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More help needed
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More help needed |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois 
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Ok, for the design of a hypothetical web site, I have to answer some questions. This one however leaves me shaking my head, because I don't know what they mean. Can anyone help me out here? "What structure will the site follow (hierarchial, linear, combination?) What is hierarchial and linear?? |
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Nicole Senior Member
since 1999-06-23
Posts 1835Florida |
Okay - I *think* I might know, and if I'm wrong then I know someone will jump in. Linear - That would be a site that's just that, linear. If you were to draw up a storyboard that depicts the site, the whole site, you'd see it following a straight line. Home page --> another page --> another page. See? Hierarchial - Looks like a tree: --> to this page Home page *or* --> to this page With each page branching off into their own sections. A combination of both, may have a primarily hierarchial web site with one of the 'branches' completely linear in style.  |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Nicole has you covered, Becky. An example of hierarchical is the main Passions site. You start at the top (main page), then go to a category (Poetry Buffet), then go to a subcategory (Christian Poetry). To go from Christian Poetry to Lost Romance, you have to go back up the tree (to Sad Poems) and then down into a new subcategory. Once you get into a category or subcategory at the main site, it becomes an example of linear - because all the poetry is laid out in a straight line and, indeed, every poem has a link going to the "next" poem. The main site, obviously, is a combination. So are the forums, now that we have MetaCategories, and that similarity is not a coincidence. IMO, it's the only effective way to build a site of any nontrivial size, and was our biggest lack in the old software. Unfortunately, navigating a "tree" is only intuitive if you can see the tree structure and realize other nodes exist. That's why I added a visual at the main site a few months ago ( http://netpoets.com/poems/ ) and why you'll likely see one here before we grow much larger. Intuitive, however, doesn't necessarily mean easy. Both the main site and the forums currently have only two levels before they go linear, and that makes constantly going up and down the tree tolerable. Add a third level and you enter a whole new realm of complexity - because "easy" is only going to be accomplished by cross-linking the lower nodes. But we'll save that one for another discussion. |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
Nicole you jarred my memory. Thank you. Ron, you made it make sense a whole lot more. Ok, so let me see if I have this right now. If I'm making a site, much like the one I have now (though not finished), and I have say poetry, stories, and what I called an informative board. I have grouped the poems, and links that would go back to Home, and of course to the next poem. And so on with the other subjects, then I'd have both right? |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Strictly speaking, a single-level hierarchy is still a hierarchy - but there's probably room for argument, too. If it was my assignment, I think I'd add another level just to be sure the teacher knew I understood the concept. |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
Thank you Ron  |
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