A note to everyone with a flash website

[LeadMagnet]

When you're making a website that's 100% flash and which is designed to fill the user's browser window, make sure you account for screenheights that aren't as tall as yours.

I've seen a few sites like this now where either text or navigation buttons become lost and inaccessible at the bottom of the screen.
There's no way for a user to scroll down unless you implement a method of doing it yourself.

example (and this is just the most recent one i've seen, not the first and probably not the last. If this is your site, i'm not picking on you, just using you as an example): The Touch Agency Graphic Design Edinburgh +44 (0)131 220 4545

*edit* This is what i see:

[gospastic]

Leadmagent has a valid point - and even if you make tests on you own browser it may not be entirely correct - if you look at the image Leadmagent has displayed, this browser has some kind of additional toolbar. Some people have quite a few of these features, making their browser screen size even smaller.

My personal answer in all of this is to design all full Flash sites at 590px high. On a monitor set to 1026 x 768 this is perfect with a little room leftover too. I have to say I do not bother about 800 x 600 resolution anymore, but that is just my own choice.

[crazyleaf]

Yeap ... good point. Totally agree.

[LeadMagnet]

The toolbar in the image is the Web Developer toolbar. On a default setup of firefox though, there would be a bookmarks tab which is the same height as that toolbar (which i have turned off). So, my screen height isn't any more cramped than anyone else's would be.

My resolution is 1280 x 800. Taller than 1024 x 768, so people with that res would experience this cramming worse than i would.

[gospastic]

The phrase default setup is the operative word here, and based on that you are correct.

However, not everyone goes for default setup - and many people chose to add lots of crazy additions to their browser like:

hotbar
Emoticons,ecards,skins,wallpapers,games - FREE download

ask
sp.ask.com/docs/toolbar/

yahoo
companion.yahoo.com/

google
toolbar.google.com/

ebay
pages.ebay.com/ebay_toolbar/

weather
Weather for New York, NY

sometimes, sites just add them to your setup without even asking - how rude of them! So anyway, having one or more of these WILL compromise your browser screen size.

That is all.

[seseme]

Originally Posted by LeadMagnet

The toolbar in the image is the Web Developer toolbar. On a default setup of firefox though, there would be a bookmarks tab which is the same height as that toolbar (which i have turned off). So, my screen height isn't any more cramped than anyone else's would be.

My resolution is 1280 x 800. Taller than 1024 x 768, so people with that res would experience this cramming worse than i would.

1280 x 800 is quiet a strech, and not many people would have a resolution of that, did u ever think that the site wasn't designed for that sort of resolution. It may be taller but the width isn't much wider which makes it looked streched, u might like to change your resolution to one more fitting or contact the site and ask them what screen height they designed the site for, that would give the definative answer.

[LeadMagnet]

Originally Posted by seseme

1280 x 800 is quiet a strech, and not many people would have a resolution of that, did u ever think that the site wasn't designed for that sort of resolution. It may be taller but the width isn't much wider which makes it looked streched, u might like to change your resolution to one more fitting or contact the site and ask them what screen height they designed the site for, that would give the definative answer.

I think you're missing the point. Take a look at the block of text on the left of the image i posted. This thread has nothing to do with anything looking stretched.

[lolly]

_____________________________________'aeiko (v6) Portfolio of Pete Harrison

This portfolio does the same, even if you have just one toolbar installed it hides the close button so you have to refresh to exit the work view

[drewbie_wan]

everyone should just get bigger screens. duh.

[flick]

Originally Posted by LeadMagnet

The toolbar in the image is the Web Developer toolbar. On a default setup of firefox though, there would be a bookmarks tab which is the same height as that toolbar (which i have turned off). So, my screen height isn't any more cramped than anyone else's would be.

My resolution is 1280 x 800. Taller than 1024 x 768, so people with that res would experience this cramming worse than i would.

on the subject of the web dev toolbar, it can be used to resize your browser window to whatever size making it very easy to test exactly this :)