Coding and Adaptations
Another very clever idea would be to use a piece of code within my website to try and entice users to come back to it when they have visited. To do so I will make a link that when clicked, stored my link in to the users favourites, thus there will never be any trouble of the user finding his or her way back to my site. An example of this can be seen on the following page.
Task 2
Web pages can be created for many bespoke purposes and to be able to do this there are many differing net languages available to aid the user in creating a bespoke site. As you can imagine it is almost impossible to use one language to do every task. Internet languages differ slightly to the more common high level programming languages, such as Java and VB. However, there are a few similarities that are almost representational of the other, an example of this is the programming language Java which has its internet based counterpart JavaScript. It is important to remember however that the actual page itself is still written with html. The structure of the page is made using this, whereas the websites features are embedded using other languages. This assignment shall be focusing on some of the individual languages and explaining how and why they are used.
Firstly I shall take this opportunity to explain the difference between two technologies, the first is a client side and the second a server side. Each of the following languages I will be describing is one or the other and I will say within the article what language belongs to what.
Client side: This type of programming language is downloaded by the web browser and run using the browser. To do so this needs a compiler, therefore a plug in is needed.
Server side: Server side means programs or languages that reside on the server and that a user can interact with through the Web server itself. Nothing is downloaded to the Web browser so server side technologies do not require a plug-in. In contrast to this it is important we no of another term;
C.G.I (Common gateway interface) – These scripts are server-side because they run on the Web server. It is the C.G.I which in turn allows the HTML pages to interact with the programming languages.
PHP
PHP stands for hypertext pre-processor and is what is known as a server side language. PHP can typically be used on all platforms, and free source code is provided, this is similar to Linux’s distribution of their free source code, and this in turn means that individual users can customise it for their own specific needs. PHP actually has some very common relations between itself JavaScript, Java and Perl, the C# programming language. The closest relation is actually between Perl and PHP, where PHP is renowned for adding things in to documents; Perl is useful for extracting them. PHP has one distinct advantage to it however, and that is that it is normally already loaded as part of the web server. When there is a scripting language to be run within the body of a website the first thing that needs to occur is an interpreter is run to enable the programme or text to be compiled in to machine language, this obviously then allows the programme to be executed. As the PHP interpreter is already loaded in to the web server, half the time difference is already reduced. Although without this the time of loading the interpreter and compiling is very quick but if there are multiple demands then time will add up. This makes PHP an efficient language.
Active Server Pages
Active server pages also known as ASP is a server side technology and mostly based on the Visual Basic programming language. The uses for ASP are varied but are often found when looking through the internet. The Microsoft made package is used mainly for sites that contain built in databases and is most commonly used within the code of e-commerce web sites. The most unique feature of it is the property that allows the user to use their favourite scripting language.
Java Script
Java is what is known as a client side technology and was created by the Netscape corporation although is a registered trademark of the Sun Microsystems group. Java script may be implemented in many ways; however the most common is to embed it within the code of the HTML. So what are the uses of the JavaScript language and why should we use them? JavaScript allows the web page designer greater control and allows additional features to be incorporated that you couldn’t just get with the standard HTML package. An example of Java script could be a link on a website that when clicked automatically opens up the favourites menu on the users computer to allow it to be book marked. However, there are features to this which are ultimately considered undesirable to the every day user. It has been found the JavaScript language has aided computer hackers in their attempts to corrupt and miss-use computers, this is a significant problem. A little less worrying than this, however still a problem, is the actual plug in needed for the code to work, without it many features that have been implemented with the JavaScript language would readily be unavailable. JavaScript can also be used for the following things;
- Create windows
- Control a users input by using validation techniques
Java Applets
The java applet is an extension to the java script. It uses the java programming language to ultimately run visual representations either within the browser or as a stand alone feature, an example if which can be seen below;
On the previous page can be seen an example of the Java applet being loaded by the browser. This then means the page can be used to its potential. Java applets are used for many purposes, and that is what makes it such a popular choice on the internet scene. Here are a few of the benefits of using the language,
- It is relatively easy to make it work on many operating systems, this is called cross platform control
- Any same applet can work on all differing versions of the java development kit (the download needed to run java), however, if the version of JDK is newer, then the browser must wait a long time for the demanding download size to be completed
- The security risk is non existent as it runs in what is known as a sand box, this is a distinct feature to consider when possibly looking at alternatives - however it can have full access to the users machine, if permission is given by the user
- The applet, when loaded will reside in the browsers cache, this means on return to the site by the user, execution time will be minimal
As with any language the java applet comes with one or two negatives, one of which has already been stated, the plug in needed. Let’s look at a few more of these;
- It cant load until the Java virtual machine has loaded, this can be a lengthy process if the system using it is slow, however there is a positive to this, when the JVM has loaded it will not need to be done again, meaning any other java applet that is to be run by the user will need not wait again
- It is more complicated to use than the standard HTML, when designing useful interfaces
There are alternatives to the above, flash is one of them. However it is of my personal opinion that I believe the Java software to be of greater use on a wider spectrum of functions.
