Index

The Book

A Bit of Barthes

Modernism

Postmodernism

Decentred

Author Options

Hypertechniques

Bibliography

Link Classes

While it is possible to build a network using only reference links, most products use additional link classes to present readers with helpful structural information. Four are commonly in use.

When a reference link is selected, the destination node is presented on the screen, usually replacing the image of the current node. This is the software equivalent of flipping from page to page in a book. These are the kinds of link that most clearly distinguish hypertext. Such links may be uni- or bi-directional. They allow the creation of non-hierarchical structures. When a note link is selected, a small area of the screen a "pop-up" window displays the destination node. In some systems this area is fixed and reserved for such notes; in others, it may vary. No links may be followed from the pop-up; the reader must return to the original node before navigating further. The paper equivalent is the footnote or endnote.

Node Types

Nodes may be typed to convey useful information to the reader. Hyper text products vary widely in their support of this feature. Node types may be pre-defined or user-defined. One simple scheme divides nodes into two types: one for organisational information and the other for content. NoteCards is such a system; here, the organising nodes are called file Boxes. In Textnet, nodes are either "chunks" or "tocs". This last term derives from "table of contents". Hypertext products designed for specialised applications (eg IBIS) may have very specific node types. In this way, the reader can understand immediately the context of one node among many. By regimenting node and link types, however, authors are forced to structure their writing to a degree that may hinder free thought and organisation.

Landow's Overview Types

Built by Scott Spicer. [email protected]