Advanced HTML Articles
Use advanced techniques like tables, frames, and ASP to improve your knowledge of HTML and your Web pages.
Articles by Date | Articles by Topic
Accessible Frames
Unless you're careful, using frames is a poor accessibility experience for customers with screen readers. If you must have frames, do what you can to make them accessible
Accessible HTML - Allowing Other
Viewpoints
Creating Web pages that can be viewed by people with different abilities.
Adding Streaming Audio Files
Add RealAudio streaming audio to your Web site. Use it for newsfeeds, information,
music, and much more. Learn to stream from a streaming server or an HTTP server.
Are You Invading Your Customers' Privacy?
There are some requests that Web developers make that are needlessly invading the
privacy of their customers. Does your site require these calls, find out why it
still doesn't insure you'll get what you want.
Are Your Web Pages Color Sensitive?
Creating a Web page that is accessible to color blind people can make a big difference in how your pages are perceived. As much as 12% of men in the US are color blind, and if your pages don't reflect that, they might not be seeing your pages at all.
Before You Buy a Web Analytics Solution
Choosing the right Web analytics software for your website doesn't have to be difficult. Make sure you know what you need and what you want from a tool, and you'll find a log analysis package that meets your needs and your budget.
Book Review: Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug
Web usability is something many developers don't think anything about, but if you don't think about usability your sites won't be usable. Steve Krug's book Don't Make Me Think doesn't force you to think about usability. Instead, it shows you, with pictures and humor how to make your Web sites better.
Box Elements
Box elements or block-level elements can be difficult to understand as they have different properties than standard in-line elements. Some commonly used box elements are p, div, and h1.
Built-In ASP Objects
Using the built-in objects in ASP allows you to create dynamic pages without
needing any external elements. Learn how to use some of the more useful built-in
objects.
Browserisms - Two Browser Specific
Tricks
Iframes and layers allow you to tailor your pages to IE or Netscape specifically.
Baking Up Some HTTP Cookies
Learn how to use cookies on your own site.
Become a Hosting Provider
You would be surprised at how easy it is to become a virtual hosting provider. It
only takes a few minutes to add a new domain. Finding the perfect domain name will
take longer than setting up the hosting.
Before You Buy an HTML Validator
A review of the different types of HTML validators and how to know what kind is best for your needs.
Before You Write Meta Tags
There are many different types of meta tags, figure out what types you need before
weighing down your site. Your site will be more effective, and search engines will
spider your site.
Beyond CGI to ColdFusion
Learn how you can create dynamic data-driven Web pages quickly with ColdFusion.
Changing Text Color Dynamically
And do it in both browsers. Use the DHTML to acheive text rollovers.
Choosing a CMS
Choosing your content management system CMS is a big step for any site, but there are a lot of things you need to consider, to be sure that you're getting the best you can. From the backend server information through what the CMS costs and what it supports you need to know these things to choose the CMS that's right for you and your site.
A Closer Look at Content Management Systems
Find out all the different things that CM systems do beyond just managing content.
Colocation Bandwidth Billing
Bandwidth is the typical way that colocation providers bill for their services. But unlike ISPs or other hosting services, it's not usually just a simple straight number. The billing for bandwidth in a colocation situation can be tricky and this article by Mark Kyrnin should help clear it up.
Colocation Extra Fees
Besides bandwidth there are other fees and options that can jack the cost of your colocation service if you're not careful. But this article by Mark Kyrnin explains what some of the more common costs are and why you might or might not want to add them to your service.
Colocation Rack Space
In order to understand colocation you need to understand what they mean when they say rack space. This article covers the basics of rack space and how to find the colocation provider that has exactly what you need.
Content and E-Commerce
Examine three popular e-commerce sites to see how you can bring repeat visitors
to your site, and from there, sales.
Content Management
Maintaining a large Web site with multiple content developers can be easy if
you have the right tool.
Controlling Web Robots
Search engines and other systems use robots or spiders to automatically crawl through your Web site. They parse the pages and store the data. It's possible to control where those robots go and what they do on your site using the robots.txt file.
Create a Netscape 6 Sidebar Tab
Netscape 6 and Mozilla sidebars are an easy way to promote your site to Netscape users. And Netscape even has an affiliate program to help you earn money from your sidebars.
