Web Design Tips and Tricks

--edited by Dave Methvin, Executive Editor, Windows Magazine

Did you ever see something cool inside a web page, and just couldn't figure out how they did it? I've put together a list of useful things that you can do on web pages, and put each inside a small file so you can tell what's going on.

Once you've jumped to a sample page you should take a look at the HTML source. (In Netscape Navigator use the menu item View/Document Source; in Microsoft Internet Explorer use View/Source.) I've imbedded comments that point out the important coding in each example.

* * * 7/19/96: Many of the JavaScript examples have been improved! * * *

HTML Tricks

Calendar: Show the months of the year using an HTML table. Demonstrates both a numbers-only format and a larger calendar that has short notes in some of the dates.
Turn off caching of a page: If you have a page that changes often (like every few minutes), this shows you how to tell a browser not to cache your page.
Change-of-Address page: When you move a popular web page, it's a good idea to leave a forwarding page at the old address. Here's one that will automatically take browsers to the new address after a short pause.

JavaScript Tricks

These tricks require Netscape Navigator 2.0 or later. Most also run on the Internet Explorer 3.0 Beta.

Go Back button: Takes you back to the previous page you had visited, no matter where it was.
Goto Box: Here's how to build a drop-down list box that lets users choose where they want to go.
Status line ticker: As seen on the Web! Yet another JavaScript program to make your browser's status line resemble Times Square!
Text box marquee: If you prefer not to mess up your status line, try this little scrolling marquee that can go anywhere in your HTML page.
Mystery typewriter: Who's that typing on my status line?
Fade-in background: When you load this page it will start with one color background, then fade to another color.
Random Number Generator/Tester: Demonstrates how to 1) get a decent random number, 2) generate HTML on the fly using Javascript, and 3) make a bar graph using only HTML tags. It's a bit complicated but full of useful information.

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