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Goodies to Go ™
July 19, 2005 — Newsletter # 346
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Featured this week:
* Goodies Thoughts – Good And Flashy
* Q & A Goodies
* News Goodies
* Feedback Goodies
* Windows Tech Goodie of the Week
* And Remember This…
* Q & A Goodies
* News Goodies
* Feedback Goodies
* Windows Tech Goodie of the Week
* And Remember This…
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Good And Flashy
You know how it goes… they learn how to do this, they learn how to do
that, and as a result feel obliged in some way to do this and that as much
as can possibly be fit into a twenty-four hour day. For example, having
mastered the basics of HTML and upon discovering the dynamic look of
animated gifs and the added dimension of background sound, the budding
webmaster creates a series of pages that, when you go to visit them, blind
you with bright, whizzing, spinning, flashing and whirling images festooning
(or, perhaps, infesting!) every item on the page, while simultaneously
blowing your speakers off the table with a cacophonous and unexpected blast
of sound.
that, and as a result feel obliged in some way to do this and that as much
as can possibly be fit into a twenty-four hour day. For example, having
mastered the basics of HTML and upon discovering the dynamic look of
animated gifs and the added dimension of background sound, the budding
webmaster creates a series of pages that, when you go to visit them, blind
you with bright, whizzing, spinning, flashing and whirling images festooning
(or, perhaps, infesting!) every item on the page, while simultaneously
blowing your speakers off the table with a cacophonous and unexpected blast
of sound.
I have written before of the dangers of this type of page, and have even
written heartfelt pleas for any of you who may have been tempted to create
such an animal to please reconsider! Today I want to talk a little about
the impact of Flash in this scenario.
written heartfelt pleas for any of you who may have been tempted to create
such an animal to please reconsider! Today I want to talk a little about
the impact of Flash in this scenario.
Macromedia’s Flash has certainly made a big impact. It is so popular that
most browsers now include support for it a part of their default
installation. Certainly it has some amazing capabilities, and while the
development of flash components has become considerably simpler over the
years, it still involves more of a learning curve than does the use of
animated gifs, for example. This makes it a higher-tech option with a lot
more smarts and a lot more pizzazz.
most browsers now include support for it a part of their default
installation. Certainly it has some amazing capabilities, and while the
development of flash components has become considerably simpler over the
years, it still involves more of a learning curve than does the use of
animated gifs, for example. This makes it a higher-tech option with a lot
more smarts and a lot more pizzazz.
Here’s the bad news…
Along with the new capability comes abuse. Abuse to me means the creation
of a mini epic film complete with soundtrack that plays the moment you hit a
site’s home page, cannot be bypassed and cannot be silenced without muting
the computer’s sound system. While there have been some notable exceptions
(with regard to quality of image and entertainment value) the vast majority
of this type are nothing but annoying.
of a mini epic film complete with soundtrack that plays the moment you hit a
site’s home page, cannot be bypassed and cannot be silenced without muting
the computer’s sound system. While there have been some notable exceptions
(with regard to quality of image and entertainment value) the vast majority
of this type are nothing but annoying.
And the good news…
There is, however, an effective way to use this medium. I had occasion to
visit Disney’s home page a couple of days ago. Their first entries into
this medium left a little (quite a lot, actually!) to be desired. But, it
would seem that they, like most of us, were simply traveling up their
learning curve. If you are contemplating the use of Flash or a similar
medium, it is worth taking a look at their home page (http://www.disney.com
— in case you couldn’t guess!) and following a few of the links to their
theme park sites, etc., to get some ideas for how this medium can e
effectively used. There are plenty of other great examples out there —
this just happens to be one I recently came across.
visit Disney’s home page a couple of days ago. Their first entries into
this medium left a little (quite a lot, actually!) to be desired. But, it
would seem that they, like most of us, were simply traveling up their
learning curve. If you are contemplating the use of Flash or a similar
medium, it is worth taking a look at their home page (http://www.disney.com
— in case you couldn’t guess!) and following a few of the links to their
theme park sites, etc., to get some ideas for how this medium can e
effectively used. There are plenty of other great examples out there —
this just happens to be one I recently came across.
