Static Page Html

joy · #1 (**permalink**) 03-08-2004, 07:30 PM

I need to know what a Static Page Html looks like, would someone be so kind as to cut and paste one here for me to see.

I need to make some for my site. If one of you write out the procedure for where I connect them to, such as, homepage, sitemap, and where ever else they should link to.

I am new at this, and need some help please!

eightfifteen · #2 (**permalink**) 03-09-2004, 10:24 AM

A static page is a web page that is just that - static. It does not have a database-driven text or graphics. The URL in your signature looks like a static page.

voodooboy · #3 (**permalink**) 03-09-2004, 11:16 AM

Joy,

The definition of a static page is one which has all content, links, and scripts coded into the page. A dynamic page would be one that has elements coded outside of the page code. Such as a JavaScript that is loaded into the page from a .js file, or a style sheet that is loaded from a .css file.

When you load a web page into a browser, it (for all intensive purposes) becomes a static page. If you look at the coding through "View Source", you are looking at static code. The majority of the dynamic part of the web sites are all done within the server, not the browser.

What applications do you have available to you? I could walk you through a basic page if I know what you are using to create them.

joy · #4 (**permalink**) 03-09-2004, 07:19 PM

Scott, that would be great! Static Pages are no where to be found in any of my books, so wondered if there was other names for them. I understand that I could copy another page, Like my homepage and paste all the info onto a new page. And delete what isn't needed. I think the part I am needing help with is the script.

Say, I was making a page for Body and Bath Products, and the description would be something like this, Natural Body and Bath Products, just like your Grandmas used to make. We feature all natural Bath Gems, Creamy Bath Salts, Bath Bombs, Handmade Soaps, and offer our products in beautiful Gift Baskets.

I would have the Html, head, title, meta tag content, alt and author tags. But where and what do I write for these Product pages I want to make. I now they reside on my site, in my case a local host, not on the cgi part of my site. I know where I am to put them, I just don't know the correct script. Can you write how it should look.

I use Dream weaver, but am new to all this. Thanks, Joy

voodooboy · #5 (**permalink**) 03-09-2004, 11:44 PM

Static is not normally used as a term in books. The term "Static" is, as mentioned before, used to signify a page that is not connected to other content sources. (i.e. databases or scripts)

For example, your home page http://www.cubbyholecreations.com/index.html is a static page. It contains all the coding within a single .html page. The only outside resources would be the imagery.

Now your store page http://www.cubbyholecreations.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi is a dynamic page. (I use "dynamic" lightly here as an example) This page takes coding from other files, text from a database, and images from another location and puts all that together to create one page. And this script does this for every product page you have, as well as create a temporary data file for your shopping cart.

Now in reference to the product pages you mentioned wanting to create. Your current product pages are created by the .cgi store script you have. You tell it what the name of the page will be and the products, with links to the photos and give each a price. The script does the rest in creating the page and the navigation from the information provided when a browser calls on it.

So my question to you is, are you looking to create something like what you already have, (which is dynamically created by the .cgi script) or are you looking to create a site that is static in the sense that you will put the content into each coded page just like you did your home page, with no assistance by a script?

If you are looking to have something similar to the store you already have then you need to use the .cgi script. If you are creating individual static pages, (one at a time) then you can check the product page templates provided with Dreamweaver. They are basic, but do the trick for small sites.

I hope this all makes sense. If not, then let me know and I will try to break it down a little more.

mikmik · #6 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 01:14 AM

Hi, Joy, ghstdrgns. I too, am wonderring what is meant.

Two other possible interpretations:

Quote:

I would have the Html, head, title, meta tag content, alt and author tags. But where and what do I write for these Product pages I want to make

From this, I wonder if Joy means a template page? And it looks like that, so ghstdrgns, then she would use the cgi to generate the seperate content, which you have addressed above?

But I also nted this:

Quote:

I need to make some for my site. If one of you write out the procedure for where I connect them to, such as, homepage, sitemap, and where ever else they should link to.

Does she mean a splash page?

And now it occurs one more possibility - an SSI or PHP include. For example, a main menu that is repeated as the same on each page, or again, we are back to the template idea.

I am just trying suggestions here, in order to spark ideas.

mikmik · #7 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 01:24 AM

Oh sorry, you already covered templates!

carbonize · #8 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 06:24 AM

I disagree that a page that uses an external CSS file isn't static.

voodooboy · #9 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 08:56 AM

carbonize,
Losely speaking, a dynamic page is a page that utilizes coding from sources outside the core coding within the page. Whether it be a cgi script, JavaScript, css file or database.

If coding is utilized from another page or script, it would be considered dynamic. Since CSS is considered a coding language, then using an external css file would constitute a dynamic page.

Just my interpretation.

carbonize · #10 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 09:52 AM

I always thought a dynamic page was one whose content was created when it was called rather than a static one that was already made. So javascript would make a page dynamic, PHP would make a page dynamic but as all CSS does is control the styling I would not consider that dynamic.

matauri · #11 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 11:04 AM

Interesting. I have to agree with both of ghstdrgns & carbonize. I always referred to static as pulling its own weight, there in one file. But when it comes to the formating being in another file, hmmm...well....it is kind of pulling content from another source, if somewhat losely. But then, if you have any kind of scripting that is on the one html page & not calling anything from another file..then is that classed as dynamic or static?

Is it just the calling of information from another source that makes it dynamic or static?

Cindy

voodooboy · #12 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matauri

Is it just the calling of information from another source that makes it dynamic or static?

OK. Let's look at this a little deeper. If you have a five page site that is static. And you have to change the font color and size on the entire site. Then as a static site, you have to open every page, select every copy set, and change the attibutes for that information, resave and reload. That would be static.

Now say you have the same 5 page site with a CSS file attached to it via an attachment link, and you have to change the font color and size for the site. Now you can change the attibutes for the fonts on the css file and the pages "dynamically" change to reflect those new font attibutes. You did nothing to the 5 pages. You changed an outside code, and the enter site was updated to reflect the change. Same as with a database.

Any change that would be considered global, activated by an outside source, would be considered a dynamic change.

Thoughts?

ranjan · #13 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 01:10 PM

The term dynamic HTML (or DHTML) came from pages that combined HTML, style sheets, and scripts to make Web pages dynamic or interactive.

Using CSS does make the page dynamic in my view!

mikmik · #14 (**permalink**) 03-10-2004, 01:33 PM

Yes, dynamic means 'to change' or just 'changing'.
There are two types of dynamic that I am aware of, dynamically generated pages, which means a page is constructed in real time as opposed to an already existant page.
And what ranjan says, a page that reacts to user input, or has a 'real time' change in presentation or appearance - ie a slide show that is preprogrammed (to differentiate from 'reacting to user input')

Except...what is the difference from a stylesheet to an inline tag - for example:"

<font-face=Verdanta>I'm verdanta, until the designer changes me.</font-face></p>" ?(I know it is deprecated in html4, dropped in xhtml1.1)

So, are we off topic yet LOL.
:o)