Other Tool:
HTML, JavaScript, CGI/PERL, Java
There are a number of tools you can use to supplement the authoring
tools, or on their own. These tools can unify your project and
make it more powerful. However, with the exception of HTML, they can be
harder to learn.
HTML
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is used to author web documents and
create hypertext. HTML is easy to learn and can quickly enhance and
unify your project. Projects created with Director, Hyperstudio or
Authorware can be run from a web browser using plugins, or Java Applets
can be executed by a Java enabled browser. Using HTML, you can provide
background text information or instructions. You can create several
small projects and link them together. JavaScript, or other scripting
languages, can also be used to create interactive forms and webpages.
For help learning HTML or for more ideas on what to do with it:
http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/bridge/1998/res/html/html.html
http://localhost/courses/bridge/1997/Resources/OnlineWeb.html
http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/bridge/1998/res/html-quickref.html
http://www.graylab.ac.uk/doc/tutorials/html/index.html
http://werbach.com/barebones/barebone.html
JavaScript
JavaScript is used to add interactivity to web pages. It is embedded
into the HTML document and executed by the Netscape browser. JavaScript
can be used to validate user input (such as a password), create forms
that respond to user input (to load a url or do a calculation, for
example), write information into HTML documents (such as change the
document colors of a page), interact with the browser to open and close
windows, and to build small programs such as calculators or games
(tic-tac-toe has been used as a JavaScript project in CS2). JavaScript
is not good for animation, scrolling banners, or complex programming.
Animated GIFs, plugins or Java Applets are better suited for these
tasks. A good place to start learning JavaScript is to find and modify
exsisting scripts. The JavaScript documentation is located at:
http://developer.netscape.com/library/documentation/javascript.html
To learn more about JavaScript:
http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/bridge/1998/res/javascript/javascript-tutorial.html
http://www.ryerson.ca/JavaScript
CGI/PERL
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts and programs can also be used to
add interactivity to a web page. The programs are executed on the
server's computer and data is sent back to the client's web page. CGI
scripts or programs can be written in a number of languages, such as
PERL or C. PERL is commonly used with web based forms to give back
data. It can easily extract information from text files. However, to
use PERL, the server must have a PERL interpreter. For more information
on CGI and PERL:
http://paulg.hypermart.net/perl.htm
Java
You can do almost anything with Java, but for the purposes of cs92, it is
used for problems that are too complex for authoring tools. For example,
the VA10 project in 1998 required manipulation of color, which
necessitated Java.
Java applets are run from within the web browser. Java can also be used
to create stand alone applications. If you are considering using Java for
your project, discuss it with your mentor TA. Use caution if you do not
already know the language (or another object-oriented programming
language). The Java documentation is located at:
http://www.java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/docs/api/index.html
A Java reference guide is located at:
http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs015/1998/JavaRefGuide/contents.html
adt@cs.brown.edu