HTML 4.0 Sourcebook
(Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
Author(s): Ian S. Graham
ISBN: 0471257249
Publication Date: 04/01/98

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1—Introduction to the HyperText Markup Language

Physical Versus Semantic Markup

Specifying Formatting—Cascading Style Sheets

HTML as an Extensible Language

Overview of the HyperText Markup Language

Markup Elements and Tags

Tag Names Are Case-Insensitive

Element Attributes

HTML as a Structured Language

Summary

Example 1: A Simple HTML Document

Document Structure: The HTML Element

The Document HEAD

Document TITLE—Short and Descriptive

The Document BODY

Heading Elements

Interpretation of Spaces, Tabs, and New Lines

Character Highlighting

Paragraphs and Vertical Spacing

Lists

Horizontal Rules

Lessons from Example 1

Example 1 Exercises

Example 2: Simple Images and Hypertext Links

The Example Document

Rendering of the Example Document

Inline Images

Hypertext Links

Relative Uniform Resource Locators: Linking Documents Together

Lessons from Example 2

Exercises for Example 2

Example 3: Home Pages—Headings, ADDRESS, and Anchors

Appropriate Use of Heading Elements

Sign Documents with an ADDRESS

Horizontal Dividing Lines with HR

Full Uniform Resource Locators

General Home Page Design Issues

Lessons from Example 3

Exercises for Example 3

References

Web USENET Newsgroups

User Surveys of WWW Resources

Useful HTML and Web References

A Guide to Browser Capabilities—Browsercaps

Yahoo List of HTML-related Web Resources

Chapter 2—HTML and Document Design

Example 4: Linear Hypertext—PRE and BLOCKQUOTE

The PRE Element

The BLOCKQUOTE Element

Document Collections: Some Design Issues

Nesting of List Elements

Lessons from Example 4

Exercises for Example 4

Example 5: Linking to Data—Images, Movies, and Audio

Large Images—Small Files

Linking to Large Images

Thumbnail Sketches

Linking to Other Data Types

Helper Applications

Downloaded Data and MIME Types

Lessons from Example 5

Exercises for Example 5

Example 6: Internal Links Within a Document

Anchor Element: The NAME Attribute

Lessons from Example 6

Exercises for Example 6

Example 7: Image, Heading, and Paragraph Alignment

Heading and Paragraph Alignment

Image Alignment

Lessons from Example 7

Exercises for Example 7

Example 8: Tables and Backgrounds (1)

Background Control

TABLEs

Rows and Columns

Lessons from Example 8

Exercises for Example 8

Example 9: Tables and Backgrounds (2)

