A

Anchor tags - Markers that identify a specific location in a web page. Anchor tags are often used to create to create hyperlinks within a single large documents

B

Breadcrumb trail - Hyperlinks on a web page that help visitors navigate the depth of a web site hierarchy. A typical breadcrumb trail could look like this: Home > Products > Toys > Puzzles

C

Code editors (wysiwyg editor, text editor, IDE, Integrated development environment) - Software used to write HTML pages and server side scripts. Basic text editors such as Notepad and Simpletext are sufficient for web development work. More advanced code editors and integrated development environments (IDE) have special features that assist with code development and site management. What you see is what you get (wysiwyg) editors like Dreamweaver and GoLive preview how pages will look in an actual browser windo

F

Forms - A feature of HTML where site visitors can enter data into fields and submit the information to the web server. Form elements include text fields, password fields, radio buttons, checkboxes, list menus, pull down menus, reset buttons, and submit buttons

Frames - A feature of HTML that allows for multiple html pages to be opened in a single browser window

G

Graphics Manipulation (Photoshop, Fireworks, Corel) - Programs used for preparing graphics and photographs and saving them for the web, in the gif, jpeg, and png formats

H

HTML (xhtml, shtml, DHTML) - Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a tag-based scripting language used to identify the structure of a web page and how it should be displayed in a browser. HTML includes tags to identify the document title, headers, paragraphs, and which text should be emphasized or hyperlinked. XHTML is the successor to HTML, and follows the rules of XML (Extensible Markup Language). SHTML refers to web pages that have SSI, or server side includes. Dynamic HTML (DHTML) refers to web pages that include Javascript for layers, rollovers, and other advanced browser interactions

Hyperlink (Hypertext) - Text or image that is highlighted in a browser, and when clicked, leads to a new page. Hypertext refers to content that is divided into multiple pages and connected using hyperlinks

I

Image Map - HTML code that defines clickable hotspots in an image on a web page

Image Optimization (image slicing) - Image optimization is the process of applying compression to an image to shrink the file size as much as possible while retaining the desired image quality. Optimization techniques include the reduction of image size, the reduction of the number of colors, and use of the gif or jpeg compression schemes. Image slicing is the process of dividing a full screen mockup of a web page into individual optimized images that can be inserted into HTML code

Interlace - A special property of gif images that allow them to be displayed in a web browser before the image is fully downloaded. Interlaced graphics are shown in multiple passes, first at low resolution and later at high resolution. Jpeg images cannot be interlaced, but can be saved in a progressive format, where the photograph is displayed line by line in a browser while it is downloaded

J

Javascript - Client-side scripting language where the browser processes commands as the web page is displayed. Examples of Javascripts include rollovers and fly-out menus

L

List (ordered, unordered list) - HTML tags used to display a bulleted or numbered list of items in a web page

M

Meta Tags - HTML tags that specify information about a document, such as its title, keywords, and description

N

Navigation - The elements of a web site that allow visitors to move from page to page. Navigation elements can include menus, directories, search boxes, hyperlinks, and breadcrumb trails

R

Rollover - Web page effect written using Javascript that changes an image or text block when the user moves their mouse over a hyperlink

S

Search engine optimization - Process where web pages are designed to receive a high ranking in search engine results. Generally, this involves writing content that is topical and includes relevant keywords within the text. Other search engine optimization techniques include writing title, description, and keywords meta tags, and improving a site's popularity by increasing the number of outside links to the pages

Style Sheet (CSS) - A specification for separating the content of a web page from the design. Stylesheets can be used to control the layout, font, and color of elements in a web page, and are usually placed in a separate file with a .css extension

T

Tables - A feature of HTML that allows for the layout of web pages and data in columns and rows

U

Usability - The ease of use of a web site design. Usability refers to the ability of site visitors to quickly and easily find information or accomplish specific tasks. Usable sites have a user-centered design, consistent navigation, text that is easy to scan, and readable fonts/colors

W

Web compatible image formats (.gif, .jpeg, stock images) - Images that can be viewed in a web browser. Web graphic formats include gif, jpeg, and png. Stock images are photographs and graphics provided by a third party for use on a web site, for a small fee