Flash in the pan? I don’t think so. I think that considered and tempered
use of Flash in a site can enhance the interest of its pages and make it
both good and flashy.
use of Flash in a site can enhance the interest of its pages and make it
both good and flashy.
Thanks for Reading!
– Vince Barnes
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Q & A Goodies
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Questions are taken from submissions to our Community
Mentors. You can ask a Mentor a question by going to
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
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Questions are taken from submissions to our Community
Mentors. You can ask a Mentor a question by going to
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
Q. How do I make three tables all on the same line with a space
between them?
A. You make one large table at 100 percent width and a border of
zero, with one row then add your three tables in the large tables <td> tags.
Play around with the <td> widths to get the size you need. You can add a
couple <td> tags with the code which is just a blank space to make
some space between the 3 tables. Here is a example of the code:
<table summary="large table" align="center" width="100%" border="0"
cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td width="30%">
<table summary="Menu Table" width="100%" border="1" cellspacing="0"
cellpadding="0">
<tr align="center"><td>Menu</td></tr>
</table>
</td>
<td width="5%"> </td>
<td width="30%">
<table summary="Main Table" width="100%" border="1" cellspacing="0"
cellpadding="0">
<tr align="center"><td>Main</td></tr>
</table>
</td>
<td width="5%"> </td>
<td width="30%">
<table summary="New Menu Table" width="100%" border="1"
cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr align="center"><td>New Menu</td></tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
zero, with one row then add your three tables in the large tables <td> tags.
Play around with the <td> widths to get the size you need. You can add a
couple <td> tags with the code which is just a blank space to make
some space between the 3 tables. Here is a example of the code:
<table summary="large table" align="center" width="100%" border="0"
cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td width="30%">
<table summary="Menu Table" width="100%" border="1" cellspacing="0"
cellpadding="0">
<tr align="center"><td>Menu</td></tr>
</table>
</td>
<td width="5%"> </td>
<td width="30%">
<table summary="Main Table" width="100%" border="1" cellspacing="0"
cellpadding="0">
<tr align="center"><td>Main</td></tr>
</table>
</td>
<td width="5%"> </td>
<td width="30%">
<table summary="New Menu Table" width="100%" border="1"
cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr align="center"><td>New Menu</td></tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
Q. I have a webpage that has a navigation bar on the left, and want
that navigation bar to always be visible no matter how far a user scrolls
down the page. Do I need a frame, or do I need JavaScript?
that navigation bar to always be visible no matter how far a user scrolls
down the page. Do I need a frame, or do I need JavaScript?
A. Take a look at this site:
http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex1/index.html
They have many navigation menus you can use. Just keep in mind that not all
of the menus will work with all of the browsers. Choose one that says it
will work with all of them unless you have a captured audience and know that
they all use a particular browser.
http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex1/index.html
They have many navigation menus you can use. Just keep in mind that not all
of the menus will work with all of the browsers. Choose one that says it
will work with all of them unless you have a captured audience and know that
they all use a particular browser.
Q. Do you know of any commands that will not display the password as
you type it, or put in a series of asterisks, while still keeping the data
so that it can be compared to the values in a database?
you type it, or put in a series of asterisks, while still keeping the data
so that it can be compared to the values in a database?
A. HTML has a password form field that displays asterisks.
<input type="password" name="var name" size="40" maxlength="80"
value="default value">
<input type="password" name="var name" size="40" maxlength="80"
value="default value">
Q. I have some experience with HTML and JavaScript, but I recently
visited a site that had a bunch of applet windows that popped up and
disappeared. I would love to know how to get that.
A. What you were looking at was actually a Java Applet. This is very
different from JavaScript – they are barely even related (except that they
can both be used on the web). A Java Applet is like a program and
JavaScript is what it’s name implies, a scripting language. The only way to
get something like that is to see if the developer at that site would be
willing to share it with you.
different from JavaScript – they are barely even related (except that they
can both be used on the web). A Java Applet is like a program and
JavaScript is what it’s name implies, a scripting language. The only way to
get something like that is to see if the developer at that site would be
willing to share it with you.