Table Padding, Spacing, and Borders

Netscape Navigator/Internet Explorer Differences

Tiling and Image Using Tables

Table Widths and Alignments

Lessons from Example 9

Exercises for Example 9

Example 10: Fill–in Forms

The FORM Element

Lessons from Example 10

Exercises for Example 10

Example 11: Inline Data Viewers—EMBED and OBJECT Elements

Displaying Embedded Data—Browser Plugins

OBJECT Instead of EMBED

Microsoft Plugins—ActiveX Controls

Plugins: Strengths and Weaknesses

Lessons from Example 11

Exercises for Example 11

Example 12: Embedded Programs and Applets

Document Scripting: Javascript and VBScript

Lessons from Example 12

Exercises for Example 12

Chapter 3—Graphics and Images in HTML Documents

Including Images in HTML Documents

Web Graphics Introduction

Color Representations—The RGB System

Limited Numbers of Colors—The Colormap

Default System Colormaps

Displaying Images—Color Dithering

Selecting an Image Colormap

Storing Images in Files

Supported Image Formats

X-Bitmap/Pixelmap

GIF

JPEG

PNG

Image Processing—Basic Issues

Reducing or Rescaling Images

Smoothing Colors

Reducing Color Depth

Composed Images

Special GIF Image Properties

Reducing GIF Image File Size: The Colormap

Interlaced GIF Images

Transparent GIF Images

Animated GIFs

Creating Animated GIFs

Placing Animated GIFs in HTML Documents

Additional Animated GIF Information

Background Images and Colors

Active Images and Imagemaps

Things to Think About Before Starting

Server-based Imagemap Active Images

Creating an Imagemap Database

Client-Side Imagemaps

Image and Icon Archive Sites

Public Domain Icon Archives

Background Images

Other Lists of Image Archives

References

General Issues in Web Graphics

Transparent/Interlaced GIFs

Animated GIFs

Client-Side Imagemaps

Server-Side and General Imagemap Information

Chapter 4—The Design of Web Collections

Paper and Books

Linear Documents

Nonlinear Media

Computer Games as Media

Hypertext and Multimedia

Web Collections as Hypertext

Types of Web Collections

Linear Document Collections

Structured Tree-Like Collections

Web Site Collections

Designing and Managing a Web Site

Site Organization: The Webmaster

Individual Project Directories

Design and Maintenance of a Web Collection

Creating an Attractive Web Site

Planning and Implementation

Annotated Bibliography

Chapter 5—Strategic Web Site Design

Marketing Web Sites

Presentation

Design Tip: Graphics and Fast Downloads

Design Tip: Useful, Current Content

Design Tip: Go Beyond Brochure-Ware

Design Tip: Tie into Interesting Content

Customer Service Web Sites

E-commerce Web Sites

Design Tip: Make the Web Interface Easy to Use

Content-Driven Web Sites

On-line Fee-based Publications

On-line Publications as a Complement to Print

Design Tip: Design for the Readers

Design Tip: Confronting Design Limitations

Design Tip: It Isn’t TV

Design Tip: Advanced Technology

Design Tip: Distribute Content Maintenance Tasks

Design Tip: Build a Community

Design Tip: Advertising

Competitive Analysis

Analyzing the Target Group

Site Design: The Site Architecture

Storyboarding the Site

Creating a Navigation Scheme

Determining the Content and Owners of the Content

Determining Home Page Content

Making an Entrance: Tunnels and Flash Pages

The Image: Graphical Design and Page Layout

Design Details

Develop a Style Guide

Different Audiences, Different Versions

Java or Multimedia Content?

Component Testing

Testing and Launching the Site

Long-Term Maintenance

Chapter 6—HTML in Detail

The Basics of Markup Languages

Defining HTML: The Document Type Definition

Typing Characters in HTML Documents

Character and Entity References

Character References and ISO 10646

Entity References

Special Characters in an HTML Document

Comments in HTML Documents

HTML as a MIME Type

DOCTYPE Public Text Identifier

Elements and Markup Tags

Browser Handling of HTML Errors, Unknown Elements, and Unknown Attributes

Basic HTML Document Structure

BODY Content: Block and Inline Elements

Elements-based Table of Contents

HTML Element Specifications

Key to Element Specifications: Content Rules and Allowed Attributes

Special Element and Attribute Abbreviations

Attribute Value Notation and Definitions

Important “Generic” Attributes

“Event-Handler” Element Attributes

Basic Structure: HTML, HEAD, and BODY

HTML Element: An HTML Document

HEAD Element: Document Meta-information

BODY Element: The Document Text Body

HEAD Meta-information Elements

BASE Element: Base URL

ISINDEX Element: Searchable Document

LINK Element: Relationship to Other Documents

META Element: Document Meta-information

SCRIPT Element: Include a Program Script

STYLE Element: Style Sheet or Rendering Information

TITLE Element: Document Title

Block and Heading Elements

ADDRESS Element: Address Information

BLOCKQUOTE Element: Block Quotations

CENTER Element: Center the Enclosed Text

DIV Element: A Block Division of the BODY

Hn Elements: Headings

HR Element: Horizontal Rule

P Element: Paragraphs

Creating Extra Vertical Spacing

PRE Element: Preformatted Text

Fill-in Forms

Advanced FORMS: BUTTON, FIELDSET, LABEL, LEGEND, and OPTGROUP

Page Layout with INPUT Elements

FORM Element: Fill-in Forms

INPUT Element: Text Boxes, Checkboxes, and Radio Buttons

SELECT Element: Select from Among Multiple Options

OPTION Element: List of Options for SELECT

TEXTAREA Element: Text Input Region

Lists and List-Related Elements

DL Element: Glossary List

DT Element: Term in a Glossary List

DD Element: Description in a Glossary List

OL Element: Ordered List

UL Element: Unordered List

DIR Element: Directory List

MENU Element: Menu List

LI Element: List Item

Tables and Tabular Structures

TABLE Element: Tables and Tabular Structures

CAPTION Element: Table Caption

COL Element: Specify Properties of a Column (Internet Explorer Only)

