A Complete Guide to Web Design

Where to Learn More 443

DHTML

Where to Learn More

Web Design in a Nutshell, eMatter Edition

• Editors allow you to create effects more quickly.An effect that may take hours
  of coding and then debugging may be created on a WYSIWYG editor in a
  matter of minutes. Editors allow you to create some effects more intuitively.
  Also, the creators of the tool have debugged a lot of an editor’s DHTML code
  themselves, which means less debugging for you.


• A large amount of simple DHTML may be easier to implement in a WYSIWYG
  editor.If you have a lot of simple effects going on at once on a page, they
  will probably be easier to create with an editor. If you hand code a lot of sim-
  ple behaviors, you may get swamped by the sheer amount of code in one
  document.


• Cross-browser implementation is less of a worry.Browser compatibility is less
  of an issue with DHTML editors. Most of them create cross-browser DHTML.
  Most will also tell you which behaviors will work with which browsers.

Disadvantages

• WYSIWYG editors are expensive.Some of these editors can cost hundreds of
  dollars. This isn’t within every developer’s budget. Editors can vary greatly in
  price, so shop around. Luckily, most software companies allow you to try
  their editor for free so that you can make an educated decision before buying.


• Editors may not give precise control over your objects.Not every editor gives
  you pixel level control over your dynamic objects and pages. Many designs
  require precise, pixel-level control of dynamic objects. Also, you are viewing
  your code as your editor chooses to depict it—if bugs do occur in your
  DHTML pages, they may be more difficult to fix.


• An editor may not do everything. By using a WYSIWYG editor, you are
  removing yourself from your DHTML code by one degree. If you are depen-
  dent upon your editor for DHTML effects, new DHTML features cannot be
  taken advantage of until the company that creates your editor publishes a ver-
  sion that exploits those advancements for you. Most likely they’ll charge for
  the upgrade. Meanwhile, other designers who can write their own DHTML
  code are able to exploit advancements as soon as they are released for free.


• Tools may write unnaturally complex code.Tools may make some processes
  more complex than they need to be, for instance, creating custom objects
  when they’re not necessary.

Where to Learn More

This chapter has just skimmed the surface of what there is to know about DHTML.
If you want to learn more, see Danny Goodman’s book,Dynamic HTML: The
Definitive Reference (O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1998).

The most up-to-date information can be found on the Web. Here are some sites I
found valuable:

• CNET:http://www.cnet.com/ andhttp:// builder.cnet.com/


• WebMonkey:http://www.webmonkey.com/and its DHTML specific site called
  Inside DHTML athttp://www.insideDHTML.com/