

Here is a picture showing what each variable represents:

To make the scrollbar transparent, make everything but the arrow the background color. It makes it a bit harder to see that you can scroll but it may achieve your desired effect.

!!

Suzanne — Mon, 28 May 2001 03:59:52 +0000

The thing is, you are using something that is intended for special cases for the wrong thing. Having the scrollbar on the left side when NOT for opposite languages is a SERIOUS usability faux pas. You are breaking all manner of user convention.

Design is never more important than practical usage considerations.

Suzanne

Bookworm — Sun, 27 May 2001 14:53:56 +0000

Patience, patience, It's not even CLOSE to being uploadable yet, but rest assured, it will be submitted to the critique forum when it's finished.

On problem we've found with dir=rtl, it puts full-stops (periods for our American friends) at the wrong end of the sentance!

If you put

Blah blah blah blah.

into the HTML, ir renders it as

.Blah blah blah blah

Weird!

Mark Hensler — Sun, 27 May 2001 03:23:10 +0000

Can we have a link to the site?
I wanna see a site design that uses left handed scrollbars. I don't remember ever seeing that used.

Bookworm — Sun, 27 May 2001 01:04:55 +0000

Thanks, that works fine. Netscape users will have to get the crap looking version. My stats say they're only 18% of visitors anyway.
Netscape is dying a l o n g slow death.

Busy — Sat, 26 May 2001 22:20:50 +0000

Will work in IE if you put dir=rtl in either the html or body tag, wont work in netscape. maybe you can find/make a javascript

(rtl = right to left) used for Hebew and such.

personal input - I wouldnt use it on an important page, or a main page as people can get lost and/or confused very easily, some people get lost with no underline on links.