Re: Project X-long relpy, and more questions

[Michael John Little <ur004135 -at- MAIL01 -dot- MEL -dot- AONE -dot- NET -dot- AU>]

 I read  with interest your ideas:

 The 3-D
> "flight" through a site gives me a feel for how it's organized, sort
> of like a "You are here" dot on a map. It lets me explore an
> unfamiliar site (if it supports it) looking for points of interest
> that might otherwise be buried several pages down, without having to
> load the pages. But once I've found somewhere to "land" and started
> reading the pages, following the hyperlinks is easier than flying to
> the next reference.

 I have been thinking of some way of navigating around a web site by
providing some kind of 3D map so the reader does not get lost in
hypertext.
 How do you implement it?
Would you use VRML?
 How would you implement the "You are here" so when you are on a
different page it will show you a different location?

Just brainstorming as I write this:
The other idea  I am thinking is to provide a map very similar to the
link view in MS Front Page, and it would show the hierarchy and
relationships of the different topic pages.  Everywhere through the
web site, I would provide a link to the map in a panel on the side.
What do you think ?

Is there some way of using vector graphics such as CorelDraw *.cdr,
instead of a compressed bitmap, such as *.gif, or *.jpg? I would
prefer to use a vector graphic because I think it would load faster,
and take up less space on the server? If there isn't how would I use
a java applet to load the Corel Vector graphic viewer?
to

The other idea that I just thought of (whiich came from  William
Horton's, Top 10 blunders for WinHelp Authors) is to put the
introductory information on the first topic page, and more detailed
information on subsequent pages behind that page. The reader could
"drill down" for more information, or click to move to a different
topic. I think it would be easier to step from page to page - much
 like using the <</>> in WinHelp than  scrolling down. I guess you
could create a basic template for each page that would contain the
the strucure of tha page, such as providing a navigation window pane
on the left side of  the screen, and describe the fonts and sized
used. My question to you:

Could you create a template page as a generalised object used
throughout the web site. Instead of have the actual text or graphics
objects in that page - which would make it specific to a particular
page- you insert markers as variables where the server would insert the relevant
text and calls to graphics depending on where you are in a defined
map that would tell the server which marker variables to insert into
the template page? Could you  provide the  text in compressed form,
so the server would decompress the text before inserting it into the
template page? If so, how would you do it?

Any suggestions I am grateful for, as I redesigning my Web site. I
want to make it easy to use, but also easy to change and update by
using a more object orientated approach.

Cheers,

Mike Little.






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