COLGROUP Element: Properties of a Collection of Columns (Internet Explorer Only)

THEAD Element: Table Header (Internet Explorer Only)

TBODY Element: Table Body (Internet Explorer Only)

TFOOT Element: Table Footer (Internet Explorer Only)

TR Element: Table Row

TD and TH Elements: Table Data and Table Headings

APPLET Element: Include an Embedded Applet

PARAM Element: Define an Applet Parameter

IMG Element: Inline Images

Hypertext Relationship Elements

A Element: Hypertext Anchors

Phrase-Level Markup

Content Model for Phrase-Level Elements

Logical Phrase-Level Elements

ABBR Element: An Abbreviation (Not Currently Supported)

ACRONYM Element: An Acronym (Internet Explorer 4 only)

BDO Element: Bi-Directional Override (Not Currently Supported)

CITE Element: Citation

CODE Element: Typed Code

DFN Element: Defining Instance or Definition

EM Element: Emphasis

KBD Element: Keyboard Input

Q Element: Short Inline Quotation (Internet Explorer 4 Only)

SAMP Element: Literal Characters

STRONG Element: Strong Emphasis

VAR Element: A Variable

Physical Phrase-Level Elements

B Element: Boldface

BIG Element: Text with Enlarged Font

FONT Element: Select Text Font Size and Color

I Element: Italics

S Element: Strike-Through

SMALL Element: Text with Smaller Font

SPAN Element: Generic Container for Inline Text

STRIKE Element: Struck-Out Text

SUB Element: Subscript

SUP Element: Superscript

TT Element: Fixed-Width Typewriter Font

U Element: Underline

Phrase-Level Meta-Information Elements

BASEFONT Element: Set Default Font Characteristics

MAP Element: Client-Side Imagemap Database

AREA Element: Client-Side Imagemap Mapping Areas

Character-Like Elements

BR Element: Line Break

Special Markup: DEL, INS, and NOSCRIPT

DEL Element: Deleted Text

INS Element: Inserted Text

NOSCRIPT Element: Alternative to SCRIPT Content

References

Web-Based SGML Resources

Books on SGML

HTML Specifications (See also Chapter 7)

PICS Document Rating System

HTML Document Type Definitions—DTDs

HTML 2.0

“Strict” HTML 2.0—Restricted Use of Elements

HTML 3.2

HTML 4

Chapter 7—Advanced HTML—Proprietary Extensions and New Features

Chapter Organization

FRAME and Framed Documents

Targeting Data to Named Frames

Appropriate Use of Frames

FRAMESET Element: Declare a FRAME Document

FRAME Element: A FRAME Within a FRAMESET

NOFRAMES Element: Markup for FRAME-Incapable Browsers

IFRAME Element: A Floating FRAME (Internet Explorer Only)

Common Proprietary HTML Extensions

BGSOUND Element: Inline Audio Snippets (Internet Explorer Only)

BLINK Element: Blinking Text (Netscape Navigator Only)

EMBED Element: Embed an Arbitrary Data Object

MARQUEE Element: A Scrolling Text Marquee (Internet Explorer Only)

MULTICOL Element: Multicolumn Text (Netscape Navigator Only)

NOBR Element: No Line Break

NOEMBED Element: HTML Alternative to EMBED

SERVER Element: Server-Side JavaScript (Netscape Navigator Only)

SPACER Element: Horizontal and Vertical Spacing (Netscape Navigator Only)

WBR Element: Word Break

Advanced HTML FORMs

BUTTON Element: Defining Push Buttons

KEYGEN Element: Generate Encryption Key (Netscape Navigator Only)

