Links on Web Pages - Part 2

Following on from last week's article, this article looks at other ways links can appear on web pages. Last week we looked at linking a bookmark, to another page on your site as well as linking to another site.

These links are often carried out as text links. That is, a word or sentence acts as a link to another site. This is often characterized by text being displayed in blue with an underline such as this: http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/avenue...

However, in this article, we will look at using other types of links. Namely:

· Using a graphic to forge a link

· Creating a file to download from your web site to the visitor's computer.

· Creating a "mailto" link that when clicked, forces your email client program to create an email with the address already completed.

Graphics

Love them or hate them, graphics form an integral part of the Internet and without doubt have helped to popularize the Internet. Pages and pages of text may download quickly and contain all the information you require, but for most surfers, graphics are one of the most important factors on a web site. This "Eye Candy" as it is often referred to can make or break a site and as such, will have an article devoted solely to web graphics, but I digress, how are they used for links on web pages?

When surfing the Internet, you will often find graphics used in the following ways. Note that this list defines those graphics that perform a function - namely - creating a link. You will often find graphics being used in the following ways:

· As "Buttons" that when clicked, will move you to another page.

· Badges or Emblems. Such items as "This site is best viewed with" will often take you to a site to download Internet Explorer or Netscape. Organizations may well use their logo as a link to other pages

· Thumbnails. These are small pictures that when clicked, allow you to see the full sized picture. This is a good practice if you have a site with lots of pictures as it means a visitor only has to download the (much smaller) thumbnails rather than waiting for lots of large photo's to download.

· Site Maps. This type of graphic can be made up of smaller graphics to form a "large" picture. This is different from a single, large picture as each graphic can only have one link attached to it. Using "pieces" it is possible to have many different links. The same effect can be achieved using a large picture PROVIDING you use "Hot Spots". Hot spots let you (the web designer) mark out sections of a graphic. Each section can carry it's own link.

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