Address Bar Question

[Just4Tricks]

I have seen webpages where the address bar in my browser is not displaying the normal, [pagename.com...] but instead it displays something like SPECIAL PRICES UNTIL JANUARY 1st

How do they do that?

Thanks
J4T

[Krapulator]

Most likely using the Internet Explorer Address Spoofing bug [secunia.com...]

[thehittmann]

you can do it using a javascript

[Just4Tricks]

Any idea on the code for it or where I could find it?

I think it is kind of neat to place an add right in the address bar.

J4T

[asquithea]

Not being a JS expert, I can't tell you how to do it, but being a user, I can tell you that it would put me right off your site. There's a golden rule to keep my custom:

"Don't screw with my browser"

That means (in no particular order):
- Don't change the function of any UI control, including the address bar and status bar.
- Don't disable any UI control, including the Back button, context-menu, toolbars or scrollbars.
- Don't make any unrequested changes to the state of the UI, including opening, closing and moving windows or dialogs.
- Don't change the appearance of the UI, including colour changes of scrollbars. [Scrollbars on obvious IFrames are a grey area].

Your idea falls foul of the first one on the list. If you must do such a thing, do it in the website <title>.

[Just4Tricks]

I don't mean to offend anyone with this trick. I just think it is a neat thing to do on some pages where you have a 3 day type sale.

Would this be a javascript or just plain html?

Thanks
J4T

[DrDoc]

The address bar is not the right place for advertising...

1) It confuses the user (they are not used to it, and wouldn't know that it's advertising)
2) Users may get paranoid and think that you're taking over their browser
3) If it were a great idea -- the "big guys" would do it all the time
4) It doesn't work all that well in different browsers
5) Just because you can do something doesn't mean it's advisable to do it :)

Just my 2 cents

[Just4Tricks]

Thanks DrDoc

Seems like I stired a can of worms on this one.

But just for my own info I would like to know if it is done in JS or HTML or some other code. If anyone knows please post that answer.

Thanks
J4T

[thehittmann]

This is a scrolling version, it is java script
A friend of mine uses this code on his music fan page thing...i think it only works in IE. not sure if it will create errors for other browsers.

<script language=JavaScript>
var scrollCounter=0;
var scrollText="Enter the text you want in here";
var scrollDelay =100;
var i=0;
while (i ++< 140)
scrollText=" " + scrollText;
function Scroller()
{
window.status=scrollText.substring(scrollCounter++,
scrollText.length);
if (scrollCounter == scrollText.length)
scrollCounter=0;
setTimeout("Scroller()", scrollDelay);
}
Scroller();
</script>

[robert adams]

that script puts scrolling text in the status bar , not at all what this thread is about. He is talking about something that shows up in the address bar, where you type in the url of a website that you want to go to.
I have never seen this, it sounds like some of the junk that some programs install without you knowing about it. It probably is IE only, because that seems to be the main target for most of the hackers.
luck,
robert

[thehittmann]

I think this is what the poster intended on meaning. as the status bar shows the address of urls and will display the type of message they were refering to.

[thehittmann]

maybe the origional poster can shed some more light on this, the address bar is at the top of your browser. The status bar is at the bottom where are you seeing this displayed?

[tombola]

If it's about the STATUS bar, it's nothing more than this:

<a href="http://www.yourdomain.com" onmouseover="window.status='SPECIAL PRICES UNTIL FEBRUARY';return true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;">

Instead of displaying the url [yourdomain.com...] in the status bar, this will appear in the status bar: SPECIAL PRICES UNTIL FEBRUARY

[DrDoc]

...which is a completely different issue.
Putting text in the status bar is a much better idea, even though the only people that look for the status bar do so in hope of seeing the actual address (for example, whether the link is going to a different domain, or whether it's a JavaScript link or not).

I used to put stuff in the status bar all the time -- but now I don't anymore. Instead, I find it slightly annoying.

[TryAgain]

"Don't screw with my browser"

Yes! I mean no! I mean, I agree!

For the same reason I hate sites that use javascript to launch full-screen pages. In a sense, you then lose control of your whole computer as nothing is accessible anymore except by closing the window, which I usually do pretty quick in such cases.

The same for the status bar. The status bar is meant to give you useful information about what's going on, where links go to etc. Not for the webmaster to screw with.

Sure, when I first learned I could mess with it I also thought it was nifty, but as a very heavy surfer have come to detest people messing with it. For pete's sake, you have the whole freakin page to put stuff on, isn't that enough?

[hartlandcat]

"Don't screw with my browser"

Quite right! For the benefit of your visitors, keep everything consistant. Doing what you are wanting to do will confuse your visitors. It will also prevent them from copying and pasting the url of a certain page and sending it to someone in email etc.

P.S. asquithea, do I know you from somewhere else?

[robert adams]

I guess he could be talking about the status bar but i don't think so.

oh well,
robert