HTML Website Menu

[new]

Is it better to use DHTML to make a Menu Bar for a Website or to use Gif or JPEG interactive buttons? I only use Frontpage for Site building and I don't have a great knowledge of HTML

[harry]

I would suggest you to upgrade yourself for html/dhtml it will help you to make more interactive Menu-bar and better site.

You can visit our tutorials on Frontpage at webhosting.uk.com/frontpage.php
and for basic HTML visit : htmlgoodies.com/primers/html/ and htmlcodetutorial.com/

[new]

Thanks harry, I'll take a look at the Sites suggested.

[kev woodman]

DHTML is a phrase that has gone out of fashion a bit. If you are going to use 'interactive' images then you are going to have to use JavaScript anyway. If you want a nice clean menu then you might be better of just using CSS, you can create some really nice effects and can even make CSS-only multi-level 'fly-out' menus (seoconsultants.com/css/menus/tutorial/). If you're going to use JavaScript then have a look at an effects library like ( script.aculo.us )which is pretty easy to implement.

[harry]

Yeah, that's true.....
Though html/dhtml has gone out of fashion but according to me; as a newbie we should first start with html/dhtml once got familiar with these basic web languages then it would be easy to learn and understand advance Java/CSS/XML etc which are used for building more featured sites......

[kev woodman]

No I wasn't suggesting for a moment that HTML was out of fashion. It is the language of the Web, particularly as XHTML, and is not going to be replaced by Java (which is an entirely different technology) or CSS (which is only presentation mark-up) or XML (which is part of the same family anyway).

DHTML was a term for a combination of different client-side technologies including HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It was never really accessible or cross-browser compatible and has been superceded by DOM scripting which also uses JavaScript but in a much more graceful way.

DHTML is not a language and is no less complicated than learning DOM scripting with JavaScript (it is essentially the same thing). If you have no wish to learn any programming then you are better off forgetting JavaScript (and therefore both DHTML and DOM scripting) and sticking to (X)HTML and CSS. Or you could dive straight in and start learning a client-side programming language like JavaScript or ActionScript and just pick up the mark-up languages as you go along.

[harry]

Thanks for your response Kev , this will definitely help webmasters and me too to take decision for choosing proper web development language/script accordingly.

[Falesh]

I was lucky with my first book on building websites, Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML, as the title sugests it advocates (X)HTML with CSS for building sites. Over and over this has paid of, it helps with SEO, Accessibility, and a whole host of other things.

[kev woodman]

Not a fan of the Head First series myself because of the quirky style but the actual content always seems very good - HF Object Oriented Analysis and Design contained some good info in amongst all the goofiness.