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Java for the Webmaster: All Gain No Pain

One of the most common uses for Java applets on a Web site is site navigation.

There are many Java-based navigation tools available to make your visitor's trip through your site more enjoyable. Some are based on an image or images that provide visual representations of different areas of your site. Others provide a "treeview" or "tabbed view" of your site, and allow the visitor to easily navigate your site using an interface that is already familiar to them. Here are a couple such applets:

• IMap
• Tabsplitter
• dipuTree
• DellasTreeApplet

Some of these applets, as you saw, allow you to utilize a treeview along with images and sounds. Keep in mind that additional functionality in a Java applet usually means additional file size (and download time) as well, so weigh the advantages of the applet for your visitors against the disadvantages before you load your site up with these large applets.

Many people place Java applets on their site simply to attract more visitors. Utility applets are a good way to do that. There are a number of utilities that are very helpful to Web developers, such as some of the navigation applets we previously mentioned. Other applets are available which allow a designer to choose a color, then the applet generates the code to be used to define colors within their Web pages and/or other applets. Other applets allow you to feature a digital clock on your site.

If you have a site that's geared more towards end-users, then general use applets such as apIRC and calendar can provide useful tools for your visitors. Here's a demo of several of the utility applets:

• ColorFinder
• Dgclock
• apIRC
• Calendar

Most of these applets can be added to your site at little or no cost, and they can provide your visitors with an easy way to accomplish otherwise cumbersome or repetitive tasks.

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This article first appeared in October, 1998

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