Today's web sites have active content that uses technologies such as Javascript
and PHP. Embedding active content on a web page is part of our new "widget"
architecture. It allows scripts to be placed anywhere on the page by using the
familiar "box" model.
Widgets allow a script to be packaged in a way that can easily be
incorporated into a web site by novice users. The script is "wrapped" such that
it has an interactive properties dialog where the user can configure the
widget with a user interface of the author's choosing. When added to the
web-page a template is used to configure the script based on the properties set
by the user. Most new functionality in siteZen will be packaged in this
way. We will eventually open this up to third parties to allow for
the packaging of scripts that can be fully integrated into siteZen.
To date we have implemented the following widgets for use with
Instant SiteBuilder:
A Photo Navigation and Slide Show - This navigates the
viewer through the photo album and pops up a slide show. By pre-loading
pictures the slide show works well even at lower bandwidths.
Google AdSense - This widget allows code from the
Google AdSense program
to be used for the creation of advertising. The widget accepts pasted code
and interprets the parameters to automatically size the AdSense box on the
page.
sIFR Fonts - This feature is implemented entirely as a
widget. It is a great example of the power of the properties dialog where
fonts and font properties can be set.
We have also implemented fundamental building blocks for users who have
programming skills and wish to create their own active content. These widgets
are only available in Zen Pro:
iFrame - Allows content from other sites to be embedded
directly onto a web page.
Javascript - Allows Javascript and/or HTML to be entered
and tested. It is very useful for embedding pre-configured scripts such as
the Google Map API or banner advertising scripts. The widget reports
Javascript errors so the code can be tested before placing it on a web page.
PHP - We have chosen PHP as the language for active
server content because it is the most widely supported in the web hosting
industry and contains the security features that most hosting companies
demand. Scripts can be debugged using the widget interface before inserting
on a page.
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