XML
The problem with website design using HTML is the limitations imposed on the creator; however XML has been introduced, not to replace it, but in fact to complement it. XML is considered a meta-language, a language that is used in place to describe another, in turn giving it greater function and ability. The majority of the language is plain English, only implementing a few symbols, those being of the <,>, / and so on. Pretty similar to HTML, however it’s different in a few main ways, the structure is designed to create a well formed document, something that is ultimately readable and understandable to the user but the problem with this is the actual limitations of what simplicity can allow. So where would xml be used? As its structure is simple it allows greater functionality when doing some of the following tasks;
- Spreadsheets
- Databases
- Technical Drawings
- Address Books
It allows the format to remain fairly simple when producing, and then when combined with the HTML is explicit in producing a quality finished article. The problem with this cross functionality is this. When two separate languages are mixed the chances of tag sharing is high, where <p> may mean paragraph in one, in another it may mean person, this is where XML’s namespace mechanism comes in to play, this is what makes the language “modular”. Once again, XML is licence free just a Linux and holds host too many tools and advantages, but if there is not an already created tool to suit your needs then bespoke creation is possible.
CSS
Cascading style sheets are implemented in to a website in order to tell the browser as to how to display it, it allows common features such as headings and text paragraphs to share the same properties, thus meaning you can apply a style sheet to multiple pages at the same time, this is then more time efficient, and helps in aiding the user in creating a site that generates a certain “theme” throughout. It is capable of defining text, size and colour so that it can be separated in to two groups, the HTML or similar mark up languages comprising of the document content, whilst the CSS consists of the document layout. This layout style allows for the following key enhancements,
- Websites can be modified/upgraded at vastly increased speeds, with little detrimental possibilities to already imposed code.
The main detrimental effects of the CSS is the browser support it has, not only do differing browsers support its differing features but the lack of support can cause tremendous impact on the image of a loaded page, this makes the idea of using CSS a tricky one, and could possibly limit potential audience.
Ricki Lambert SELF ASSESSMENT
The following questionnaire will allow me to review my site and gather the information required to determine whether it needs and attention.
Student name - Ricki Lambert Student no. - 20028006
Course title National Diploma IT Practitioners.
Course code - 14FONDITPRA
Site address - www.rickla.hungryhosting.com
Identify the potential audience for your site – The potential audience for my website will be any age or sex of football fan, preferably Tottenham Hotspur fans as the site is based on this team
Why would they be interested in your site? – They would be interested in my site as it contains up to date photos and information on the club at present and on the present players
Is your site fully functional? – All pictures and links function correctly, and graphics are in their corresponding places
Does the site meet the needs of your audience? – My potential audiences needs are met by the players photos and information being up to date, the public will only visit my site if its about the current Spurs team (unless otherwise stated, which its not)
How could the site be improved? – The site could be improved with newer pictures, possibly from games from the weekends, better graphical representations and more focused text.
The self assessment questionnaire is very important when trying to achieve a website that is constantly achieving its potential. But what can be done for it to meet its potential, let’s have a look at a few of the steps that can be done. It’s clear to see that the questionnaire is developed to focus on areas that can be improved by asking specific questions.
Identify the Potential Audience for Your Site
When I created my website I had an intended audience, these were the people that my website was designed for. In order for me to see if my site is meeting these demands I may be able to put a questionnaire on the web page, this would allow me to then ask the viewers age and thus ultimately I would be able to see if the website was achieving its required target audience, if not then changes can be made to suit their needs. Another feature of the questionnaire may be to ask the users what features they enjoyed and what possibly the site was lacking, by doing this the user feels assured that their needs are the most important thing to the web manager. Here are a few of the questions that I could possibly ask on the questionnaire on my site;
∙ How old are you?
∙ What football team do you support?
∙ Who are your favourite players?
∙ How often do you go to games?
When the individual viewers’ needs are met then the site can progress.