Create Your Own Dreamweaver Shortcuts
Dreamweaver is very customizable and one easy way to customize Dreamweaver is to create keyboard shortcuts for the commands and actions you do all the time. Use custom Dreamweaver keyboard shortcuts to make your work easier and more efficient.
Creating Framed Web Pages Part 1
An introduction to using HTML frames on your Web pages.
Creating Framed Web Pages Part 2
There are only three tags required to make a framed Web page. Do you know them?
Creating Framed Web Pages Part 3
Once you have a frameset, what do you do with the frames themselves?
Creating Framed Web Pages Part 4
Targeting your frames and the IE in-line frame.
Creating Online Education
Learn how to use your Web site to create online education for your employees and customers. E-learning is a powerful tool to help reduce costs and retain employees.
CSS2 vs CSS1 - What's The Difference?
What is the difference between CSS2 and CSS1? Cascading Style Sheets, level 2 offers many
new properties and methods to control the look and feel of your documents in various different
settings - not just Web pages.
Cross Browser DHTML
Here are four options you have for creating cross-platform Dynamic HTML Web
pages.
Data Driven Web Pages
Using a database to create a Web page makes your site more dynamic, and easier
for you to maintain.
Disabled Attributes in Web Forms
The disabled attribute is a useful tool for HTML forms developers, as it allows you to make forms that are more dynamic and useful to the user. Use the disabled attribute to set form elements to disabled so that the customer cannot fill them in.
Do We Need Web Standards?
Standards compliance is nearly there in Web browsers, but now we need to look to authoring tools to create more standard Web pages.
Do you Build Maintainable Websites?
Maintainability is not something many Web designers think about when building websites. But it can be a critical issue even just a short time later when you need to re-work part of the site or completely redesign it. These tips for creating a maintainable site will help you create sites that you look forward to re-doing, rather than dread.
Don't Forget the Missing Table Tags
Using the additional table tags like caption, thead and tbody as well as the summary attribute can make your HTML tables more accessible.
Does Your Web Site Have a Content Management Problem?
Many larger Web sites do, but there are content management systems available to help.
Find out if your site has similar problems to this case study.
Don't Tell Your Readers What Browser to Use
Don't expect your readers to change browsers. What if they put in a DVD and the player said I'm sorry, this DVD won't play unless you have the Sony Trinitron HDTV player and 42inch receiver. Your Web page shouldn't be doing that either.
DTDs and Markup Languages
Learn what a DTD or Document Type Definition is and how you use them in XML
and HTML documents.
Dynamic HTML
What is dHTML and how do you use it?
Dynamic HTML References
Dynamic HTML is fun and exciting, and with these references, you can get started
quickly.
Easy Dynamic HTML
This is an example of an easy way to add dynamic HTML to your Web pages.
Even More Meta Tags
Use meta tags to prevent search engines from searching your pages, plus protect child viewers, and provide more information about the page.
Every Page is an Entry Page
If you want someone to find your Web site, does it really matter if they find your home page or some other page on your Web site? Many people focus so heavily on optimizing their home page for search engines, that they forget that other pages on their site might be easier to optimize and result in more page views.
Flash Websites - Pros and Cons
Writing a website in Flash only can have definite benefits - but it can also have large drawbacks. Use this article to determine if the benefits to your site outweigh the drawbacks. Use Flash when it adds value for your readers, not just when you want to show off your skills as a Flash developer.
<font> vs. CSS
The font tag has been deprecated in favor of Cascading Style Sheets. Find out how
to do all the same things as the font tag, and more with CSS.
Form vs. Function - XML-like HTML
Tags
There are several HTML tags that look a lot like XML. But what does that really
mean? Learn about why some tags were deprecated in XHTML 1.0 and some specific
tags that weren't.
Frames FAQ
Frames can be confusing, but some of the more common questions have fairly easy
answers.
Frames and Search Engines
When you use frames, it makes it more difficult for search engines to catalog
your pages. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't use them. Find out how to create
a framed page that gains you hits, not loses them.
Frames Tips
Open your frames links in the frame you want them to open in. Plus, learn
how to make your framed pages "friendly".
