The Intricacies of Quicktime in IE and Other Sundry Tales
The past few days have been filled with intermittent attempts to focus on "the art course." It's been a busy transition from Spring to Summer session. I've been working on getting the nav panel on the right to use innerHTML to embed the Quicktime movie (there are over 70 of them) that comprise the professor's lecture and various slides. As an aside and a bravo to my co-worker, the slides/movies are beautiful. The sound is high quality, and the images brilliant. And you don't even notice this because the lectures, frankly, are THAT good. I literally intend to take advantage of my position and listen to everyone.
Here's what this might end up looking like:
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How it's coming together
I say "might" because I will most likely change the image used to link to the iPod Video. I was looking for something that was "standard" but it bothers me that the icon suggests some type of rss feed, or cast. And that's not what this is. Eventhough I took this from a site that specifically made icons for such a thing. I will most likely make a little mini Icon of an iPod. Assuming that's legal!
Other than that. It was quite a struggle getting the JavaScript functions to work. Mostly because at first I was trying to make it too difficult. Using the code suggested by Apple that takes parameters and then on a trigger generates the code in the current area that embeds the movie. This would be fine, but I wanted to place the movie in a div other than where the javascript trigger was occurring. And I wanted it to happen without reloading the page. This added to the complexity.
First I tried using onclick of the link in the navpanel on the right and use innerHTML to insert the function into the div to the left. The function would execute passing the parameters and generating the embedded Quicktime object. But JavaScript functions are not executed with innerHTML. So back to it.
I tried looking at rewriting some of the Apple functions, but decided that given none of the parameters for the movies were changing - I could just work on using innerHTML to write the code directly and bypass the functions that account for a myriad of possible parameters. Simple enough. So I've got that working. However, thinking that the script was small enough to include in the header of the page, I placed it there. Then realized that it HAD to be in an external .js file thanks to the issue with ActiveX now requiring a user to hit OK to authorize it's use. So external .js it is. I'm currently experiencing a strange flicker when the movie is loaded in IE. Doesn't occur in Firefox on PC, nor on the Mac anywhere I can see. I may try to use DOM manipulation to see if that somehow solves the issue.
The other issue I'm having is with the navpanel. I'm using the Rico library and their accordian affect for the drop down menus. However when the browser is being taxed (usually in the playing of a movie) if a user clicks on another header, it moves very slowly. Not sure this is acceptable. It's not HORRIBLE, but it occasionally annoys me, so am guessing it could have a similar affect on at least a few of the students. I have to try it from home or in the labs. The other issue is manipulating the height of the pane. According to documentation you can pass the variable. I'm having no luck. Tried altering it directly in the library function as well. Will try looking on the forums tomorrow, and if that yields no results may just opt for a different scenario.
I think that's all the news that's fit to print!
Art site, cont.
Well I'm on to the innards. I got a headsup from a co-worker regarding Quicktime's site and started looking closely at the JavaScript functions they use to generate the code to embed the movies. By generating the code into the page using a function, the text and therefore the filesize should be cut down significantly. Which should eliminate the need to pull an external file using XMLhttpRequest. I should - hopefully - be able to load the parameters for the movie into the page for each movie and when clicked use innerHtml to place the function with variable into the div. We'll see. It looks like a challenge given the browser doesn't run scripts when inserting functions via innerHtml. I'm reading up on it. Anything will be easier than writing the JavaScript that uses the DOM to generate the embed tag myself from the text culled from any external text file.
On a more pretty note - I've got the layout for the interior pages. Currently this page is pulling announcements from a "dummy" database - an old one from another class just to test the PHP. I'm using the accordion feature from Rico for the navigation panel to spice up the everyday dropdown menu.
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Art course design process
I thought I'd chronicle my most recent design process and the changes that have occurred in the course of it's revision.
Version 1
I literally loved this one. I know, I know. It was the girly in me that so rarely sees the light of day. This is the design that while I liked it knew it wouldn't see the light of day. I had to call a co-worker over and ask him to tell me literally verbatim "It won't happen. Move on." He also pointed out I would be ribbed mercilessly by the design community for my use of lens flare. (Not sure who that community is since my community currently consists of THAT COWORKER... but I digress.) Knowing he was right, I thanked him and set aside my rather flamboyant pink nude-filled design.
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Version 2
I got a little brush happy and while team seemed to like it (they may have been trying not to hurt my feelings - hard to say - although with this group I doubt they'd miss the opportunity!). However I was thinking - it looks like what it is. Someone got jiggy with their newly created brushes. Which was confirmed by The Professor saying "Where'd those trees come from?" Back to the drawing board.
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Version 3
Ok. I axed the trees, and am really starting to like what I have here.
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Co-workers LOVE IT. I LOVE IT. Professor says, "OH! I took a class from this guy once. He's The Art Professor that wears black, is germanic, and kind of stiff. Art did NOT feel approachable. I'm not that professor, unfortunately. I need it to feel approachable." Got it. IXNAY on the Sprockets-nay. Think Earth tones. Got it.
My lazy hoping-my-boss-is-right-and-I-can-just-change-the-colors phase
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Yuck. Getting there. But just not enough depth. Too much head with building going on. Conferred with Professor and co-workers and we decided to add a painting to get all of the processes represented: Sculpture, Architecture, Painting.
Version 5
Apparently in this version I managed to pick the UGLIEST girl from the painting. There was also so much play on depth in this painting so I had to do a little moving around to get the right elements in place.
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Drumroll, please.
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