Glossary of Web Terms : General Web Topics and Tools : University of Vermont

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UVM WEB GUIDE: General Web Topics and Tools

Glossary of Web Terms

HTML:

Hyper Text Markup Language, the language used to display Web pages. It is a computer coding language, just as English is a spoken language. If you only spoke English to someone who only spoke Swahili, they would not understand. Likewise, a Web browser only understands a small set of languages, its native langauge is HTML.

HTML was invented more than a decade ago and, with the guidance of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards group, has undergone several new iterations as the Web becomes more rich. XHTML Version 1.0 is the most recent of those iterations. Most software manufacturers, including browser, Web editor, and Web server publishers, incorporate nearly all of the W3C's recommendations for HTML but may add their own dialects (to continue the analogy) that may only be used properly in their particular environments. That's why we see differences in the way Web pages look on different computers and with different browsers.

Because HTML needs a computer as an intermediary, it is not effective spoken or handwritten using pen or pencil, but you do have many choices concerning which computer application you use to create it. Some applications (What You See is What You Get, or WYSIWYG, editors) hide much of the underlying pieces (usually the HTML tags, such as <html>, <h2>, <th>, <strong>) and others (HTML or text editors) display everything in plain sight.

HTML Editors:

Programs designed to create Web pages in HTML. They often incorporate FTP access, access to HTML tags through menus and toolboxs and quick access to browser previews of Web pages. These tools also provide maximum control of page content and can make editing pages even easier than doing so via a simple text editor. The most popular are Macromedia Home Site for Windows and BB Edit for Macintosh. Many Web developers use these types of tools.

Information Architecture:

How a Web site is organized. Information architecture includes:

Content (words and graphics).
Ways for users to search or browse.
Labels for main menus, sub-menus and other links.
Other functionalities, as needed (secure sign-ons, shopping carts, credit-card transactions, etc.)

Navigation:

How people find their way around a Web site. If a Web site is a sub-site, there are even more factors to consider. At UVM, all departmental sites are considered by most users to be a part of the overall UVM site (www.uvm.edu). If a departmental Web site is not tied in to the overall UVM Web navigation and design, and users can't find their way to the overall UVM home page, they get frustrated.

To make it easier for users to find what they need on your departmental site and the overall UVM Web site, it's important to implement navigation that:

Remains consistent throughout the Web site.
In the case of UVM, offers users ways to escape to the overall UVM home page and your departmental home page.
Offers a site ID (e.g., the UVM banner) that ties the pages back to the main site's overall graphic look/navigation. This provides users with a consistent point of reference (in the vast World Wide Web, you are here).
Provides a variety of ways to search and browse.
In the case of UVM, recognizes how the departmental Web site fits into the overall UVM Web site (and overall World Wide Web). For instance, by using search engines, users may get to your site not through its home page, but somewhere in the middle. Thus, you want to include ways for them to navigate back to your home page and the parent site (if applicable).
Makes it easy for users to learn as quickly as possible how to find their way around the sub-site, and main Web site. No user should have to work too hard at finding the information they need.
Uses easy-to-understand labels.

Text Editors:

Text editors are simple tools for creating documents. These tools are barebone — expect to type all your HTML tags by hand. This results in maximum control of document design and layout and Web pages that are usually clean and easy to edit. Notepad is the most common text editor on the Windows platform and comes standard with the operating system. TextEdit come with Macintosh operating system. The Pico text editor is available on UVM's Unix server, Zoo, and allows direct editing access to your Web documents residing on Zoo. Some people also choose to use Microsoft Word or other word-processing programs as text editors.

Usability:

How easy a Web site is to use, including:

Can users find everything they want to know?
How easy is it for users to find their way around the site?
Do labels give users an idea of what they will find beneath them?
Are you using plain language and concise writing?
Can users with disabilities — or those with older computers or slower modems — easily gain access to information?
Are graphics or technology getting in the way of what users want to find?
Is the search engine easy to use, and does it deliver relevant results?

Web-Editing Tools:

Many tools can be used to create Web documents. Decisions on which tool to use should be made by taking into account your skills, the amount of design control you require and your individual preferences. Multiple tools often may be used in the development of a Web site. Regardless of which tools you use to create a site, it's best that you have a basic knowledge of HTML.

Refer to the entries on HTML Editors, Text Editors and WYSIWYG HTML Editors for more information.

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML Editors:

WYSIWYG HTML Editors are designed to write HTML code for you, in the background, out of sight. These tools allow users with limited knowledge of HTML to create Web pages. Sometimes these tools also will include utilities to create advanced HTML features including CSS and JavaScript. While these tools can speed up the authoring process, they can create excessive HTML code and can make it difficult to gain precise control of document elements. The best tools in this class allow you easy access to edit HTML code alongside the visual version of the page. One of the most popular such tools is Macromedia Dreamweaver. University Training and Development offers self-paced on-line courses through Element K and/or regularly scheduled hands-on classes on the following programs:

Macromedia Dreamweaver includes utilities for site management, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), JavaScript and DHTML animation. The Web Team recommends Dreamweaver for users who are looking for a robust WYSIWYG HTML editor. Macromedia offers academic discounts for UVM students, staff and faculty.
FrontPage is the popular HTML editing program from Microsoft.
Adobe GoLive offers many of the same capabilities as Dreamweaver and is also available at academic discount pricing.
Netscape Composer comes bundled with Netscape Communicator and can be used to construct your Web pages. (Some HTML coding experience is recommended before using Composer extensively. This makes using the editor and editing code much easier.) Netscape is available free of charge.

Last modified August 22 2003 04:34 PM