Transcript Types of web tools

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Keele University
Stephen Bostock, Staff Development
Web Authoring for Teaching
Keele 2002. All rights reserved.
The copyright in this document is vested in Keele University. The document must not be reproduced by any means, in
whole or in part, or used for manufacturing purposes, except with the prior written permission of Keele University and
then only on condition that this notice is included in any such reproduction.
Information contained in this document is believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but no liability whatsoever
can be accepted by Keele University arising out of any use made of this information.
Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, Stephen Bostock asserts the moral right to be identified as author
of this work.
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Overview
Aim: to be able to select appropriate authoring
tools in the light of issues for web authoring.
 Types of web authoring tools
 FrontPage 2000 and Dreamweaver
 Three issues
 Staff time
 Usability
 Accessibility
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Difficulties in selecting a
development tool
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Many tools are available, versions change
frequently, and information is usually sales
information – independent advice is hard to find.
Three categories of criteria are:
1. Functionality – what can it do?
Is a development tool suited to the kind of web
are you producing? The browsers to be used?
2. What interface does it have for the author?
Is HTML knowledge required?
3. Organizational factors and cost.
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Types of Web authoring
tools
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1. Text editors e.g. Notepad
2. Specialist text editors e.g. htmlasst
3. Office applications
4. Web page editors e.g. Composer
5. Web site editors e.g. FrontPage, NetObjects
Fusion, HotMetal, Dreamweaver
6. Web site generators e.g. CALnet, HTMLgen,
7. Database generation, static and dynamic
8. Adobe Acrobat pdf documents
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1. Text editors e.g.Notepad
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2. Specialist HTML editors
e.g. HTML assistant
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3. Office e.g.Word, after Save
As HTML
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PowerPoint 2000
- Save as Web page, Publish
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PowerPoint2000 – web ‘page’
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4. Web page editors
e.g.Netscape Composer
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Notepad after editing in Composer
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5. Web site editors e.g. FrontPage 2000 12
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FrontPage navigation view
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FrontPage, links view
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FrontPage example ‘theme’
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Summary of FrontPage
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 FrontPage 2000 can be an effective
site management tool
 FrontPage 2000 gives a number of
useful views and facilities for web
site management by multiple authors
 Some of these facilities require
software extensions (ASP,
FrontPage Extensions) to be added
to the web server
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Dreamweaver 4
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Dreamweaver and FrontPage
 Dreamweaver is harder to learn, requires more
knowledge and is somewhat more powerful.
 Instead of FrontPage Themes Dreamweaver has
Template pages and library items.
 Dreamweaver will not alter your HTML except to
correct it, FrontPage does.
 Dreamweaver does not have ‘FrontPage
extensions’ but these require web server software,
most easily on MS web servers.
 Other Macromedia products like Flash integrate
well.
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Net objects Fusion, page view
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Net objects Fusion, site view
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6. CALnet
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6. CALnet HTML output
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6. Web site generator e.g. Webgen
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6. Web site generator e.g. Webgen
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7. Database generation - Access
 Static sites generated by using
 Access menus (e.g. Criminology Department
resource room records)
 Visual Basic code (e.g. Links pages on
Stephen Bostock’s site)
 Dynamic sites where web pages are created on
the fly from a database. Requires a web server
supporting e.g. ASP.
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Web site from Visual Basic in Access
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The web site generated
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8. Acrobat pdf from Word
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Acrobat slides from Powerpoint
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PowerPoint Handouts as .pdf files
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Issues:
Ease of creation and maintenance
1. Drop the original files into the ltr module folder
and let the automatic index provide the menu
(use long descriptive file names)
2. Hand edit (with Notepad or Composer) individual
pages and link them
3. Use FrontPage or similar for a larger web, reusing a module template
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www.learn.keele automatic menu
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Issues: Usability
Can students find and access the information they
want? On campus, at home?
 Careful about linking, descriptive anchors
 Consistent navigation across a web
 Version control – period of use, date last edited,
web page list, log of updates
 Short pages, minimise scrolling, no horizontal
scrolling
 No rolling animations
 Provide alternative file types if there is a problem
with one e.g. Acrobat
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Issues: Accessibility
 SENDA is in force and applies to web information
 Special pages or one design-for-all?
 Several sources of standards and guidance but:
 Keep page layout simple
 Use Heading levels and lists to structure
 Pale plain backgrounds, strong text contrast
 Text alternatives for pictures, animations etc.
 Works without graphics
 Text resizing
 Works without mouse
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References
MacKnight C. & Balagopalan S. 1989 An evaluation tool for
measuring authoring system performance. Comm. of the
ACM 32 (10) 1231-1236
Hunka, S 1989 Design guidelines for CAI authoring
systems Educational Technology 29 (11) 12-17
More detail on choosing authoring tools:
www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cs/Stephen_Bostock/docs/authass.htm
Links on authoring tools:
www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cs/Stephen_Bostock/keywords/software.html
Accessibility source:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cs/Stephen_Bostock/docs/
review_web_accessibility.htm
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