Frames -- Why and Why Not
Confessions of a frames turncoat.
Head Rush Ajax by Brett McLaughlin
A review of the book Head Rush Ajax by Brett McLaughlin. A quick and dirty way to get your Web site up and running using Ajax.
How Are You Being Served?
If you know what Web server your site is running on, you can take advantage
of it's features. Learn how to choose the right server for you.
How Cookies are Used by Web Pages and Web Browsers
Cookies are used to store bits of information. Cookies can only get the information that the Web browser can get or that the person browsing gives to the cookie.
How Do I Include One HTML File in Another Using Dreamweaver?
The Dreamweaver library function is one of the best things about the editor, because it allows you to create include files for your site without having any actual include functionality on the server.
How to Add Video to a Web Page
It can be tricky to get video to play on your Web pages. Browser support is sketchy and the tag that does work most of the time is invalid HTML. But it is possible to include video directly in your Web pages with this how to page.
How to Create a Dreamweaver Template
Dreamweaver templates help you to maintain sites by creating editable regions and regions that are maintained by the template.
How to Edit Noframes Content in Dreamweaver
Dreaweaver hides the noframes area a little, but in order to create valid and useful noframes content, you want to be sure to edit your noframes page.
How to Play a Sound on Click or on MouseOver
You can use this DHTML script to make a sound play when you mouse over a page element or click a link.
How to Protect Your Digital Photos from Being Copied
Protecting your digital photos from people using them without your knowledge is essentially impossible. But there are some ways that you can make it more difficult.
How to Set Up a PHP/MySQL Site in Dreamweaver
It's easy to set up Dreamweaver to work with a testing server so that you can create dynamic websites using PHP and MySQL.
How to Set up a Webcam Web Page
Learn how to setup a Webcam Web page with the correct HTML codes in the document and the Web cam image on the page.
How to Create User-Friendly Forms
It's fairly easy to learn to write HTML forms, but there are a number of tricks to creating forms that your readers will want to fill out.
How to Install Apache, mySQL, and PHP on Windows (WAMP)
Building Web pages in PHP with a MySQL database can be challenging, but if you set up a test server on your local hard drive, you'll be able to test your changes before you push them live. This article explains how to install Apache, MySQL, and PHP on a Windows machine using the WAMP installer AppServ.
How to Install the Apache Web Server on Linux
Learn how to install the Apache Web server on a Linux system from source files.
How to Install the Apache Web Server on Windows
Learn how to install the Apache Web server on a Windows system.
How to Set up a DNS Alias
It's easy to set up DNS aliases with the Apache Web server. What this means is that if you have one Web domain or 100 you can set them all up to point to different directories on your Web server and host them all yourself.
How to Use an Accessibility Validator
Unlike HTML validators, accessibility validators require that you do a bit more manual work to make sure that your sites are accessible. This document will help you understand how to use an accessibility validator so that your site actually is accessible.
How Useful is Your 404 Page?
Most Web servers have a way for developers to edit and maintain their 404 page. In many cases, you can even set up 404 pages for different areas of the Web site and to suit different purposes. But it's easy to create a 404 page that is basically useless.
HTML and CSS in Email
HTML email is very widespread. Most email clients use it and it makes email a lot easier to read and understand the messages. But HTML email can have drawbacks. If you use HTML to write or format messages you should be aware of the issues and make an informed decision.
HTML Forms Tutorial
Add interactivity to your site with HTML forms.
HTML Forms Tutorial - The INPUT Tag
The INPUT tag is your primary form tag. It has a lot of features, and once you
know them you will have the basis for superior forms.
HTML Forms Tutorial - Method, Mailto Forms, and
Multiple Pages
Using forms can be difficult, but if you know how to do these trickier elements
you'll be all set.
HTML Forms Tutorial - Textarea and
Select
Once you have mastered the textarea and select form input fields, you'll have
all you need to make well crafted forms.
The HTML Label Tag - Make Your Forms Accessible
Using the label tag to label HTML forms elements that don't have implicit labels gives you more control over the design and accessibility of your Web forms.
