Multi-page navigation

[ldyguique]

Next Question --

I'm trying to figure out how to code for being able to use "next" and "previous" and even the number of pages, all as hyperlinks, such as:

<previous 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 next>

I've found a couple of examples in view source on a couple of sites; however, they all seem to be tied to a style sheet, which isn't "viewed."

I've gone through numerous HTML help sites, and even CSS ones; I've broken out my hardcopy manual for HTML4; however, I'm not getting to where I need to be. I think I finally figured out "how" to display html coding -- click on the "Disable HTML in this post" below.

Amazing how such a navigation commonality is simply missing from instructions, even "advanced" ones.

[jamal]

This is because it is scripted using a server-side language such as PHP, ASP, and so on. What the script does, basically, is count and return the number of pages (say 10), return the current page (say 5), and writes the sequence from there, page 5 being a non-link (because it is the current page). The 'next' button goes to the current page + 1 (5+1 = 6), and the 'previous' button goes to current page - 1 (5-1 = 4). There needs to be some error checking and stuff, (there's no page 11, or page 0), but otherwise the script is quite simple, and can be found online. However, you need a server that supports PHP, or some other language - PHP being the most popular right now, (these forums run on PHP).

HTH,
Jamal

[ldyguique]

Thanks, Jamal --

I did a search for PHP scripts and while I located some, they are waaaaaaaay beyond my abilities for now. I'm not nearly ready to set up my website in a database to utilize this function. At least I can stop looking and fretting. One of the sites that I had located turned out to be done in javascript; so, now, that makes sense.

I guess I'll have to content myself with a hyperlinked more button to the next page.

Thanks again.

[mikmik]

Hi, ldyguique.
Does your server have ASP, or serverside includes? The back button is very easy, in javascripy also.

Oh, here we go again! If you see * in the code, it is only for display purposes - the code won't display unless broken up - just a 'back' button will show or something LOFL

Here is SSI, and you have to name your pages .shtm or .shtml for this to work.
<*a href="<*!--#echo var="http_referer"-->"*>BACK</a*>

But this is the easiest way:
<A* HREF="javascript:history.go(-1)"*>Go Back</A*>

Of course, 'next' buttons have to be coded as normal, no software in the world can predict the next page a person is going to take.

But here is something that I didn't know that can save MONDO link headaches - root urls

eg: top level of your site is the root. So we will show it - mydomain.con/index.html, where /index.html is the 'root url.
That means 'relative' to the site root.
So it then doesn't matter where you put a link like: <*a hre*f="/index.html>Home</*a>, it will work even on pages inside of other directories.
I did have a point to this, but I forget :o)
It is still pretty handy info, though.
HTH

[ldyguique]

Mikmik --

I think I'll hold off on the more esoteric coding for now; I'm up to my chin in trying to make the site, which has included a whole series of programs and tasks that I simply didn't know when I started. My digressions have been useful for the learning curve; however, I know that there are some that will have to wait. I do have full PHP-MySQL capabilities and Apache Mod_Modrewrite (at least on the WH server). My own capabilities are in question, for now. Right now, every little task that I undertake seems to take 2-hour timeblocks. The larger ones eat days.

However, I have reached the point where it's all a whole lot more fun than it was. Stuff that was inexplicable a couple of months ago are becoming semi-skills. For example, my little homemade icon for this forum? It took me hours of dinkin' around in PhotoShop Elements 2 to get there; and, I'm still not ready to tackle full layers, yet. But, I can do more basic stuff now fairly easily (the cussing has diminished).

I was manually resizing every photo, using a calculator to come up with the secondary "resize," and it was taking me hours. Then, I discovered ImageWalker, and converted lots of photos and graphics in minutes to multiple sizes (uploading the folders took longer). So, I now have all of my photos and graphics in several width-sizes, all proportionally resized and sitting in folders, named "images-100w," "images-150w," "images-200w," and "images-300w" on both my machine and on the server.

When I started in this forum last November, I'd never coded anything in HTML, bbcode, etc. I had to send minstrel a PM asking him how he embedded URLs for clickable links. Now, I don't think twice about the coding for either HTML or bbcode.

When I first put up my forum, PHP-yabbse, I spent days dinkin' around in the coding changing the original template's colors. I recoded it the other night in a few hours to work with the website.

When I started in WebHosting Tech Support a year ago, I could barely decipher "view source" code to troubleshoot why photos had a "red x." Now, it's second nature. . .well, except for typos :)

So, I am learning :) I just know when to cutoff a particular learning digression as being unessential to the primary task, "Get the D*mned Website UP!" and to save it for "later." Everyone who has self-taught themselves howto put up a website has had a similar learning curve. My only advantage versus someothers was that I already knew my computer well and knew many things, such as FTP-ing, downloading, etc. Some are starting from scratch with a far larger and more overwhelming point of discovery. My appreciation for their efforts has gone up.

Thanks for keeping an eye on my postings, I definitely will have more questions. If I can't locate something in a websearch or in a manual, I will be posting it in here.

Geraldine