When someone says they use Dynamic HTML (DHTML), what do they mean? Dynamic HTML is made up of four things:
- Valid XHTML or HTML
- JavaScript
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
- The Document Object Model (DOM)
If you use JavaScript to interact with your customers you have created a dynamic page, but you really don't have DHTML unless you use all four parts. The interaction between the four elements gives your readers an experience that uses all the power of their 4.0 browsers.
The best resource you have for learning DHTML is the book Dynamic HTML by Danny Goodman. This reference has all you need to know about HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and DOM.
HTML 4.0 References
The first thing you should learn when starting with DHTML is HTML 4.0 or XHTML. HTML 4.0 and XHTML is optimized for Dynamic HTML and has hooks built into it to interact with the DOM more seamlessly.
Structure of an HTML 4.0 Document from the Web Design Group
This document gives a good overview of how an HTML 4.0 document works, including the structure of tags, how to escape special characters, and includes an HTML 4.0 validator at the end.
JavaScript for DHTML References
JavaScript can be tricky, but it is an essential part of Dynamic HTML pages.
JavaScript at About
This is the best place to learn JavaScript and improve your DHTML scripts.
Cascading Style Sheets References
CSS is one of the best tools to come along for the HTML coders who are designers at heart.
Style Sheet Dependence from the Web Design Group
While many people are using modern browsers, if you misuse CSS, you can get some pretty awful looking pages. This article shows what to avoid.
Document Object Model References
The DOM is the newest member of the HTML family, and is one of the hardest to master. However, once you understand it, you will understand Dynamic HTML.
The Document Object Model from the W3C
If you want to start learning DOM, you should start at the source.
Learning Dynamic HTML
The best way to learn Dynamic HTML is to play with it. You can use a tool such as Dreamweaver or FrontPage to get started with the coding, but to really know what Dynamic HTML is, you should then jump into the HTML and JavaScript.
