Changing a Users Screen Resolution

[Johnnymushio]

Is there a JavaScript that can change a users resolution?

Like, if a user clicks a button/link there resolution will change, or once they enter the site their resolution changes, then when they leave it changes back.

[Twey]

No.

If you need to do this, there's something seriously wrong with the basic design of your site, and you should start over.

[Johnnymushio]

the width of the site is 801px

is that good or bad

[Twey]

Bad -- you shouldn't be using pixel values. A page designed using relative measures (percentages, ems) will resize itself to look decent at any resolution.

[Johnnymushio]

but the header is a image that is 801px wide.

if i use % it will get distorted

[Twey]

Like I said, you should probably start over your site template and make it more flexible, with less dependence upon big, rigid images. Perhaps you could break the header down into a few smaller images and some HTML?

[Johnnymushio]

i dont understand how breaking the image down will make it more flexible. after all, it will have the same width.

[Twey]

The HTML is the key part.

Looking at your header, I see you have an image composed of several parts: a logo, some menus, and a lot of blank space. Everything except the logo can be done in HTML. I measure that logo at around 260px, which is a much better minimum width than 801.

[Johnnymushio]

ahhh i dunno how to do that. i just looked up the most common resolution and it said it was 1024x768. thats what im using and it looks great, ill just stick with it for a while

[Johnnymushio]

okay i am wondering

dont think im stupid for asking this question, because i am!

in the future, are the 800x600, 1024x768, etc etc resolutions ever going to go obsolete?

are the future computer resolutions going to continue to get higher and higher?

or are they going to stay where they are?

[Twey]

I should think they'd only get higher. I know cr3ative, djr33 and I all use 1600x1200 regularly. There are three factors that limit the available resolution: graphical processing power, quality of the picture, and the physical size of the monitor. The first two are only going to go up; over the past decade or so, for example, we've seen a move from the biggest common resolution being 640x480 to 1600x1200, a little under tripling. However, as the industry for computing grows, more innovation is likely to happen, so that's probably a very conservative estimate of the rate of growth.

Regarding the third limiter, there was a brief fad for plasma televisions. I'm not hugely knowledgeable in the electronics market, and I'm not entirely sure what happened to that -- they're terrible quality, I'm lead to believe. Anyway, once the bugs are worked out of that (or a different method is used to achieve the same result) and the production price goes down somewhat, I'd certainly expect to see 3'- or 4'-wide wall-mounted monitors before too long.

[mburt]

i say.. (insert fanfare here)
that you leave the page width alone, and flush your image left or right, or center. or use the margin values of the image itself to position it.

Ex. "Enter" image

<img src="http://japantown.awardspace.com/enter.gif" align="center" width=403 height=90>

Don't change the width of the image! it will expand. I recommend putting the original width and height of the image in the <img> tag. It keeps it simple

[mburt]

... that was deep man.. (cracks up in laughter)

Reasons to leave the screen resolution alone:
1) Users will think it may be a pop-up, therefore closing the window
2) Some html elements may screw up (percentages, pixel width, etc.)
3) and.. uh.. well, i don't have a third reason. but those two should do.