HTML Link Tag
The HTML link tag can be somewhat confusing because it has a lot of different possible functions. The most common use of the link tag is to link external style sheets to the current document. But you can also define related documents, such as previous and next pages in a series, alternate versions of the page, and index pages.
HTML Tables Tutorial
An introduction to using tables in your Web pages.
HTTP Cookies
Learn how cookies are used and what they are for. They are only as dangerous as
you make them.
Introduction to ASP
Active Server Pages can give you the dynamic, interactive pages you crave. Find
out how this technology works and how it is different from other Web technology.
"Link Rot" Are You a Culprit?
Do you you move your pages? Reorganizations and other changes to a site can
cause links to go bad when they don't have to. Stop link rot at the source,
don't change your URIs.
Magic with Meta Tags
Meta tags can help improve your standing in search engines. Find out if you're
adding them correctly.
Managed vs. Unmanaged Colocation
Managed and unmanaged colocation are two of the options you need to understand if you're going to choose to colocate your Web server. This article by Mark Kyrnin will help you to understand the differences.
Manipulating the Cache
Caching helps speed up a page, but can prevent content from staying up-to-date. Web
developers can control this caching.
Modularization of XHTML
XHTML has been broken up into modules to make it more extensible and allow it to
be used on more diverse platforms.
More Meta Tags
You can use meta tags for more than just search engines. Move people around
your site.
More on International Pages
It's important to think about dates, phone numbers, and the platform your readers
are on. Global sites can be challenging to run, there is a lot to remember.
Noframes - The Key to Usable and Accessible Frames
Noframes helps you provide a site even if your customers can't use frames. Get help learning to use one of the lesser used frames tags - noframes.
Open Two Frames with One Link
Links usually open only one window, but with DHTML you can open two windows
with just one click.
Opening a Link in a New Window
There are two ways to open new windows when your readers click on links.
Overcoming Resistance to Content Management
A closer look at why people might not want a content management system, and what
you can do to overcome these issues.
Playing with HTML Codes
You might be surprised at the various HTML codes that are available. Use these special characters to dress up your page or just include more correct language.
Pre-Processed HTML
Enhance your Web pages while reducing your workload with HTML pre-processors.
Pretty Forms
There are ways you can make your forms look nicer and interact with CSS layout and design directives
Privacy Policies and P3P
Use the Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P) to create and use privacy policies on your Web site. And find out what browsers support this project.
Pros and Cons of Adding Sound to Web Pages
Sound on Web pages can be a contentious issue. Some Web designers feel that it should never be used on Web pages, while others feel that there is always a use for sound to improve and enhance designs.
Push Technology - XML In Action
It's easy to set up a Web site with push technology using the XML application
CDF or Channel Definition Format.
Quirks Mode - Using the DOCTYPE Tag
If you don't use the DOCTYPE tag, your Web pages won't display in standards compliant ways and might result in some strange Web pages.
Rel nofollow - What does this mean?
The rel=nofollow attribute has been added to links all around the Internet. But what does it mean? It's one of the few instances of a rel or rev attribute having a very distinct meaning and use. rel=nofollow is put on links to prevent comment spam from being indexed.
Review: Perseus Software Survey
Solutions
Create and manage professional surveys on your Web site without needing HTML or
CGI.
Rewriting the Web Design Site with Web Standards
It is possible to take a site that is completely non-standard HTML and convert it to XHTML. It also reduces the file size as well.
Safe CSS - Cascading Style Sheets For Most
Browsers
Safe CSS properties are cascading style sheets properties that will display in most browsers.
Scrollbar Colors
Using CSS to change the scrollbar colors in Internet Explorer or Konqueror is not
legal XHTML, but it can be interesting. Learn how to prevent other designers from
changing your browser settings. And also learn how to change the settings of your
readers.
Searching Your Site
Give your site some extra functionality by adding search engine capabilities
to your Web site.
What is a 301 Server Redirect?
It's better to use a 301 permanent redirect for your Web pages that redirect than to use a meta refresh tag.
What is Ajax
Web applications can be a challenging endeavor where you try to get your customers to wait for data to load or pages to render. But with Ajax - Asynchronous JavaScript and XML - you can create multi-purpose Web applications that feel like desktop applications. No more waiting for pages to load, and the hourglass is gone.
