Skype Buttons tip: use "email HTML" if JavaScript isn't allowed
We continue to get questions in the [eBay Skype discussion board](http://forums.ebay.com/db2/forum.jspa?forumID=2000000001) and other channels about what to do if your web host doesn’t allow JavaScript. Many hosts don’t, and that’s good for security. However, the [Skype button wizard](http://www.skype.com/go/skypebuttons) offers you code with JavaScript by default, which may not work or may produce some weird results as it gets sanitized or filtered by the web host.
There’s a simple way out. In the Skype button generator wizard, you can choose between “web HTML” and “email HTML”. The main difference between the two is that the first one is with JavaScript and the second one is without it. We figured that calling them “with JavaScript” and “without JavaScript” was a bit too geeky and so we went with web/email HTML, since most web-based and standalone e-mail clients don’t allow JavaScript anyway, so it made sense.
To switch from web HTML to email HTML, just select the appropriate option before copying the code.
Why have JavaScript there in the first place? The Skype buttons themselves work fine without it — if everyone coming to your site has Skype installed. If you don’t have Skype and click on a skype: link, one of two things happen.
* if your code doesn’t have the JavaScript thing, they may see some ugly and strange browser or e-mail client error.
* if your code has the JavaScript thing, a friendly error pops up, telling a bit about Skype and suggesting the visitor to download and install it. See an example.
The non-javascript version is fine for most uses, but some CMSs and forums might change the code to something that won’t work too.
Something that I’ve found that works (but is a bit hacky), is to create a link to a page that contains a META HTTP-EQUIV=REFRESH tag, with CONTENT=”1; URL=skype:MY_SKYPE_NAME?call and nothing else.
In my signature in the forum I use (an Invision Power Board based forum), I just link to that page, which then “calls” me. It would be useful to be able to remove the second step though. The problem is the forum changes the url so it doesn’t work.
It’s all very well to “use ‘email HTML’ if JavaScript isn’t allowed,” but what if the email HTML isn’t allowed (or doesn’t work at any rate, so I assume it’s not allowed) ? I’m using GMail & copied and pasted as told the following scrip, which probably won’t work in this comment box either as those seldom allow more than limited HTML (if that, as the forgoing test should demonstrate)
Get Skype and call me for free.
Perhaps Gmail is immunized against HTML in it’s signatures. I’ll have another look at the settings, but I couldn’t any way to enable HTML last time. Hm… Guess I’ll download Thunderbird & try to set that up, but I seem to remember there’s a good reason why I’ve never done that before, some sort of server access problem. I’m sure I run across that all too soon. Sigh!
Can any helpful soul explain how to make the Skype button work in Gmail signatures?
Thanks, Dennis
I put the http://www.skype.com/go/skypebuttons in html on the welcome page of my website http://www.buckens.com/index but it gives back my skype connection status in French!
This is a sensitive suject, as there are two languages in Belgium, and the Dutch-speaking people may feel offended. I want to remain neutral and would like it to be in English.
While I was in the US, it gave me back my connection status in English. I don’t know how it switched automatically to French after moving to Belgium. My internet provider serves both communities (although I choose to communicate with THEM in French). How can I force this connection feedback message to be in English?