Much of the power of the web derives from its ability to link from anywhere to anywhere . Sometimes, however, a linear or sequential navigation is key. Tutorials, help systems, and even static catalog pages often employ navigational elements to move progressively from one page to the next . Many designers also include a Previous or Back link to step through the sequential pages in reverse. Although the initial coding ”typically done manually ”of sequential navigation systems is at best tedious , maintaining such sets of pages can be a nightmare. Let's say you have a five-page tutorial on training a puppy :
Even if you use a template for basic layout, you'll need to link one page to the other, in both directions. If you add a new page, such as placing teaching_tricks.htm after socializing.htm, you'll have to change two links ” one on socializing.htm and one on further_training.htm ”in addition to adding the links for the new page. Changing the sequence ”moving housebreaking.htm before soft_biting.htm, for example ”is even more involved and requires six different modifications. You can see how even on a small scale, managing sequential links is maintenance intensive . On larger sites, with multiple sequences spread over thousands of pages, manual updates and modifications are highly inefficient and impractical . Several strategies have emerged for constructing and maintaining sequential pages. In this chapter, we'll look at three approaches:
You'll find code and examples for all three methods posted on the Beyond Dreamweaver web site. |