CSS drop-down menus: how to keep the top level selected when hovering over a sub-menu

Pure CSS-based drop-down menus are a great thing, if for no other reason than their sheer simplicity and flexibility. However, they have two main drawbacks.

  1. They don’t work in Internet Explorer 6 due to the browser’s poor support for the :hover pseudo-class.
  2. When the mouse cursor is over a drop-down, the top level navigation item does not stay highlighted under most conditions.

Fortunately, both problems can be solved with some simple JavaScript. The first problem is easily corrected with the excellent Son of SuckerFish drop-down code. The second problem can be solved using the equally small amount of code described below.

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Add icons to PDF, XLS, DOC file links, links to new windows and more…

Whenever linking on the web, it is important to let the user know exactly where the link leads, especially if opening a new window or the linked item requires a plug-in or external software. For example, if linking to a PDF a small icon can provide a good hint of where the link leads. Unfortunately, manually adding icons to every link through a site can be quite laborious. This is where JavaScript comes in. With few lines of simple code we can automatically add icons to every link on a page.

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