IE6 Upgrade Option

We filed this in your cabinet of tricks

2.6

08. February 2010 · Author: Dale Crum

95 Comments

If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates or join our Newsletter.

IE6 Upgrade Option utilizes the 25K script created by Free the Foxes: http://www.freethefoxes.com/ as a WordPress plugin. Originally this plugin utilized a smaller 7K script but it’s limits had been met in terms of language support, ease-of-use and options for using the warning messages on browsers other than IE6 (refer to the ie6-upgrade-option.php file for instructions on multiple browser usage).

The warning message is displayed using a Lightbox effect that hovers over the page content. The idea is to display a warning message, simply and politely, informing the user that their browser is out of date while providing links to download newer, more optimal browser choices. Optional browser links included are: IE9, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Chrome. While this plugin was originally intended for use with IE6 it has now been expanded, due to popular demand, to include a warning message capable of being displayed in any browser. Don’t like Firefox? Simply adjust the FTF rating and ask your users to use IE8. This is not limited to a a single browser either, feel free to use the multi-browser version to display the warning in IE6, IE7 and Chrome simultaneously as a example.

The web page will remain visible through the transparent Lightbox and the user is given the option of closing the window, agreeing that their experience may be severely degraded or downloading a new browser. The javascript then installs a cookie preventing the window from appearing again. The script is loaded in the site footer in two ways: selectively (as in the case of the basic setup) or permanent (if desiring to use this for browsers other than IE6).

To change the text to reflect the language of your choice simply open the “lang” folder and create your own .json file to replace the default message, then be sure to add your new language code to the ie6-upgrade-option.php file. Current translations include: English, French, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Swedish, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch and Norwegian Bokmâl.

Installation

BASIC INSTALLATION:

Download the plugin and expand it.
Copy the ie6-ppgrade-option folder into your plugins folder ( wp-content/plugins ).
Log-in to the WordPress administration panel and visit the Plugins page.
Locate the ie6-upgrade-option plugin and click on the activate link.
Replace the ie6-upgrade-option with the version from the "multi-browser" folder to enable use of this plugin within more browsers than IE6.

TRANSLATION:

Open the "lang" folder and duplicate one of the language files.
Alter the warning message to the language of your choice.
Change the file name to your language code: "en.json" for English.
Upload the file into the "lang" folder.
Open the "ie6-upgrade-option.php" file.
Change line 60 by replacing the "en.json" url with your new language file name.

Screenshot

95 Comments

Trackbacks

Incorporating animals into identities is not a groundbreaking topic by any means but making the design work on a professional level isn't always an easy task. Making use of an artist's...

It's Christmas time, so I thought I would have a little fun with my article this month, not that I don't usually have fun. Since we are all designers, what better topic to discuss than...

After reading hundreds of articles and design newsletters over the years showcasing websites as a source of inspirational material we felt it was our turn to give back to the community....

When you own a small business, competing with the top dogs in the market can be a financial and time-consuming challenge. How do you get the word out about your business without spending...

If you are reading this article then you are probably a graphic designer or work in marketing in some form or fashion. That being said, you probably own your own company, freelance,...

Plugins