News Goodies
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HP to Slash 14,500 Jobs
[July 19, 2005] UPDATED: The company hopes to save almost $2B with job
reductions and a modified U.S. retirement plan.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3521186
[July 19, 2005] UPDATED: The company hopes to save almost $2B with job
reductions and a modified U.S. retirement plan.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3521186
IBM Shuffles Services Deck
[July 19, 2005] IBM realigns its management structure following the
departure of 30-year IBM veteran John Joyce.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3521296
GAO: Federal Systems Security Still Lacking
[July 19, 2005] New report finds major weaknesses at 24 major federal
agencies.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3521111
DoD Aims HP Supercomputer at Weapons Research
[July 19, 2005] DoD tabs Hewlett-Packard as its go-to systems vendor for a
new cluster to study how to build new weapons
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3521106
SBC: Fiber to Reach 18M Homes
[July 19, 2005] A telecom exec said a dual approach to its fiber deployment
keeps its IPTV rollout on schedule.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3521256
Blinkx Feeds TV Searches
[July 19, 2005] Video search service lets users save searches as RSS feeds.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3521126
LinkedIn Launches Premium Service
[July 19, 2005] Social networking site hopes to be profitable by early next
year.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3521166
IBM to Buy E-Forms Maker PureEdge
[July 19, 2005] Big Blue will acquire the company to improve its business
process technology.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3521241
Big Blue Crushes Estimates
[July 18, 2005] Judging from its second-quarter results, divesting its PC
business may have been a good move for IBM.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3521056
Handheld Crime Fighting
[July 18, 2005] Cingular, BIO-Key let police officers access criminal
databases from anywhere.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/3521091
Feedback Goodies
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something you have seen in here, you can now send your input to:
mailto:nlfeedback@htmlgoodies.com
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those relating specifically to this newsletter from all the rest. When you
send email to this address it may wind up being included in this section of
the newsletter, to be shared with your fellow readers. Please don’t send
your questions to this address. They should be sent to our mentors: see
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
those relating specifically to this newsletter from all the rest. When you
send email to this address it may wind up being included in this section of
the newsletter, to be shared with your fellow readers. Please don’t send
your questions to this address. They should be sent to our mentors: see
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
Thanks for all your feedback!
Windows Tech Goodie of the Week
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Database Projects in Visual Studio .NET
This article, by Scott Mitchell, looks at how to add a Database project to
your existing ASP.NET application and how to import your existing database’s
objects into the Database project. While creating and setting up a database
project does take a bit of time, the small initial investment pays rich
dividends.
your existing ASP.NET application and how to import your existing database’s
objects into the Database project. While creating and setting up a database
project does take a bit of time, the small initial investment pays rich
dividends.
*** AND ***
Sometimes when you’re collecting data via a web form, it’s nice to split the
form up into smaller pieces so that you don’t overwhelm the users who are
filling it out. That’s the idea behind wizards. If you break long and/or
complex tasks into smaller, easy to manage pieces, users are less
intimidated by them.
form up into smaller pieces so that you don’t overwhelm the users who are
filling it out. That’s the idea behind wizards. If you break long and/or
complex tasks into smaller, easy to manage pieces, users are less
intimidated by them.
*** AND ***
An Innovative Technique for Creating Reusuable Page Templates in ASP.NET 1.x
Code reusuability is one of the major goals of any good object-oriented
programmer. While the ASP.NET framework has made code reusuability easier
and more elegant than it was in classic ASP, one area where reusuability
could be improved is at the UI level. This article outlines a technique
that you can use in ASP.NET 1.x that allows every page in your web
application to inherit not only the functionality of a base page, but its UI
as well.
programmer. While the ASP.NET framework has made code reusuability easier
and more elegant than it was in classic ASP, one area where reusuability
could be improved is at the UI level. This article outlines a technique
that you can use in ASP.NET 1.x that allows every page in your web
application to inherit not only the functionality of a base page, but its UI
as well.
