WebMap is a tool for creating the ΓÇ£.mapΓÇ¥ files that are required to support ISMAPs on an HTML server. Currently there are 2 formats for these ΓÇ£.mapΓÇ¥ files, CERN and NCSA, corresponding to CERN's ΓÇ£htimageΓÇ¥ software and the NCSA's ΓÇ£htimageΓÇ¥ software.
Imagemaps are GIF graphics files that have a map file associated them. This map file contains the definitions of the various rectangular, circular, and polygonal hot areas on the GIF, along with their associated URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
When an imagemap is being served, you can click on a hot area, and the URL associated with that hot area will be sent as a request to the HTML server specified in the URL. This allows the creation of graphic front ends to online databases.
See the topics ΓÇ£The CERN Imagemap FormatΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£The NCSA Imagemap FormatΓÇ¥ below for descriptions of these formats.
