What Is A Popup Menu?
In addition to popups that cause a new window to open in order to display an advertisement, javascript can also be used to create a popup menu, also called a drop down menu. Such a javascript menu is usually not intended for selling a product or to induce window shopping or impulse buying; rather these secondary menus are intended to appear when a primary menu button is rolled over.
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Javascript isn't used to just create popups; as it can also be used to create a popup menu. These are not the typical popups that most people have grown accustomed to seeing. Those annoying popups are normally used as advertisements that appear when web sites using them are accessed. Popup menus however, are normally activated once the website user rolls their mouse over a primary menu button, thus activating a secondary, drop down menu.
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A new browser window may open up on a computer for different reasons, as when a popup is activated on a website. However, a popup menu is created with the use of javascript and is used to help the web user access different links and not to attempt to sell items to Internet users. The menu application is activated when a user rolls their mouse over a primary button on the menu bar; hence the menu will then pop up, or drop down, allowing the user to see the optional buttons.
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Many people may confuse the term popup menu with a popup ad. While the names appear similar, they are two entirely different applications. Pop up ads are displayed on a web site and most often are intended to get the website visitor to purchase a item or service. Popup menus on the other hand are used to display a list of additional linked buttons. Javascript is used to create the menu application, so it is written directly into the script and requires no other application.
When a primary menu button is rolled over, the javascript causes the secondary popup menu to be displayed over top of the text on the webpage. The menu does not act like a normal pop up box; it does not need to be closed out and does not include advertisements. It will simply disappear when the viewer rolls their mouse off of the menu.
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When the Internet user rolls their mouse over the menu bar, quite often a secondary popup menu is displayed. It will show the list of additional buttons that link to the various web pages, products and/or information. This drop down menu does not have to be clicked anywhere to close it. Instead, when the user is finished viewing the list of additional buttons, it will simply disappear from the page when the mouse rolls off the menu, or of course if the viewer clicks on one of the buttons and goes to another page.
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Rolling the computer mouse over a primary menu button will cause the secondary popup menu to appear. Different scripting methods are used to enable this type of popup, or drop down menu to appear. These include CSS javascript and javascript PHP, along with Ajax applications. Together these applications work to display the menu above the webpage text that the user is viewing. Unlike a normal popup window, the menu does not need to be closed in order for it to disappear from the web page. Once the user moves their mouse or clicks on one of the buttons contained in the menu, the drop down box will disappear.
Pop up images may be displayed similarly to the menus; rather than requiring a click to close or display an ad, a popup image may be shown when a keyword is rolled over that an image has been linked to. Menus may also be triggered by keywords, rather than menu buttons. An example is easily found on the popular www.myspace.com website. When at a user's homepage there are headings displayed near the top of the screen, below an ad space; the buttons include such things as "Home", "Mail" and "Profile," and as each of these are rolled over with the mouse, a menu pops up underneath with sub headings, making navigation easier. Rather than clicking on the mail link before, waiting on a new page to load, then clicking on another link to send a message and then waiting for another page to load, the menu makes direct connections easier and more efficient.
Though powered by javascript, a popup menu is not disabled from use when javascript is disabled or a pop up killer is used to block popups. The menu is not a pop up ad and the popup blocker programs are scripted to differentiate between the two types of applications. Because the menus pop in as part of the original website, they are also sometimes often called a "pop in."
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If javascript is disable on the computer or if the user is using one of the various popup killers to stop popups on the web, then the popup menu will still work normally when the primary menu button is rolled over or clicked. A pop up menu differs from a popup advertisement, not only in what it is used for, but also in that it cannot be blocked by a popup blocker. Popup blockers are designed to know the difference between the two types of applications.
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While a popup menu is often referred to as a popup, it should not be confused with popup advertisements. Pop up ads can be blocked by a popup killer or a pop up blocker, while pop up menus will not be affected at all. Programs that work to block pop up ads can differentiate between these different types of applications and will not block a menu. Pop up menus will also not be disabled if javascript is not running on a computer. This is not the case for pop up ads, if javascript is not present and active on the computer, the pop up ads will not be displayed.
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