Re: How'd they do that.

Lambert (paumic@ids.net)
Tue, 12 Dec 1995 00:31:35 -0400


<a href="front-door.map"><img border=0 width=623 height=339
src="img/front-door.gif" USEMAP="#map4" ISMAP></a>

<i>&#169; 1995 Microsoft Corporation</i>

<map name="map4">
<area shape="rect" coords="116,0,350,115" href="intro1.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="1,113,243,234" href="surfing1.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="350,115,585,231" href="advanced.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="468,233,587,339" href="menu.html">
</map>

This is HTML 3 code. It is just one clickable image, underneath which says
some text.The link over the image is to an image map definitition. The
".map" extension tells the server that it is a map file. A map file which
uses the coordinates of where the user clicked, checks to see what hotlink
shape they are in, and directs the browser to a URL.. The browser knows to
send the coordinates of the click from the ISMAP attribute in the <IMG>.
The USEMAP="#map4" attribute is for HTML3-supporting broswers. It looks
down on the page for a <map name="map4"> instead of going to the server.
This is the same map file, writin in HTML so that the browser can interpret
it, and not have to contact the server map file.

The html map definition shows four hotlink areas, all rectangles. The
coordinates are shown, for the rectangle. There is a URL, which the browser
accesses if the click is that rectangle.

Mike