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articles
Adding Zip to your Site without Coding
By Theresa Wilkinson, W-edge design
Reprinted with permission from the STC Intercom magazine - March 2000
Volume 47, Issue 3.
I have been playing around with scripting for about six months now. I
would by no means call myself a programmer yet, but I have
successfully added many scripts to various Web sites. How did I do
it without attending any programming classes or immersing myself
with programming books? I used free scripts from Web sites. I have
found many Web sites that offer scripts for just about anything you
can imagine.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a programming language (like Perl and C++) that you can
use to add interactivity to your Web pages. It allows you to create
an active user interface, giving users feedback as they navigate
your pages. For example, most people who navigate the Web have seen
sites that have buttons that highlight as you move the mouse pointer
over them. That's done with JavaScript using a technique called a
rollover.
A JavaScript script is a program that is included on an HTML page.
Because it is enclosed in the <SCRIPT> tag, the text of the script
does not appear on the user's screen, and the Web browser knows to
run the JavaScript program.
Adding options
Before you decide to add any script to your Web site, be sure it makes
sense from the user's perspective. I have added a JavaScript
pull-down menu to several Web sites but used this only as secondary
navigation - not primary navigation in case the user had JavaScript
turned off in their browsers. And yes, many users turn off scripting
in their browsers for fast downloads on Web sites. Adding scripts to
your site does increase the download time, so take that into account
when planning your site.
Cool Tools
CNET's
Cool Tools is the first free site I found that gives away
scripts. What I like more about this site than others I have found
is that it takes you step-by-step in building a script, like a
pull-down menu (called menu maker on the site) by asking you
questions like "how many menus on this page?" and "how many items in
the menu?"
Once you fill out the form with the page names and URLs for the
items in the menu, the page displays the code that goes in the of
your page and the code that goes in the of your page. All you need
to do is copy and paste the script, and you have a JavaScript
pull-down menu to add to your site!
I found these scripts so easy to understand that I have edited and
recreated the scripts for the pull-down menu and pop-up windows
(called "window builder" on the site) in many of my Web sites.
ZDNet Developer's Script Library
ZDNet Developer's Script Library has not only free Java Scripts,
but also Perl and Java applets too. This site has the most variety
of any free sites I have found - rollovers, games, date and time
stamps, navigation, and much more.
When you select a script that you would like to look at, a pop-up
window allows you to see a demo of the script and either download or
copy the source of the script.
I copied a JavaScript for a date and time stamp for one of my Web
sites, but I did have problems getting the script to work. I really
like a lot of the navigation scripts on this site too, but I have
yet to implement one.
I have not used any of the Java applets on this site but there is a
Glossary applet that looks wonderful. And I am looking into
implementing a Perl script survey very soon.
The JavaScript Source
The
JavaScript Source is a site that a friend of mine emailed to me.
The site includes a FAQ section, a message forum to ask for help,
and hundreds of scripts for just about everything. So far I have not
used any scripts off this site, but it is one that I look at when I
am investigating using one.
CGI Resources
Another friend of mine, who disdains my preference for JavaScript,
sent me the URL for
CGI Resources. This site has hundreds of scripts and programs in
many languages -- Perl, C++, and Apple script, to name a few. It
even includes CGI applications that are remotely hosted on other
servers that you can access. The site even includes a documentation
section with Information, documentation and tutorials regarding CGI
programming.
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"Theresa - I just wanted to let you know how much my business has increased since you took over my website. What I am delighted about is that I am
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"I wanted to let you know that our rankings on Google are now in the top 3, on almost every search we've conducted (most of them are in 1st place)—without using quotes to call out specific phrases.
This is in searches that result in over 20,000 pages per search. We're backlogged with orders until late June, possibly July. You ROCK!” Diana Holycross, Tiles with Style."
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