What is a 301 Server Redirect?
It's better to use a 301 permanent redirect for your Web pages that redirect than to use a meta refresh tag.
What is the Semantic Web?
The Semantic Web was devised by Tim Berners-Lee as a way to make the Web into a giant database. With the current status of data on the Web, computers do not know what data they are displaying it. Instead, all that the markup language usually tells about a document is how to display it or structure it. The Semantic Web makes the data understandable to computers as well, so it can be cataloged and used more efficiently.
When to Use Ajax and When Not To
Just because your boss or your marketing department or you think that Ajax is cool and you really want to build an Ajax application doesn't mean that you should. If you understand what Ajax is good for, you'll be better off when you do get the call and can create an application that uses Ajax well, and not just for the sake of using Ajax.
When to Use JPEG or GIF Format for Your Web Images and PNG Too
When creating Web graphics it's important that you use the correct format for the job. GIF and JPG files each have different uses, and should be used for different types of graphics.
Sending HTML Email
Why send plain text email when you can send formatted email with images, links,
forms and more?
Separating Content from Design: A CMS Standard
ne of the common themes among content management software professionals is the need to separate content from design. This article discusses this concept and provides an argument for why that will never work effectively in many CMS implementations.
Sounding Off
Using sound on your Web pages.
Speeding Up Your Web
Page
Tips to make your Web site download faster and keep your readers happy.
Tabindex: Making Your Pages Accessible
Tabindex is a seldom used attribute that could make Web pages so much more accessible and usable if only it were used more frequently. Tabindex provides an order for the clickable elements on the page so that someone using a keyboard does not have to resort to the mouse to get to the more important links.
Table Tricks
There is more to tables with HTML 4.0 than just columns and rows.
Tables for Tabular Data - What is Tabular Data?
While you don't want to use tables for the layout of your pages, it is perfectly alright to use tables for tabular data. The problem is, what IS tabular data? This article attempts to shed light on this mystery.
Tagging: What is Tagging and Why Should We Do It?
Understand what tagging is so that you can add more meta data onto your pages for easier searching and navigation.
Taking Great Pictures for Web Sites
Taking photos for your Web site is very important - but you can completely destroy the effect if your photos are bad. Make sure that your photos are saying what you want them to say.
Templating Your Web Pages
Use SSI, PHP, ASP, JavaScript, or other technology to include portions of HTML on many pages of a Web site.
Think INSIDE the Box
Use box properties of CSS to create boxes of text, and affect the layout of your
page without tables.
The Three Layers of Web Design
Understanding the three layers of Web development can help site maintenance easier as well as give you focus on what you're working on.
Time to Switch from IIS
If you're running your Web site on an IIS Web server, it might be time to switch
to one that is more secure.
Tips and Tricks Using CSS
The biggest problem with CSS is that it is interpreted differently in every browser.
But there are some methods to overcome this, without using JavaScript to create browser
detection scripts.
Tracking Web Page Views
Almost from the day that the Web was invented, people wanted to track information about the pages delivered and the computers requesting that information. This is stored on Web servers as log files - usually in Common Log Format (CLF) or Combined Log Format.
Useful Meta Tags
Meta tags are often thought of as only a tool for search engine optimization (SEO), but ironically, this is one of their least useful uses. Meta tags are not heavily used by search engines. But there are a number of meta tags that you can use to add value to your Web pages - either for your readers or for your development team.
Using Tables Part 2
Attributes used with the table tag.
Using Tables Part 3
Using tables to design Web pages that look good and load fast.
"Watermarking" Your Web Pages
There are two ways you can create a watermark effect on your Web pages. Use CSS for a
less intrusive, standard watermark. Or use DHTML to create a more dynamic watermark
image.
Ways to Submit Your Forms
When you build an HTML form, you need to think about how your readers are going
to submit the data to the CGI. There are three basic methods.
Web Analytics Basics: Learn to Measure Your Web Site
Web analytics - learn to talk the talk when setting up web measurement so that you can get the most out of your Web metrics
Web Analytics: How to Use Web Analytics Effectively
Web analytics can be very confusing, as there are many ways you can evaluate your Web site. But it's important to be systematic when reviewing your Web analytics so that you can get the most out of them. The best thing that Web analytics can do for you is to help you improve your Web site.
