[stealthcow]

view in firefox - disable styles to get a better idea of how the nav fits together

I've created a hybrid navigation which uses flash, javascript, graphics and CSS to make it SEO friendly and more accessible than a usual flash based menu (while allowing flash animated button effects)

This is all coming together fine (see: http://www.kdwebserver.co.uk/~eilers...iew/index2.php ) but there is one problem:

I've put the onmouseover/out function on the li tag so that whenever you mouse over anything contained within the li (the flash animation, graphic etc) it'll start the nav going and open up the submenu. When you move your mouse away from the graphic it calls the onmouseout function (it seems to be ignoring the flash for some reason)

any ideas on how to fix this?!

[stealthcow]

ive narrowed it down a bit, if i take off wmode=transparent for the flash then this allows me to mouseover it - BUT - i have to have it as transparent

[djeglin]

Can you not use the suckerfish method on this? I know you have the flash involved... but that shouldnt really make a difference>? I'm guessing that the method you are using is very similar... but my first port of call would be trying the old trick we know works and going from there?

[stealthcow]

i have to use javascript because it sends commands to the flash so that it knows when to animate, when to stop and when to open the sub menu

[skyrocket]

Originally Posted by stealthcow

[b]I've created a hybrid navigation which uses flash, javascript, graphics and CSS to make it SEO friendly and more accessible than a usual flash based menu (while allowing flash animated button effects). any ideas on how to fix this?!

that's your problem IYAM - to use a well worn analagy you've got too many cooks in the kitchen trying to get their cake and eat it, biting off more than they can chew all at the same time as leading a horse to water if you see what i mean? you can get transparency effects using graphics and pure css driven menus which would be great for SEO but trying to do it over a moving set of images is another matter. sounds like a job for flash but then you've got the accessibility/seo issues you've mentioned. so...it's a trade off in my opinion. if it was me i'd try a remix on your hybrid them and have a flash panel with the rotating cows & butter images and another panel to the side with the nav which is done with xhtml/css (eg: the suckerfish method mentioned earlier)

[stealthcow]

thats what it does skyrocket

all that it does extra is add a bit of javascript to allow the flash animation

[stealthcow]

and on side note, im the sort of person who likes to have my cake and eat it, just because something isnt easy doesnt mean im not going to do it..

[skyrocket]

what i meant was have a 50/50 layout not a window style thing like you've got going. half the page is flash and the other is the nav which is do-able and almost keeps your design intact. the problem is the animated graphics showing through the nav panel with transparency. i don't think you can do it in xhtml/css - especially for the drop-out menu when it happens. you've set yourself a tough challenge but i'll be well impressed if you pull it off in the manner you're planning.

[RaelRode]

Wh not use :hover in the CSS???? Or am I missing somehting??

[stealthcow]

:hover wont work because i need to use javascript commands to tell the flash to animate when you mouseover the nav item (and whether to show the drop down or not etc)

[stickmus]

Not sure 100% what the problem is, but it seems to me that when you roll off the image you lose the hover. Try using bigger GIF images with transparent backgrounds. Also, would recommend using something like jQuery to handle the hover code as this will likely give better consistency cross browser.

Alternative would be to use mouse position to trigger the flash rollovers.