Web Guidelines: MIT Libraries

Javascript

Don't add new Javascript features to web pages without the permission of the Web Manager.

Rationale

We want our site to be accessible to the broadest possible audience. (including those with Javascript turned off, or unavailable)

Our new web site uses more Javascript than the old. In the old site Javascript was used only for some required form elements and cookies on our major forms (ILB, RSC, etc.)

The new site uses Javascript in additional ways: for rollovers on GIFs in navigation bars, and also to control the "quick links" menu. We are still using it very sparingly so that the site will be accessible to the broadest possible audience.

The rollovers are "cosmetic" only, that is, they give you some feedback that the GIF is clickable, but they aren't mission-critical - the GIFs are still clickable, even if the user has Javascript disabled.

The "quick links" menu is a supplemental form of navigation, used to quickly jump to our most frequently used pages. Once again, if Javascript is turned off, people can still find these same pages in many other ways (by navigating the site, using the site index, or using the search engine).