LABEL Element: Labeling Input Elements

FIELDSET Element: Grouping Input Elements

LEGEND Element: Label for a FIELDSET

OPTGROUP Element: Subgroups of OPTIONs

New FORM Attributes

Embedding OBJECTs in HTML

OBJECT-Based Inclusion of Data

Imagemaps and OBJECT-Embedded Images

OBJECT Element: Embed an Arbitrary Data/Program Object

PARAM Element: Parameter Inside an OBJECT

Netscape LAYER Elements

LAYER and ILAYER: Absolutely and Relatively Positioned Layers

JavaScript Control of Layer Positions

LAYER and ILAYER Elements: Vertically Positioned Display Layers

NOLAYER Elements: Content for Layer–Incapable Browsers

Style Sheets and HTML

Summary of Relevant Elements and Attributes

Style Sheets Overview

Style Sheet Languages

Linking Style Sheets to HTML Documents

Attaching Formatting to Elements

Cascading Style Sheets Overview

Positioning Elements with CSS

Cascading Properties

Scripting in HTML Documents

General Scripting Issues

Including a Script Within a SCRIPT Element

External Script Files

Mixing Local and Remote Scripts

Proposed Changes to SCRIPT: The TYPE Attribute

Using META to Specify A Default Script Language

Script Interaction with HTML Elements

HTML Elements and Event Handlers

Dynamic Scripts

Server–Side Scripting—Netscape LiveWire

Advanced Scripting and the Document Object Model

Internationalization of HTML

Internationalized Character Sets

Communicating Character Encoding

Issues Related to Language and Character Set

Added Entity References

Fonts and Font Embedding

Missing Features: Mathematics

Using TeX and LaTeX on the Web

Other Mathematical Alternatives

Other Missing Features

XML—A Successor to HTML?

Keeping Up–to–Date

References

Next–Generation HTML Starting Points

Netscape Frame Documentation

Microsoft and Netscape HTML Documentation

Object Embedding and Mobile Code Issues

Cascading Style Sheets

SCRIPT and HTML–Related Scripting Languages

Internationalization and Character Sets (See also Appendix A on the companion Web site)

Fonts and Font Embedding

Mathematical Markup

XML—eXtensible Markup Language

Experimental Web Browsers

Chapter 8—Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)

URL Overview and Syntax Rules

Allowed Characters in URLs

Examples of Uniform Resource Locators

Query Strings in URLs

Some Simple URL Examples

Relative URLs—Within an HTML Document

Fragment Identifiers

URL Specifications

Castanet URLs (Netscape Navigator 4 Only)

Cid URLs

Data URLs

File URLs

FTP URLs

Special Characters in FTP URLs

Non-Anonymous FTP Access

A Note about FTP Directory Paths

Modes for File Transfers

FTP Typecode Strings

Gopher URLs

General Form of a Gopher URL

Query Strings for Searches

Client Construction of Query Strings

HTTP URLs

Special Characters in HTTP URLs

URL Encoding of Query Strings

URL Encoding for ISINDEX and FORM Data

URL Encoding for ISMAP Active Image Queries

HTTP URL Examples

HTTPS URLs—Secure HTTP

LDAP URLs

LDAPS URLs—Secure LDAP

Mailto URLs

Specifying Subject and Other Mail Message Information

Mid URLs

News URLs

Snews URLs—Secure News

NNTP URLs

Prospero URLs

Telnet URLs

Tn3270 and Rlogin URLs

WAIS URLs

Special Class ID URLs

Clsid URLs

Java URLs

Javabean URLs

“Pseudo”-URLs

About URLs

Javascript URLs

Mailbox URLs (Netscape Navigator 4 Only)

Res URLs (Internet Explorer 4 Only)

View-Source URLs (Netscape Navigator 4 Only)

Wysiwyg URLs (Netscape Navigator 4 Only)

