Tech: link mystery

Subject: Tech: link mystery
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 01:28 PM

O.k., here's a mystery for you John in Kansas... but will I have to wait 3 weeks until you're back from Winfield?? ;-)

Usually, when I mouse over a link (in Firefox on a Mac), the URL is shown at the bottom of my browser. I've just noticed that those Google ad links at the bottom of the Mudcat page don't do that. Seems weird, from what I know about webness. But, I s'pose that for some reason (known only to themselves) they've come up with some CSS or Java that blocks that effect.

~ Becky in Tucson
(at work... can I call this research for the webmaster part of my job??)

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 02:15 PM

DD -

There are lots of tricks in web page setup that I haven't even thought of looking at. One of our people who actually does page setup would be more likely to have thought about it.

Web pages I've noticed with links that don't show the target URL on the IE status bar usually seem to be ones that use jscript to describe where your browser should go to look up where to go. That seems to be the case with the Google ads although I'm not sure it's jscript. The "passed parameters" may be in some language that only Google knows how to translate.

In IE, I can right click on the Google ads "link" and "Copy Shortcut," but when the shortcut is pasted (e.g. in Word) it's 543 characters of garbage. The "URL" - if you can say there is one - is always to "http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/" but the rest of it is something that doesn't have any obvious "structure" that I can make out.

I have noticed that when opening Mudcat, when the page "hangs" and I get the "waiting for reply" message it always shows "Waiting for reply: http://pagead2" on the status bar. In other words, the mudcat page can't open until the google ads are found(?). Usually the refresh button, or just closing IE and reopening (mudcat of course is my home page) will break through the traffic jam at Google and bring the page up instantly as usual. That's a small inconvenience for the bit of support the 'cat gets from the ads, IMO.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 06:00 PM

Prompt and thorough, as usual, despite the time of year!

~ B in T

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 08:07 PM

DD -

We still could use some "informed" comment from one of our webmeisters. All I can offer on the subject is casual observations.

I won't leave for WVA until 21 Aug. (Very early in the morning). The 3 weeks is getting in the waiting line to get in the line to be in line to get into the festival.

After that, the festival itself is about a week.

Earliest likely return to the ordinary world is sometime 21 Sept, although in some recent years I've stayed over another night to pack things up for the trip home.

The packing is easier after the crowd dissipates thins out, but the real reason is that the line at the "potty dump" station at the festival site is incredibly long and slow moving when the main crowd is on the way out.

A thorough and leisurely dump is much to be recommended, as proper cleanout at the end of this fest greatly simplifies the "winterizing" that has to be done soon after.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 08:11 PM

"A thorough and leisurely dump is much to be recommended"

Oooh, yea man, and especially with a good book... oh sorry, you were talking about... oops...

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: Jeri
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 08:19 PM

It's a bit of javascript in the Mudcat page that refers to a Google javascript. It's not HTML, so your computer won't read them as such. A simple explanation from someone with a microscopic clue.

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 10:24 PM

I dunno, John - I didn't give an "informed" answer because your answer is correct. It's kinda like embedding an outside document in a web page, like I did for our church schedule the schedule is at one site (that I can edit), and the church Website is another one that I can't edit without requesting changes through the Webmaster.
In this case, Google controls the changes to the ads, and the ad texts don't show up when you do a "view source" for the Mudcat Forum Menu.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 10:44 PM

OK Foolestroupe, so the dump comment was a "planted pun." But I just collected the bet on who'd be the first to comment.

(And no I'm not gonna split with ya. It was a "family wager" and she ain't givin' you any part of what I got.)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 12 Aug 08 - 11:02 PM

A site that gave me something of a puzzle for a while is the WVA site.

If you hover on a link on the front page, you'll see the "full URL," including the site and "local link" in full, so you can right click there, copy the link, and make a link to the target page.

If you click the link and go to the page, the address bar shows only the home page URL, so you can't copy the URL from the browser addy bar to make a link to the page you're on.

Links on pages within the site sometimes show full addys when you right click, and sometimes show as just local links to bookmarks, so it does get confusing trying to give someone instructions for how to get to specific information.

This isn't because of "new gimmicks that have to be used because you've got 'em," as seems to be the only logic with lots of other sites. It's just archaic html, and "legacy page setup," I think.

The entire site appears to be "one page" with lots of bookmarks. Sometimes links between bookmarks are complete, and sometimes only the local link appears, even in the source code.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: link mystery
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 13 Aug 08 - 01:00 AM

"she ain't givin' you any part of what I got."

Stand back - he's fainted...