1. summary of this lecture
Image maps and multipart images are more complex than the techniques you learnt in the Web Design Core - but that's why we're now in the realm of Advanced Web Techniques! What they are, particularly multiparts, are sophisticated and professional image handling techniques which give new depth to your page, if used well. The key lessons to take from this lecture are:
- do try and ensure your image is appropriate for the task. Multiparts and - particularly - image maps which are just random images sliced up, or "hotspotted", in random ways are worse than no image at all. Make your hot spots or divisions relevant to the image "underneath" them.
- always bear accessibility in mind. Using advanced techniques like this without consideration for accessibility is precisely one of the reasons why so many "professional" pages are inaccessible. Continue to use alt attributes, watch the file size and download time of images, and always (at least for image maps) supply alternative, text-based means of reaching the content.
- become familiar with how graphics packages can help you here. Paint Shop Pro's Image Slicer and Image Mapper can be a godsend.
|
2. what's coming in lecture 8
Another advanced technique for image handling is the use of rollovers. Particularly when combined with multipart images, these greatly add to the visual impact and appeal of your pages, if used well.
To make rollovers work requires us to enter the realm of JavaScript. This web technology is closely associated with HTML but is in fact a simple programming language, rather than a markup one.
There are two "levels" of JavaScript, the first being "events", the second actual "scripts" or simple programs. The next lecture will discuss how you can include both on your pages, and the circumstances in which it is appropriate and inappropriate to do so.
|