Coming Attractions

Naming Schemes for the Web

Uniform Resource Names: URN

Uniform Resource Locator: URL

Uniform Resource Identifier: URI

Uniform Resource Citation: URC

References

Overviews and Defined URL Schemes

Proposed URL Schemes and Updates

Protocol and Data Format Specifications

URI Specification

URNs: Uniform Resource names

Chapter 9—The HTTP Protocol

HTTP Protocol Overview

Illustration: Single Transaction per Connection

Illustration: Stateless Connections

Example HTTP Client-Server Sessions

Monitoring Client-Server Interaction

Overview of Examples

Basic Elements of an HTTP Session

Example 13: A Simple GET Method Request

The Client Request Header

The Server Response: Header and Data

Example 14: Other Common Request Header Fields

HEAD Method: Information about a Resource

Example 15: Using the HEAD Method

Sending Data to a Server: GET and POST

Example 16: GET Method with a Query String

Example 17: Submitting a FORM Using the GET Method

Example 18: Submitting a FORM Using the POST Method

Sending Data to a Server: PUT and DELETE

Access Control, User Authentication, and Data Encryption

Example 19: The “Basic” Authentication Scheme

The Meaning of a Realm

Client-Server Data Encryption

Proxy Servers and Server Caching

HTTP Proxy Servers

SOCKS Proxy Support

Format Negotiation

HTTP Methods and Header Fields Reference

HTTP Methods Specification

HTTP Request Header Field Specifications

HTTP Response Header Field Specifications

HTTP Status Codes Specification

Time and Date Format Specification

References

HTTP Overviews and Specifications

Caching and Proxy Servers

User Authentication, Data Encryption, and Security

Secure Financial Transactions

Browser and Server Comparisons and Benchmarks

Apache Server Content Negotiation

Time and Date Formats

Chapter 10—Data Processing on an HTTP Server

The Common Gateway Interface

Server Applications Programming Interfaces

Gateway Programming Languages

Communication with Gateway Programs

Client Sends to Server (HTTP)

Server Sends to Gateway (CGI)

Gateway Sends to Server (CGI)

Example 20: ISINDEX Searches

Detecting ISINDEX Queries

Step 1. First Access of the URL

Step 2: Second Access of the URL

Example 21: Gateway Program Server Directives

Server Directives

Non-Parsed Header Gateway Programs

Custom Response Fields

Example 22: Environment Variables

Standard Environment Variables

Request Header–Based Environment Variables

Server-Side Include Environment Variables

Example 23: HTML FORMs via a GET Request

Example 24: HTML FORMs via a POST Request

Relative Advantages of GET and POST

HTML Encoding of Text Within a FORM

State Preservation in CGI Transactions

State Preservation by Hidden Elements

State Preservation by Netscape Cookies

CGI Program Security Issues

Designing Safe Gateway Programs

Server Application Programming Interfaces

References

CGI Specification

Netscape Cookies

CGI Security

Server APIs

Chapter 11—CGI Examples, Programs, and Tools

Netscape CGI Animation Techniques

Client-Pull

Server-Push

Example 25: A Simple “Server-Push” Shell Script

Example 26: A C Program for “Pushing” Images

Server-Side Includes

Include Command Format

Example 27: Server-Side Includes

Some Example CGI Programs

Example 28: Page Access Counter

Example 29: Inserting a Randomly Selected HTML Fragment

Example 30: WebNotice—A Web-Based System for Distributing Notices

General Issues in Gateway Program Design

Want to Obtain WebNotice?

FastCGI: A CGI Program Accelerator

CGI Programming Libraries

CGI.pm: Perl 5 Library

Cgic: ANSII C Library

Cgi-lib.pl: Perl 4/5 Library

Cgi-lite: Perl 5 Library

Libcgi++: C++ Library

Uncgi

Generic Web Application Libraries

Libwww: W3C Sample Code Library

Libwww-perl: Library for Web Applications

CGIwrap: Security Wrapper

Server-Side Document Parsing

CGI Utility Programs

CGI Program Resource Sites

Email Handler

Server-Side Include Page Counters

CGI Database Gateways

WAIS Gateways

SQL Gateways

Perl Database Interface Libraries

References

General Starting Points

CGI Programmer’s Reference and FAQs

Server-Side Includes

On-line CGI and FORM Tutorials

CGI Program Archive Sites

Database-Web Gateway References