Web Design Horror Stories
Everyone makes mistakes, it's a fact of humanity. But sometimes Web mistakes can be disastrous, and sometimes they are just funny. I have made some major mistakes in my time as a Web developer, and I'm sure I haven't made my last.
Web Pages for Everyone
With just a simple script and redirect you can set up your site to display a
different page depending upon the browser your reader is using.
WebTV HTML
If you design pages to look good in both Netscape and Internet Explorer, then
you should probably think about the ramifications of a new browser out there.
WebTV provides interesting challenges for the Web Developer.
What are All Those "ML"s?
HTML is based off of SGML, and XHTML is based XML, but what do those letters mean?
What exactly is a markup language? And how do they all relate?
What do the Accessibility Guidelines Mean to
Me?
With the government and the W3C coming up with accessibility standards for the
Web, it's more and more important to follow them. And the good news is: It's
Easy!
What do Your Links Say and Where Do They Lead?
When you click on a link, you want to know where you're going. If your link text doesn't match what's on the page the link goes to your reader can get confused and possibly lose trust in the Web site where they clicked.
What is Colocation and Why Would You Choose it for Web Hosting
If you're looking into getting a new hosting system for your Web sites or domains, you should look into colocation. There are many benefits to co-lo and this article discusses why you might choose colocation over other types of Web hosting.
What is Geotagging?
Geotagging has gotten very popular on photo sites like Flickr, but it's also possible to geotag Web pages. But why would we want to? This article discusses the basics of geotagging and why we would want to tag our Web pages with locations.
What is an IP Address?
IP addresses are the backbone of the internet network. They allow systems to identify and locate one another in a distributed environment. IP addresses are the mailing addresses of the Internet.
What is mod_rewrite and How Do You Use It?
Using mod_rewrite you can change the URLs that your customers are viewing on-the-fly. Your customer types in one URL and your Apache server interprets it using mod_rewrite to point to a different location or script. Custom URLs allow you to control and protect your Web site.
What is a Referrer?
Referrers or HTTP Referers are anything online that drives visits and visitors to your Web site.
What is the W3C?
Are you confused by the World Wide Web Consortium, or just want to know what it is? This article from the Web Design Guide will help you understand both the group that specifies the Web and the jargon that they use to do it.
What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is a watchword for the new definition of the Web and the Internet. The idea is that Web 1.0 was a creation of Web pages that provided information to readers. Web 2.0 takes that information and interacts with the reader to allow the reader to find the information he or she wants in the format that is most useful to them.
What is a Web Robot?
Robots often visit Web sites, and they can be beneficial to you or possibly harmful. Understanding how robots work and how they interact with your site can help you rank higher in search engines and get more pageviews.
What is XHTML?
With the new standard for XHTML, there are lots of questions about the status
of HTML and how it relates to this new proposal.
White Space in HTML Can Slow Your Pages
Creating pages that download quickly is always important to Web designers, but once you've moved all the scripts and CSS to external locations and optimized your graphics what can you do? Whitespace, whether you put it in deliberately or because of programming adds a lot of it, causes a longer download time.
Why Databases?
Why would you want to create a database driven site?
Why Rewrite Your Web URLs
It's easy to redirect your customers, and there are many good reasons to do so.
Why should I use frames rather than CSS?
Can CSS do all the same things that frames can do? Or does it make sense to use frames in certain situations?
Why Validate Your HTML
HTML validators are a powerful and easy way to make sure that your HTML is
viewable and looks right to most readers.
Windows versus Linux for Web Page Hosting
Choosing an operating system for your Web hosting provider used to be a much bigger deal. Now it's less important.
Writing HTML for Specific Browsers
Should you do it? How to make your pages more friendly to your customers.
Writing a PDA Friendly Web Site
Learn tips and techniques to write a Palm friendly Web site.
XHTML 2.0 - What is It?
XHTML 2.0 is the latest version of XHTML - it brings XHTML even closer to its XML origins and is no longer backwards compatible with older versions.
Your Files are Not Secure
If you upload a file of any type, it can be found by a search engine. And if it can
be found by a search engine, your competitors can find it.
