Creating "view desktop version" link for mobile variants

[pauland]

I am surprised at the responses some have given that border on being rude and insulting.
I don't think that is intended.

I don't see how anyone can tell another web designer they are completely wrong as a blanket statement.
It's a question of perspective. Many respondents here have invested a lot of time developing websites and following as best they can best practices and understanding why something work well for a website and why some don't. Some of the earlier respondents run successful web design agencies and understand what works and what doesn't.

This is actually something that DOES have it's place in the world even though you and some others don't think so.
Hmm.

I have a General Contractor I do the website for and he wants lots of photos posted of his projects. There are pages and pages of his projects and some of them have 50-60+ photos p/ page. It would be very "unfriendly" to have all those photos on a mobile version of a site not to mention a nightmare for the person updating the site who has to add them in 2 different ways.

First of all, for sites like this with large numbers of photographs, the idea of adding them twice over is indeed a nightmare. What it actually indicates is that you are using the wrong technology for this task and you should probably be using a CMS-based system that would allow the photographs to be added once for both mobile and desktop. With a responsive template, mobile will be less of an issue, but phones and lots of images - we need to be smarter.

In this instance having a note directing the visitor to go to the main site to see all of his project photos just make sense.
Well, no. It makes no sense at all. It's just a convenience for the developer who's using the wrong technology.

Not every website is suited for a mobile phone/device and that does not make the design of the site wrong.
No, not every desktop site is suited to a mobile device that's why we have mobile sites and we adapt to the realities of using a mobile platform.

I do another site with a lot of slideshows for another client. They are big so they would take a long time to download on a phone plus they would be small and not as visually pleasing to view on a small device. Definitely another instance where going to the main site would be beneficial to the viewer.
That makes no sense at all. Your desktop assets may be too heavy for mobile so the appropriate approach is to create lightweight assets that are appropriate for mobile, not to just give up.

I wish people could just answer the questions without all the commentary.
That's truly disappointing.

Many people ask for what they think will help them (as in this case), yet don't realise why it would be a bad idea. We are all here to help each other and there not one single person here clever enough not to learn something on TG - you and I included.

We may not agree with the advice we are given, so we can choose to ignore it. I'd much rather be given advice and not take it than have people help me do the wrong thing without saying anything. The people that help me do the wrong thing are assisting in my stupidity if they do nothing more to try and help me.

Let's learn from each other, make our own choices and not just pass up the chance of very good advice.

[gsthunder]

I am not trying to be a jerk and I always am extremely appreciative of the advice I get here when I ask. However, sometimes people tend to push advice a bit too far and it goes more into obnoxiously telling others what to do( IMO ). I don't care for that is all. It would be nice if people could just answer specific questions when they are asked, and leave the decisions on how to build a site up to the person doing the work, is all I am saying.

Again, I always appreciate the help I get here. 99.9999% of the regulars know far more than I do. This is a great resource and it has helped me a lot. I do appreciate that!

[Acorn]

I am not trying to be a jerk and I always am extremely appreciative of the advice I get here when I ask. However, sometimes people tend to push advice a bit too far and it goes more into obnoxiously telling others what to do( IMO ). I don't care for that is all. It would be nice if people could just answer specific questions when they are asked, and leave the decisions on how to build a site up to the person doing the work, is all I am saying.

Again, I always appreciate the help I get here. 99.9999% of the regulars know far more than I do. This is a great resource and it has helped me a lot. I do appreciate that!

While I have the privilege of moderating this forum, I rarely intervene when a Post goes off-topic as I find the spinoffs as enlightening as answers to the Original Post (OP). We all, however, should refrain from being pedantic, a trait I fall into all too easily myself. I propose, pedantically, that where it is not a fact (web links appreciated), any opinion should be prefaced with "I think...". If the situation is that charged, a new Post should be created and link to that instead.

In response to the OP, I think there is nothing wrong in linking out to a large format presentation. To do it, one would have to create a separate site and put the link to it within the Variant that is unable to show the size, quantity or detail at that rendering. It cannot be readily done within a single site with variants (as pointed out by Steve Ledger & dutchim back at the beginning).

Acorn

[gwpriester]

gsthunder - I totally agree. TG should be about solutions and answers, and not a contest to see who can provide the snarkiest response.

[pauland]

There are no snarky answers here that I can see. None at all.

People - like myself - can be forthright about something because they don't like seeing people make an avoidable mistake.

Any advice can be ignored and any advice can be wrong - we have contradictory advice on this thread. I'm really pleased when people express their viewpoint even if it's not the same as mine. We can only grow from feedback.

It would be nice if people could just answer specific questions when they are asked, and leave the decisions on how to build a site up to the person doing the work, is all I am saying.

It would be a disservice to do so. This is TalkGraphics, not AnswerJustWhatIAskGraphics. We're not robots programmed just to answer the question.

Expressing one view doesn't imply lack of understanding for another view or disrespect for it. Expressing an opposing view shouldn't be regarded as 'snarky' or unhelpful.

I can't stop people driving into the ditch, but I won't stop warning them when they head that way. I'd rather just forget TG - it would have no value and just be a place where people hear just what they want to hear.