| Java menu knowledge base
Java menus, javascript menus and DHTML menus distinguished
The difference between java menus, javascript menus and DHTML menus
DHTML menus are toys - java menus are serious!
Java, javascript and HTML (without the D) are all similar languages in that they
are "platform-independent", which means that when you write something
using these kinds of code, it will run on all sorts of different
platforms (i.e. all sorts of computer-types). This "platform-independence"
is important for the internet, as you never know what kind of computer
your site visitor may be using. Java and javascript are also
similar in that javascript uses similar syntax to java and a few commands
that are spelt like java commands. But the similarity stops here.
Java is a full-blown programming language, and its results are
"compiled" into small independent files (known as, for example, applets, servlets,
beans and applications)
which cannot be read by human eye and which execute very fast
when embedded in a web page. It is a powerful, efficient language and can create highly
interactive web page elements. Unlike DHTML menus, java menus can
be highly scalable (i.e. handle big indices without loss of performance). Java
menus have a number of other advantages as well, which stem from java's maturity
as a compilable programming language.
Javascript is a limited programming
extension to HTML with code in the web page itself that can be read
and written by most web designers. It is simpler and
more limited than java. It is also much more vulnerable to
browser differences and version differences. Although javascript is generally
much more limited than java, it does have a few additional tricks up
its sleeve - e.g. javascript, not java, is what writes those
cookies that so many people love to hate; and javascript
is better at manipulating or modifying HTML code dynamically. Neither
of these features are needed for menus!
DHTML is not a programming language at all. It is
a feature of most version 4+ browsers. This feature allows the HTML to be modified
dynamically. You can modify the HTML (i.e. "take advantage of the DHTML-feature")
with a number of programming languages, one of which is javascript. When people
talk about "DHTML as a programming language", they usually mean "I'm using
javascript to take advantage of the DHTML-feature". In practice this therefore
means that there is usually NO difference whatsoever between a "DHTML menu"
and a "javascript menu" (but a LOT of difference between these and a "java" menu).
A summary of some of the main disadvantages of DHTML:
- DHTML menus can't framebust; we can
- DHTML menus can't pop over Macromedia Flash, other applets or plug-ins; we can
- DHTML menus have to be inserted into every page; we only need one page
- DHTML menus face high compatibility problems
- DHTML menus have a large bytesize; we compress
- DHTML menus aren't scalable; we can handle vast indices
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