Step 7: Using Programming Scripts and Sounds

Programming Scripts and Sounds can enhance your web pages to make them more interesting for your visitors. Below is a detailed description of each:

Script - A script contains instructions for a computer. It tells the computer how to behave and what to do. For example a basic script would be to change the window status when you hold your mouse over a link.

There are javascripts, cgi-scripts, perl scripts to name a few. A beginner would first use a javascript. JavaScripts are very easy to use. You insert the code into your web pages. They can really make your pages more interactive. You can add games and survey's and all sorts of things with javascripts. Once you get more advanced you would move on to cgi and perl scripts. CGI scripts are written in the Perl programming language. Perl scripts are good for messageboards, postcard scripts, search engines, guestbooks and items like that. There are many places on the Internet where you can get free scripts to enhance your webpages. When a site offers free scripts they usually tell you in detail where to put each line of code. You don't need a fancy html editor like Dreamweaver or Front Page. You can always use Windows Notepad (from your desktop choose Start, Programs, Accessories, and choose Notepad) to add scripts to your web page. Here are places to get free scripts:

A1 JavaScripts
JavaScript.com
Hoover Script Archive
JavaScript Source

Website Abstraction
Script Search.com
The JavaScript Gate

Sounds - Sounds should also be used in moderation. There are .wav and .mid to name a few. If you put music on a page, you should always give the user the option to turn music off. Nothing is more annoying than going to a web page and having blaring music with no way to turn it off! You can put music on your page by using this code:

Embed tells the browser a song is embedded on the page. Filename.wav is the name of your song. If the path is any where other than your root folder, you need to put the path. For example, if your web site is http://www.webmajestic.com and you have a folder with songs in it, your code would be <embed src="/songs/filename.wav">.

AutoStart tells the browser whether or not to play automatically, loop tells the browser to loop or not to loop. The width and height control the size of the control panel. If you do not want a control panel type in Hidden ="yes". The align command controls the alignment.

If you have a sound you'd like visitors to download, here is the code:

<A HREF="http://www.yoursite.com/filename.wav"> Click here to download my song</a>

It will look like this: Click Here to download my song (this is only an example)

A few good places to get sounds are: Hoover Free Sounds, WavCentral.com & FindSounds.com.