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standby (HTML attribute)

Spec
Depr. Version
No HTML 4
Browser support (more…)
IE7 FF2 SA3 OP9.5
None None None None

Syntax

standby="string"

Description

For large media files that are pulled into a page using the object element, it’s preferable not to have what appears to be a large space where the content should be, making the page appear, to all intents and purposes to, be broken. The standby attribute allows the author to display a message that will remain on screen only while the object’s content is being loaded.

Example

Here, the standby attribute is used to warn users of a download delay:

<object data="Kuata-Joinup.jpg" width="4466" height="535"
    standby="This may take a while. Go put the kettle on.">
</object>

Value

This attribute takes as its value a suitable warning message, as shown in the example.

Compatibility

Internet Explorer Firefox Safari Opera
5.5 6.0 7.0 1.0 1.5 2.0 1.3 2.0 3.0 9.2 9.5
None None None None None None None None None None None

Poor support is provided for this attribute. It’s probably better to use a JavaScript technique to create a custom content-is-loading message in the style of your web page or site, which can subsequently be replaced or removed once the object’s content has loaded.

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