Creating Web documents

1. Creating Web documents Questions on JavaScript Hints calendar example "Great homepages really suck" Homework: Project 3

2. Questions on JavaScript How were these done? What JavaScript features? • date at top of page • rollover image swap • slide show • status line • coffee shop • 'virtual dog'

3. Hint • Remember: your names need to be consistent; JavaScript (DOM) names need to be correct! • Use the Edit/Find to go through text and check on names

4. Hint • The rules for JavaScript are that { } can replace a single statement • The official format is if (condition) statement; • So this is usually if (condition) {statements} • Use the brackets even if you only have one statement.

5. Hint • The plus operator does addition of the operands are numbers or concatenation if the operands of strings. • The asterisk operator always does multiplication, converting strings to numbers, if required. • Contents of form input tags are strings. • If the input is to be considered a number, the code needs to do something to make it a number.

6. Comment • A good web site has content! • original writing (text) and images • appropriate, evocative, effective use of multimedia (including JavaScript effects) • organization that serves a function and does not just excessive hyperlinking • Trade offs • value of large image & sound files versus burden of long downloads • large[r] amounts of content (graphics, text) versus uncluttered, simple[r] pages • audience expectations versus ???

7. Calendar example • Go to Javascript examplesnewmedia.purchase.edu/~Jeanine/cal.html • creates (very long) string called cal and writes it out using document.write(cal); • cycles within cycles: days of weeks and days of month

8. "Great homepages really suck" • suck here is good! • article on Sitepoint.com http://www.sitepoint.com/article/1036

9. Terminology • "pull technology" refers to technology that allows users to pro-actively seek out information, whereas "push technology" describes technology that delivers information to users, usually at regular intervals and without the user actively seeking the information. • "In his book "The Web Content Style Guide", Gerry McGovern reports a study by the prestigious Palo Alto Research Center,. The study found that 75% of Web readers are in "content-gathering" mode, while only 25% are searching for a specific document.

10. Conclusion • Give the visitor to your Home page (the first page) something substantial enough to make them click to the detail pages. • Trade off: simplicity of first page versus content

11. Content Must Suck: Pulling Users In with Jared Spoolhttp://www.webreview.com/2000/06_09/developers/06_09_00_2d.shtmlLearn The Net http://www.learnthenet.comRentStinks.com (current Website) http://www.rentstinks.comStanford Persuasive Technology Labhttp://captology.stanford.eduThe Web Content Style Guide, Gerry McGovernhttp://www.gerrymcgovern.com/guide_design_3.htmUseIt.com, Jakob Nielsenhttp://www.useit.comUser Interface Engineering, Jared Spoolhttp://www.uie.com

12. Project 3 • You must post your proposal and read my response. • Requirements • links, frames, tables, images, formatting • JavaScript (many options) • image map or image slicing • animated gif • Cascading style sheets • meta tags: description and keywords • Your own powerful content! • Your name • (works cited/bibliography, if you make use of other resources)