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