autoScroll
autoScroll utilizes jQuery, which made it a lot easier and faster to create than if I did it completely from scratch. It also benefits from some of the cross-browser compatibility that's built-in, leaving me to do only the conceptual work without having to worry too much about browser quirks.
Note: IE can't see the bars when they hide and the cursor is over text. I suspect this has something to do with the z-index bug, but I'd really rather work on my other projects than to piss around with IE's bullshit on my free time.
So. There's a container div for each scroller that holds the information bar you saw when the page loads, and the arrow indicators that appear when you hover over them. I simply attached mouse listeners to the containers which trigger some comparative logic to determine how fast to scroll and in which direction.
You'll notice when the window is at the very top or bottom of the page, the scrollbars disappear so that the user can click on menu links, such as those above.
There's actually only four levels of speed which are determined by where the mouse is within the scrollbar containers. I just compared hard-coded values, which means you can't adjust any of the attributes without digging into the javascript and css. Lame, I know, but this was simply a quick prototype to see if the idea was worth pursuing.
Download the whole shoot'n'match. Includes jQuery and the jQuery dimensions plugin (which is also required).
With these scroll areas, users don't have to look for any scrollbars -- they simply jab their mouse to the top of the page to scroll up and vice versa for down. The further the 'push', the faster it scrolls.
Users don't have to aim their mouse nearly as precisely.
Users don't have to track where they're at on in the document since the scroll areas are always in the same place, unlike the scrollbar which changes position and size according to the window's position.
Besides the obvious inflexibility (can't reposition or resize the containers as it is, but I'm sure you could change that... ;-) ), users are jarred when they click on links that point to intra-page anchors. Try clicking on a menu link at the bottom of this page and you'll see what I mean.
It's annoying when all you want to do is move your mouse past the top or bottom of the page to access controls in the browser.
Is it worth it? I still say yes, because I would much rather jab my mouse up or down to scroll than find the scrollbar, aim my mouse, and click and drag on that tiny little bar on the right there (which, in WinXP, is difficult to distinguish from the bar's background). I also find it easier on the fingers than constantly batting at the mouse wheel. Not to mention the scrollbar resets if your mouse strays too far from the bar.
I think the flexibility problem can be overcome with better design planning and a bit more effort. The jarring can be solved by simply passing a variable when 'onclick' is triggered by a link press and some additional logic to deal with such situations.
I don't think any of this would be necessary if mouse hardware had better wheel mechanisms. This is my ideal wheel:
The idea is that you simply push or pull the wheel's nub to scroll. The more you push, for example, the faster it scrolls up. It's spring-loaded so it automatically stays in the middle if left alone. Ah well...
coldconstructs.com
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