Menus Flash Open, Flash Closed, Can't Be Used
On most sites, menus now flash open when users scroll onto the top of the menu.
This may be useful for some users, who have trouble with clicks, but it is a problem for some other users, who have trouble with flashing lights. For example, they hurt me and trigger my migraines.
On many sites, menus now flash closed when users scroll off of the top of the menu.
This makes it impossible to use the menus, because if we try to scroll to from the top to the entries, the menu closes. I have specific greasemonkey scripts for some sites, but that's not a good solution, and I don't know how to program my own scripts.
This has been a known bug for at least 4 years.
The former bug is common across browsers, but the latter does not appear in Safari and may be specific to Firefox.
There ought to be a way to only open menus after clicking on them, and avoid closing menus while using them.
All Replies (8)
Can someone recommend another browser?
I have sensory issues and chronic migraines and can't use a browser which hits me with some much flashing.
I have disabled hardware acceleration.
Firefox still hits me with the gorram flashing. I can't refresh Firefox, which seems to be the default suggestion for any problem, because Firefox would hit me with even more flashing, from ads, animated gifs, and many other formats of pain.
Other users have reported similar bugs since Firefox 1.8.
See here: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=338264
Some users have fixed the bug by disabling hardware accelleration. Of course I've disabled hardware acceleration, but I haven't fixed the bug.
I can't tell if all users are experiencing the same thing, but don't see pain when they see flashing, and don't suffer migraines, or if most users aren't experiencing the same thing.
I have to use a bunch of video-blocking extensions to use Firefox so don't know how to diagnose whether some kind of conflict is causing this.
Unfortunately, the search here confuses flashing with flash the video tool. And the site here has way too much flashing.
Disabling Javascript does not work.
Disabling add-ons does not work.
Could you give specific examples of problem pages?
Many sites use style rules that display a menu when you hover over an element. I tend to use those when I design sites, instead of using JavaScript. BUT the menus should not flash on and off while you hover over them, they should remain visible until you move the mouse pointer off the the top level element or the menu items. Of course, not every site is coded perfectly, so strange things may occur from time to time.
If you have used a mobile device browser (e.g., an iPad), you have noticed that it's generally impossible to hover: if you touch with your finger, that is treated as a click instead of a hover. So mobile versions of sites that are designed for this different paradigm may work better for you than the standard versions.
Regarding another browser or settings to improve your experience, perhaps there is an advocacy organization that has published some recommendations? It's not something I have researched myself and I'm not sure any of us is competent to give you that kind of advice.
And last but not least, what is this:
MarjaE said
Firefox still hits me with the gorram flashing.
"Could you give specific examples of problem pages?"
This page, for one.
"Many sites use style rules that display a menu when you hover over an element."
Any page which does that.
IT HURTS.
"BUT the menus should not flash on and off while you hover over them, they should remain visible until you move the mouse pointer off the the top level element or the menu items."
In other words, they flash as I try to navigate the page. Unless I somehow avoid all the flash-on-mouseover elements. And I am clumsy.
IT HURTS.
But that does explain - this isn't something malfunctioning, this is something inaccessibly designed.
I can't use touch devices, of course, because I am clumsy, and because most of them are full of extra flashing, zooming, etc.
I should add that Safari doesn't enable these flashing menus, though it doesn't allow users to disable certain other animation.
So it's possible, with the right settings, for some browsers to disable this animation. It's not necessary for Firefox to enable it everwhere.
I searched about:config for "mouse," "mouseover," "mousenter," and "hover" without finding relevant settings.
I have also found a few more Stylish scripts to block more animation.
This article may be relevant:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Events/mouseover
As I said in your other thread, I don't have a general solution for this, but I did write a user script for you for this site that converts the hover menus to click menus: How to Disable Flashing Menus on Support.Mozilla.Org?