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Interactivity on the web
Web Design with HTML and CSS Digital ClassroomInteractivity on the web
The web is an interactive medium by nature, and hyperlinks are good example of this. Even
the most basic website requires user interaction, and the decisions made by the designer can
aff ect the user’s perception of the site as well as their experience. HTML off ers very few
possibilities for interaction, but by adding CSS, you have options such as CSS rollovers and
the ability to style hyperlinks. CSS does have certain limitations, which you can overcome by
using the JavaScript scripting language and interactive media such as Flash.A form button with no JavaScript attached will do nothing when the user clicks on it.JavaScript
JavaScript lets you extend the functionality and appearance of a website through a range of
interactive tasks that vary from the simple, such as validating a form, to the complex, such as
animated slide shows. JavaScript is a scripting language and that is more complicated to learn
and use than HTML and CSS. However, the rise of JavaScript libraries has made it easier to
add interactive elements, which has resulted in an increase in the number of developers using
JavaScript. JavaScript libraries provide interactive functions largely hidden from view from the
designer that can be added to a page with little eff ort. Later in this lesson, you will learn about
jQuery, one of the JavaScript libraries.Adobe Flash
Flash was designed in the early days of the web to perform interactive tasks. It began as a
way to create and share animations on the web, and quickly grew to include sophisticated
interactivity and the ability to display and control video. In recent years, alternative
technologies, such as Microsoft Silverlight and the HTML5 family, have emerged as an
alternative to Flash and share many of its benefi ts and disadvantages. The functionality and
role of Flash and Silverlight often overlap with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and sometimes
even replace them.