There's this:

http://github.com/cpojer/mootools-form-placeholder

Pros: Uses native placeholder support when available
Cons: It alters the value of a form field for browser's that don't support 
placeholder.  If the script fails (cpojer assures us that he doesn't write code 
that fails) then there's a chance you'll get bad data.

That's why we have OverText.

Pros: It doesn't alter the value of a field and you can style it however you 
want (like http://me.com)
Cons: I dunno, some say it's nutty.

As for the whole "bad interface" argument of fading out the text, but keeping 
it visible until the user types, I have a few thoughts about that.

1) Apple does it on me.com and it works great.
2) The iPhone and iPad do it with nearly all form fields and iOS is arguably 
the most usable OS ever
3) If the placeholder disappears and you provide no other label, then tabbing 
through a form is a horrible user experience.  You get to the next field and 
have no idea what you should put in it.  I know, I built software that did this 
and cursed the day a thousand times over.  The label should be visible when the 
field has focus

For search fields? Placeholders are great, for a full blown form, you have to 
have the label visible when the user is focused, so either ditch the whole 
placeholder idea or implement it the way Apple has.  Focus fades the label, 
typing removes it.

> Starting with full opacity text does not tell me it will go away. Fading
> the text out but leaving it on onFocus makes me want to delete it myself -
> cannot anticipate you will do that for me.

Admittedly, I did this the first time at me.com.  But after one use, I 
understood how it worked.  Everybody I know with mobile me seem to log in just 
fine.


On Sep 30, 2010, at 6:51 AM, Dimitar Christoff wrote:

>> You're right, I will consider this!
>> Thanks.
>> 
>> I will try to post what I came up with...
> 
> here's what I came up with when tackling this before...
> 
> http://jsfiddle.net/hFtNd/1/light/
> 
> and i forgot to mention, this is not that i don't like and appreciate
> the complexity of what you have done - and i do believe people do learn
> and adapt for the most part.
> 
> it was simply a case of missing the forset for the tree, that's all :)
> 
> Best regards
> -- 
> Dimitar Christoff <[email protected]> 
> 
> blog: http://fragged.org/  twitter: @D_mitar 
> 

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