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Subject:WWW Image maps From:Simon North <snorth -at- TEDOPRES -dot- NL> Date:Mon, 30 Oct 1995 08:53:32 GMT
I actually _like_ image maps but, like all 'embelishments', it has its place
and use. On the last WWW site I built (an internal "corporate web") I used
an aerial photo of the company's site (large, needless to say) and tried to
identify what each building was and what department was located there. In
my opinion this is the best and most appropriate use of imaps.
The most common use you will see on the Web itself, though, is to implement
menu screens. Putting my asbestos suit on ... I've always felt this was a
very lazy habit. HTML provides you with a wealth of features for forms:
pick lists, radio buttons ... it just takes a little work to write the 'back
end' part (but there is some excellent shareware around that will get you
off to a flying start for this ... like Polyform for MS-Windows). This has an
extra advantage - most image map handlers (imagemap, etc.) require the sysop
to intervene when you want to add an image map, but if you use forms you can
keep a lot of the processing under your own control.
My guiding rule for all WWW development over the past three years has been "does
my use of this feature serve a genuine information purpose and, if so, is this
the best way of doing that?"
