Is asp.net menu realy that bad?

[Bogdan]

Hi,

I've been reading a lot about asp.net menu and how difficult it is to make
it appear consistent in different browsers. I got the idea that the only
way to do that is to use css friendly adapters.

My app uses a relatively simple menu: five static items laid out
horizontally with 4-6 dynamic items each. I use image for static menu and
static menu items (1 pixel wide and 28 pixels high with repeat-x). For
dynamic menus I use background colors and borders.

I use skins and associated css files to style the menu.

I have tested the app in IE6, IE7, IE8, Safari 3.1.1, and FireFox 3.0.10.
Everything seems to be working as expected.

My experience with .NET Web development is very limited. I'd like to roll
out this app asap but I'm not sure if it is a good idea.

What are the other browsers that this stuff might not work with? Or, are
the 'known' problems with asp.net menu applicable only to a more advanced
usage of this control?

I'd appreciate _any_ comments.

Thanks,
Bogdan

 

[Guest]

Hi,

I've been reading a lot about asp.net menu and how difficult it is to make
it appear consistent in different browsers.  I got the idea that the only
way to do that is to use css friendly adapters.

My app uses a relatively simple menu: five static items laid out
horizontally with 4-6 dynamic items each.  I use image for static menu and
static menu items (1 pixel wide and 28 pixels high with repeat-x).  For
dynamic menus I use background colors and borders.

I use skins and associated css files to style the menu.

I have tested the app in IE6, IE7, IE8, Safari 3.1.1, and FireFox 3.0.10.
Everything seems to be working as expected.

My experience with .NET Web development is very limited.  I'd like to roll
out this app asap but I'm not sure if it is a good idea.

What are the other browsers that this stuff might not work with?  Or, are
the 'known' problems with asp.net menu applicable only to a more advanced
usage of this control?

I'd appreciate _any_ comments.

Thanks,
Bogdan

From what I can see in Google it always a matter of control and other
settings of the page like z-index or xhtmlConformance

Examples:
http://blogs.technet.com/stefan_gossner/archive/2006/01/24/418005.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/giorgio/archive/2009/02/01/asp-net-menu-and-ie8-rendering-white-issue.aspx

So, why bother if it is working good for you?

 

[Gregory A. Beamer]

Hi,

I've been reading a lot about asp.net menu and how difficult it is to
make it appear consistent in different browsers. I got the idea that
the only way to do that is to use css friendly adapters.

My app uses a relatively simple menu: five static items laid out
horizontally with 4-6 dynamic items each. I use image for static menu
and static menu items (1 pixel wide and 28 pixels high with repeat-x).
For dynamic menus I use background colors and borders.

I use skins and associated css files to style the menu.

I have tested the app in IE6, IE7, IE8, Safari 3.1.1, and FireFox
3.0.10. Everything seems to be working as expected.

My experience with .NET Web development is very limited. I'd like to
roll out this app asap but I'm not sure if it is a good idea.

What are the other browsers that this stuff might not work with? Or,
are the 'known' problems with asp.net menu applicable only to a more
advanced usage of this control?

I'd appreciate _any_ comments.

It is not that bad. If you do not customize the menu too much, you
should do okay in a wide variety of browsers. If you step outside that
box, you might have some issues, which is what you mostly hear in forums
like this.

One issue with the menu is it uses tables to organize the content. But,
you can download the free CSS Adapters for .NET controls and output
lists instead of tables, which is much cleaner.

Now, there is an issue with the way the CSS is formated, if you ask me.
The CSS with the default adapter is very "class heavy", which is
unnecessary and makes it hard to extend. Fortunately, Microsoft has the
source available and it is very easy to change to a more "standard"
approach.

I will have to dig up my custom implementation and blog about it some
time, for those who want a more hierarchical approach. It is R&D work,
but it makes for a decent start. Perhaps codeplex?

 

[Gregory A. Beamer]

Definitely! I'd certainly be interested in seeing your modifications...

It's on a drive at home, so I will have to make time this week to pull it
out of archive. I would have it out now, but I am have not worked ASP.NET
since November. ;-)

Essentially, I whacked the code to use a more standard approach, but I am
sure it could be improved greatly in a production environment.