And Remember This …
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On this day in…
1799 The Rosetta Stone was Discovered
About thirty-five miles north of Alexandria, near a town called Rosetta, a
French soldier found a slab of black basalt covered in ancient carvings.
The carvings were writings in three different languages, Greek, Egyptian
hieroglyphics and Egyptian Demotic. The Greek portion told that the stone
had been carved by Ptolemy V in the second century BC and that the three
different language portions all said the same thing. As such, the stone
held the key to unlocking the ancient hieroglyphic language that had been
dead for almost two thousand years. With his knowledge of Greek, French
Egyptologist Jean Francois Champollion was able to decipher the hieroglyphic
writings in twenty years, thereby exposing the language and culture of the
ancient world to the rest of us.
French soldier found a slab of black basalt covered in ancient carvings.
The carvings were writings in three different languages, Greek, Egyptian
hieroglyphics and Egyptian Demotic. The Greek portion told that the stone
had been carved by Ptolemy V in the second century BC and that the three
different language portions all said the same thing. As such, the stone
held the key to unlocking the ancient hieroglyphic language that had been
dead for almost two thousand years. With his knowledge of Greek, French
Egyptologist Jean Francois Champollion was able to decipher the hieroglyphic
writings in twenty years, thereby exposing the language and culture of the
ancient world to the rest of us.
Today was also the day that in: 1553 15 year old Lady Jane Grey was
deposed as England’s Queen after only nine days; 1870 France declared
war on Prussia (Franco-Prussian war); 1877 the first Wimbledon Tennis
Championship was held; 1941 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
launched his "V for Victory" campaign; 1957 the first rocket with a
nuclear warhead was fired at Yucca Flat, Nevada; 1957 Don Bowden
became the first American to break the four minute mile; 1961 the
first in-flight movie was shown (on a TWA flight); 1969 Apollo 11
went into Lunar orbit; 1975 Apollo and Soyuz linked up in space for
two days; 1979 two supertankers collided off Tobago, spilling 260,000
tons of oil; 1979 Nicaraguan Liberation Day — the Sandinistas took
over from Somoza; 1984 Geraldine Ferraro won the Democratic Vice
Presidential Nomination; 1985 Christa McAuliffe was chosen as the
first schoolteacher to fly in the shuttle; 1991 Miss Black America
contestant accused Mike Tyson of rape;
deposed as England’s Queen after only nine days; 1870 France declared
war on Prussia (Franco-Prussian war); 1877 the first Wimbledon Tennis
Championship was held; 1941 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
launched his "V for Victory" campaign; 1957 the first rocket with a
nuclear warhead was fired at Yucca Flat, Nevada; 1957 Don Bowden
became the first American to break the four minute mile; 1961 the
first in-flight movie was shown (on a TWA flight); 1969 Apollo 11
went into Lunar orbit; 1975 Apollo and Soyuz linked up in space for
two days; 1979 two supertankers collided off Tobago, spilling 260,000
tons of oil; 1979 Nicaraguan Liberation Day — the Sandinistas took
over from Somoza; 1984 Geraldine Ferraro won the Democratic Vice
Presidential Nomination; 1985 Christa McAuliffe was chosen as the
first schoolteacher to fly in the shuttle; 1991 Miss Black America
contestant accused Mike Tyson of rape;
Born today were: in 1814 revolver inventor Samuel Colt; 1834
French impressionist painter Edgar Degas; 1860 murderer Lizzie
Borden; 1865 surgeon and cofounder of the Mayo Clinic Charles Horace
Mayo; 1896 English author A.J. Cronin; 1922 US presidential
candidate George McGovern; 1923 actor Pat Hingle; 1926 actress
Helen Galagher; 1937 actor George Hamilton IV; 1940 actor
Dennis Cole; 1946 Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase; 1947
musician Bernie Leadon (Eagles); 1947 musician Brian May (Queen);
1948 actress Beverly Archer; 1948 musician Keith Godchaux
(Grateful Dead); 1952 musician Alan Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd); 1954
actress Kathleen Turner; 1976 actor RJ Williams;
