image maps with OBJECT

The idea of image maps with OBJECT and not IMG,
is by using "regular markup" (%flow in the DTD)
in the MAP element and not using AREA. This enables
backward compatibility with HTML2.0 who will disregard 
the OBJECT and MAP tags and will show the "regular markup".
(i.e., text links) 

An HTML3.2 browser recognizes the MAP element, 
but since it doesn't recignize OBJECT it is likely that it will show
the %flow inside the MAP element as well.

The problem of using this is that it is not backward 
compatible with MSIE4.0 who shows the image without links.
Also MSIE does not support images as links marked with OBJECT:

<A href="foo.html"><OBJECT data=fooicon.gif">Go 
 to Foo</OBJECT></A>

What you get with that is an image with no link. A big bug.

When writing an image map with AREA
there is no advantage of using OBJECT even 
from a theoretical point of view.

Regards,

Nir Dagan                            
Assistant Professor of Economics      
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Barcelona (Spain)

email: dagan@upf.es
Website: http://www.econ.upf.es/%7Edagan/

Received on Thursday, 30 July 1998 10:08:34 UTC