Boot Camp

Web Authoring Boot Camp
Static pages
These look and act the same whenever a visitor enters them. They are like pages in a
brochure, presenting information and prompting but not actually expecting the visitor to
do anything but read on or visit a linked page that might be dynamic. While you can add
little semi-dynamic touches, like embedded media, a rotating phrase of the day, or a slideshow,
the actual web page doesn’t change content and layout with every request unless a
human (web master/programmer) manually updates the page. A simple HTML page is an
example of static content.
Dynamic pages
These adapt their content and/or appearance depending on the visitor’s interaction or
changes in the computing environment (visitor, time, database modifications, etc.) For
instance, ever notice how Amazon.com offers you reading material based on your preferences
once you log in? Submitting a form, logging in, answering a poll, sorting a book
list, and purchasing a product are dynamic page activities. These kind of pages need
client-side scripting like JavaScript, and/or server-side programming, like PHP, Perl, ASP.
net, etc. Simple forms can use HTML and a CGI form handler without higher programming
languages.
Website Page Categories
Based on your information and category organization above, you can start planning what
the actual pages and navigation will look like. This is where you consider how to easily
break down information and activities into small chunks for easy reading and action.
There are many kinds of pages that websites include, and here are examples.
First, you will always have some basic pages, regardless of the information flow you have
decided to follow:
• Home page – also known as the welcome or landing page
• Disclaimer page
• Contact information
• Sitemap
Then, based on the information flow you have chosen, you can mix and match the pages
as they relate to the categories you decided upon:
22
• About Us
• Products