The Languages of the World Wide Web

There are several Languages that can be used to create a web site. The underlying foundation which binds web pages together is Hypertext Markup Language - the fundamental building stuff of the web. We present several articles, tutorials, and references on HTML.

HTML

HTML is the lingua franca for publishing hypertext on the World Wide Web. It is a non-proprietary format, based upon SGML, for describing the structure of hypermedia documents - plain text (ASCII) files with embedded codes for logical markup, using tags like and to structure text into tables, hypertext links interactive forms, headings, paragraphs, lists, and more. HTML 4.0 is the latest (draft) standard, moderately supported by the major browsers.

XML

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is an ISO compliant subset of Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML), a simple coding language using generic semantics that are appropriate for representing information from a wide range of domains. XML is extensible because it is a metalanguage, which enables one to write a Document Type Definition (DTD) and define the rules of the language so the document can be interpreted by the document receiver. The purpose of XML is to provide an easy to use subset of SGML that allows for custom tags to be processed. Custom tags will enable the definition, transmission and interpretation of data structures between organizations.

XML: Structuring Data for the Web: An Introduction is geared toward newcomers who have heard the buzz, but don't know what all the fuss is about. The article briefly surveys a number of new Web technologies such as XLL, XSL, RDF, DOM, MathML, SMIL, PGML, and how they relate to XML. Benefits of XML are stressed, as are potential applications in diverse fields. A reference section provides links to key XML resources, as well as to collections of other introductory articles. XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is really a trio of specifications -- XML syntax, XLL (XML Linking Language), and XSL (eXtensible Style Language). We also briefly examine a number of XML vocabularies -- languages based upon the syntax of XML, such as MathML (Mathematical Markup Language), SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language), and RDF (Resource Description Framework).

DHTML: The Next Generation of HTML

Next Generation HTML: The Big Picture focusses on the way in which the various specifications fit into the Big Picture of the efforts of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Next Generation HTML encompasses Cascading Style Sheets, HTML 4.0, the Document Object Model, Dynamic HTML, the XML family of specifications, and the many specifications based on XML, such as RDF, SMIL, and MathML. When we read about a W3C specification, it is useful to understand its role in the larger picture. To help you visualize the Big Picture, we introduce a graphic which doubles as an imagemap to whisk you directly to pages containing details about each topic. A color coding key in the imagemap informs you of the current status of each W3C document. We've also included an acronym expansion chart because the buzz words are far too many to remember.

You can use HTML to create interactive pages using forms, communicating with the server via the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) - a standard for external gateway programs to interface with information servers, such as HTTP or Web servers. A plain HTML document that the Web server delivers is static, which means it doesn't change. A CGI program, on the other hand, is executed real-time, so that it can output dynamic information - perhaps a weather reading, or the latest results from a database query.

Programming and Scripting

These techniques will be very useful to add dynamic content, and you may well want to learn how to write JavaScript (for client-side scripting), or a language such as PHP or Perl (for server-side scripting). You can also combine HTML, Style Sheets and Scripting for some Dynamic HTML. JavaScript: JavaScript is a compact, object-based scripting language for developing client and server Internet applications. JavaScript statements can be embedded directly in an HTML page. These statements can recognize and respond to user events such as mouse clicks, form input, and page navigation. For example, you can write a JavaScript function to verify that users enter valid information into a form. Without any network transmission, an HTML page with embedded JavaScript can interpret the entered text and alert the user with a message dialog if the input is invalid. Or you can use JavaScript to perform an action (such as play an audio file, execute an applet, or communicate with a plug-in) in response to the user opening or exiting a page.

JavaScript is a programmable API that allows cross-platform scripting of events, objects, and actions. It allows the page designer to access events such as startups, exits, and users' mouse clicks. JavaScript extends the programmatic capabilities of most browsers to a wide range of authors, and is easy enough for anyone who can compose HTML. Using JavaScript, even less-experienced developers will be able to direct responses from a variety of events, objects, and actions. It provides anyone who can compose HTML with the ability to change images and play different sounds in response to specified events, such as a users' mouse click or screen exit and entry.

CSS and Other Web Design Elements

When you create your web page or site, it's useful to know some of the principles of Web Design. Many elements go into succesful web site design; we can cluster those elements into sensory, conceptual, and reactive aspects. That is, design isn't only about what you see, it's also about what you think and feel as you navigate a web site.

Style Sheets and Guides explores the basics of engineering Web pages that are attractive and effective, yet are easy to maintain and use. Special emphasis is placed on how to help the user make the most of your information. Numerous aspects of authoring are addressed.

Graphics: But you'll certainly want to know about the design and construction of Graphics for the World Wide Web. Graphics add spice and style to web pages, and can help your visitors visualise what your site is about and how it's structured. Spice up your pages with tasteful backgrounds, or 3d graphics, using these tools.

VRML: worlds are static environments where you can navigate and click on objects to link to information. This document gives a basic introduction to VRML 1.0 and shows you the basic principles of the language, and how to construct simple models 'by brain'. It contains several examples, and many references to further resources.

Databases: The power of the WWW comes not simply from static HTML pages - which can be very attractive, and the important first step into the WWW - but especially from the ability to support those pages with powerful software, especially when interfacing to databases. The combination of attractive screen displays, exceptionally easy to use controls and navigational aids, and powerful underlying software, has opened up the potential for people everywhere to tap into the vast global information resources of the Internet.

Web Page Databases provide a simple, inexpensive and effective tool for query and reporting of data on a web page. These databases offer an alternative to client/server databases and HTML lists or tables. A web page database is an interactive system used to search, sort and display records. These systems provide small screen footprints, fast response time and a technique to reduce web server processing.

When authoring HTML with style, you might use cascading style sheets, or graphics tools to create background images, icons, 3d graphics. Multimedia can help to animate them, e.g. using GIF animation or Java applets. For interactivity use forms processed by JavaScript or CGI software. Use META tags to help search engines find you on the Internet. Our Tutorials or reference or glossary or the WWW-VL can help you locate more.

While developing Web applications that are Unicode-friendly opens up new possibilities for multi-lingual flexibility, it also introduces some new ways of thinking about characters, and text. This document looks at Unicode, and how it is currently supported in various Web development environments.

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