Just a quick announcement that I’ve updated my search script for Boolean matching in MySQL. The latest version is available for download on the PHP (Hypertext PreProcessing)/MYSQL Search Engine script page. The changes to this version include: Fixed: various minor bugs Fixed: multipage results not available with quoted strings Fixed: full-text query problem Fixed: some compatibility issues with different PHP/MySQL configurations. Added: sortable results Added: configurable field label names Added: sample results page Added: test mode for troubleshooting. It’s not […]
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Accessibility and Usability issues with AJAX
This is not a technical article. You will not learn how to code AJAX by reading this; either in an accessible and usable fashion or otherwise. This is a conceptual article. It will run through basic user-interface issues with AJAX (and other rich media). These are the reasons that AJAX functionality can be a problem for users — if you consider these issues carefully during development, it should greatly enhance the usability of your end product. The basic limitations encountered […]
Continue reading “Accessibility and Usability issues with AJAX” »Basic Tips on Image Handling for the Web: Tutorial
This is a basic guide to dealing with images on the web — file formats, sizing, naming protocols, and adding them to a page. File Formats File Naming Coding for Images Editing and Sizing Choosing the Right File Format There are three common image file formats in use on the web: JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) (also JPG), GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) and PNG (Portable Network Graphics). Respectively, these stand for Joint Photographic Experts Group, Graphics Interchange Format, and Portable […]
Continue reading “Basic Tips on Image Handling for the Web: Tutorial” »Working with legacy websites
This is a task which comes up over and over again for many developers. There are a lot of jobs in maintaining web sites. Our work doesn’t always come with the dream experience of a brand-new web site. Even if a new web site is a major goal, there will inevitably be large quantities of legacy content which will need to be worked into the new accessible design. Working on legacy websites can pose a number of subtle challenges. If […]
Continue reading “Working with legacy websites” »Pseudo-Accessibility: Reinventing the Wheel
In my last post, Accessibility and Client Expectations, a major point was on the practice of implementing accessibility as a site “add-on,” rather than developing a web site from the ground up with accessibility in mind. Some of the features which are implemented in this manner fall into a gross category I’m inclined to describe as “pseudo-accessibility.” In general, pseudo-accessible features are those which: Solve the symptom, not the problem. Create additional accessibility problems in their implementation Reinvent the wheel […]
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