Introducing the Web 2.0!
Web 2.0 is not a new version of the Internet. It is merely a term used to describe web design technologies that make pages more dyamic. Dynamic pages load key parts of content instantly. Before the Web 2.0, the information was gathered from the server read by the browser, and then displayed. Now, information can be displayed on the user's computer without a load time.Technologies include Javascript, AJAX, JQuery, Flash, Spry assets, and a host of other script-based coding languages.
JQuery and other webkits
JQuery is JavaScript libraries compiled by online communities to provide web developers with an easy approach to making pages. Developers no longer have to spent weeks at a time to create certain effects because jQuery contains those effects. One of the most powerful features of jQuery is its ability to move through the DOM tree with little effort. In the example below, a simple rollover effect is created for each form input field.
The Yahoo User Interface(YUI) and Google Web Toolkit are JavaScript libraries that have much of the same functions that jQuery does with the same stability. The difference between the 3 libraries is that some have effects that others don't.
Web Plugins
These plugins are smaller JavaScript libraries with very specific purposes. Dojo, scriptaculous, and MooTools are some examples that can create effects like custom scrollbars.In the example below, a scrollbar manages text within a div, though any element can be attached to a scrollbar in this manner.The main reason for using this technique is the ability to customize the colors of the scrollbar and its slider.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
HTML 5
HTML 5 is not a web 2.0 technology like webkits but is simply the next version of html developed by the W3C. Although it isn't scripting in itself, its various features are enhanced by the use of scripting. HTML5 is a major jump from the use of XHTML but is not designed to replace it. According to the W3C, it is even possible to use aspects of HTML5 and XHTML together. One important aspect of HTML is the removal of the clunky doctype declaration (-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd).New tags that have been implemented are specific layout tags(nav,header,footer,etc) as well as the canvas element,among others. In the example below, a canvas is created to make vector drawings on a web page.
*Although the drawn object(square) looks like it has been rotated, in reality it is the canvas itself that has rotated.
Spry Applications and Forms
The recent application of Spry widgets and behaviors gives web designers ways to make dynamic pages with little need for complex scripting. For example, Dreamweaver provides 2 types of form validation: Spry-based and behaviors-based. Both of these automatically create the Javascript code needed to securely validate the form. Spry validation allows labels to be created for form fields while behavior validation can set input fields as required. Behavior validation also validates fields as only numbers or a combination of text and numbers.