Why would they be Interested in Your Site?
This again is another branch from the questionnaire. At the present time users would hopefully enjoy my site due to the pictures of players, the information on them and the general information about the ground and trophies. But, it is inevitable that players will move on to other teams, trophies (hopefully) will be attained, and ground capacity may change, not to forget the weekly fixture results. In order for this to be changed it needs to be managed. This may mean weekly inspections updating the text in the necessary areas, when players move on they need to be removed from the players list and so on. To keep users interested these things must be done, this makes the site up to date, makes sure that the current players and facts are on view and in turn will possibly result in my website getting repeat business.
Is your Site Fully Functional?
It is always important to determine whether the websites links are functioning correctly, especially when you consider the layout of mine. With the structure as it is, with one broken link, users options are limited as they will not be able to move around the site, this would be very detrimental to capturing repeat business. To overcome this problem a simple checking procedure may take place on a daily basis, just navigate round the site to make sure they all work, this can be done when new links are added also. If the links do work, do they all point to their correct places? Again this is another task that needs to be undertaken. For a large site this may become a very tedious task.
How could the site be improved?
New technologies are important in making a site more attractive to the users. Examples of this maybe using some of the technologies mentioned in task 2, maybe incorporating some JavaScript, flash and so on. This takes the site more desirable and pleasurable to visit and will in turn increase repeat business. New technologies are always changing so there will need to be intensive management of these. Other features could possibly be included in the site, the introduction of a forum, this will then require sign up facilities, this again will need to be managed, avoiding spam and abuse etc.
Another site improvement is to add features and characteristics, therefore making it like a community rather than a stand alone site. There are many ways in which this can be done; the most common though are forums and user areas, possibly allowing people to join my site in order to receive my weekly blog. The user area would be a free subscription based idea. To join I would add a link on the front page, then I would need a marketing strategy to encourage people to join, the blog is an example but also other information would be beneficial. The user area would allow users access to forums, a place where people can meet, share ideas and beliefs and express there own thoughts of how Tottenham Hotspur are doing. This makes the real sense of community express itself and makes people believe they belong to something, this, in-turn increases and maintains repeat business.
Security is important when considering the forums and user space. To combat this we can use what is known as a spybot. This can be programmed in java script and captures everything that happens on the site. Further, we can use age restriction policies, something that is extremely important in this day and age.
It would also be possible to have a shop, the problem being the fact that it does not conform to my original story board and planning of what my site is for. If this is not followed then I allow myself no margin of error and the site will not meet its intended purpose. If I can get affiliated with Tottenham Hotspur then the possibility if selling tickets to games is good, but merchandise makes it a little more high street, something I wanted to avoid at all costs.
To keep users up to date I could add an RSS feed, this will help inform the users to team developments, signings and so no. This can be done on many sites aiding users so it is important to keep up to date.
Site Development
It is also important to remember that the site will become outdated unless new pages are added. This can have dramatic effects on the overall structure. At the moment my site is considered to be a form of narrow tree, but what can happen if more and more pages are added? The narrow tree will prove in effective at aiding users in searching through the site. It would also put a heavy demand on my home page with broken links resulting in catastrophic effect. I believe the matrix system would be more beneficial when the scale of my site increases.
Another consideration is the popularity of my site. If my site becomes very popular the bandwidth will need to be increases, else my site would go down leaving it rendered useless. Another consideration is the overall size of the site in comparison to the hosting space I currently possess. This has a bottle neck constraint on development and leaves me with restrictions. Ultimately, it needs to be measured in success and future developments; this will aid me in buying the correct hosting space and will prove beneficial when considering bandwidth allocations.
With increase in popularity comes increase in demand, and to move on successfully new approaches are needed. Technology can play a big part in the way human computer “interaction” HCI is perceived. It is the big players in the website development world that utilize these utilities to maximise success, and although expensive and time consuming can benefit massively.
Conclusion
When maintaining a website the most important question is to consider whether the website still meets the needs in which it was first designed for. When the answer to this question has been ascertained the website can be modified to suit. This may mean returning to the drawing board, starting at the beginning, or just renewing text and photos etc, either way both are equally important. Then the user must decide on the layout of the page, is this possibly in need of change? If yes, then again back to the story board they must proceed. Ultimately as long as the website is desirable and pleasing then there is a combination for success. It’s all about finding the market and target audience and then adapting the site to meet it. This often requires extensive research for the larger web sites and a good knowledge of where the manager wants it to go for the smaller sites.
