-[Open the demo in a separate window]- Here's an example of taking the CONTENT and making it work as a set of web pages. In reality, the real problem IS the content. That is all of the information is accurate, understandable, and useful. If the user has problems, then some sort of HELP or SEARCH facility should be provided. As we all know, those things are *rarely* well thought out - mainly because they're difficult to write, and most companies opt to use an automatic cross-reference or index program to do the work. This is fine, as long as you give to a trial audience and take their feedback and use it to improve the product. What an idea, right ;) The sample pages are at the following url: https://the-pond-normal-school.angelfire.com/ashford/image-maps/academic-software.html A few things in the use of this kind of technology: 1) It is relatively simple (albeit a *bit* time consuming) to take the image to be "hot-keyed" and convert it to an html page that can then be linked to "sub-pages" of that image. 2) As regards the aesthetics: If something looks like button, then it should BE a button. Otherwise, it's just totally frustrating for the user to figure out what to do. Ideally, there would be buttons to go back to a previous level or immediately to the TOP of any branch in the tree. These would have to be programmed in, of course. Most web pages have more than just a blank screen as backgrounds. They can of course have ANY look and the text can be placed over them. Of course, for visually impared users, this may create quite a problem. Of course, it's the CONTENT on each page that is the goal -- the html and other fancy graphics are just the "Presentation Manager" for the web page; ie, "look and feel". Fancier things ARE possible, but then they take longer to load, and of course are almost always more complicated and therefore harder to maintain or EXTEND. 3) Web pages can have "programs" loaded in the background (using Visual Basic or JavaScript) and these can do all sorts of things such as loading and playing a slide-show, music, other windows (those nasty pop-up!!!), etc. More details on the "innards" down below. Techie Points ============= The basic "magic" here is the programming language known as "HTML" (Hyper-text Mark-up Language) which controls the layouts of EVERY web page; there are extensions, called CSS, XML, cold-fusion, etc. Once the main graphic for the page is ready (here, i just scanned the textbook). It has to NOT change. Otherwise, it's impossible to "map" areas of the image to the action. Basically, for every area, you just use PC Paint (or other graphics program) to measure the locations of each button. Then there are two corners (upper left, and lower right). Then the MAP function in HTML detects the mouse, and if you move it to within one of the "hot" areas in the file and clidk the mouse, then HTML opens that page as directed. NOTE: For almost ANY web page, you can see the html code, by choosing, VIEW (at the top of the browser, and then SOUOCE). There are of course, ways that the programmer/owner of the page can block this action; protecting the intellectual property rights, don't you know! Of course, there are tools (Publisher, Front Page, etc) that can automatically do this sort of thing. File Names, etc =============== In setting up such a (potentially) complicated interface, you HAVE to have a SYSTEM. Thus, the referenced pages and the images and files associated with them have to sort of "hang together". Thus, the first level "software" (which is really a sort of summary page), has it's webpaged named: software-general.html and it's thumb-nail image: ldd-image-key-software-general.GIF And then the next button: " "Authoring Systems" is stored as: authoring-systems.html ldd-image-key-authoring-systems.GIF The "tag" "ld-image-key" is completely arbitrary, and "LDD" is short for "Lever-Duffy/McDonald" If this systematic naming were carried thoroughly through, the files would all be something like: ldd-academic-software.html ldd-software-general.html ldd-image-key-software-general.GIF ldd-authoring-systems.html ldd-image-key-authoring-systems.GIF etc then if there was a file such as: ldd-authoring-systems-release-notice.html it would be pretty apparent where it fitted into the scheme. Also, these systems can get out of hand easily, since "in theory" we could keep adding more and more pages and sub-pages, and of course new classifications; eg, "special needs: Prosthesis", "special needs: Monkey helper", "special needs: Interfaces", etc. In an actual system, it would probably be best to use FOLDERS for each group of things, and then sub-folders as required. Of course, there is no escaping the complexity of the system. The main thing is that it should have a "sensible logic" to it, that once gleaned that even the user's could make there own links into the system. -- share and enjoy, :)