Mixed: Problems in navigation in all browsers

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Problems in navigation

The main problems

Both frame and table systems have difficulties to build navigation system to big page groups. What could be the best system?

I have used complex frame system in order to get short link paths. My principle is "if you in any page, you can get to any other page with one to three clicks!" I don't however regard my system in every respect the best available. The ideal solution in my mind is to separate navigation and information partially from each others like CSS and the HTML file.

This system does have however some problems:

Before the system works, I should get opened at the same time two separate documents. This is problematic. I could use pop-up - windows, but they don't work if the user has put off JavaScript. And I don't recommend automatic opening pop-up windows even if I use manually opening windows. Another alternative is an ordinary window, which must be opened by the user. If there would be extensive way to handle references, this would be easier. What I mean:
- Pop-up windows could be some kind of extensions in HTML and they would not need scripting. After target definition there could be eg. <A href="../Seurakunta/vasen_alue.html" target="_blank" value="top:30;left:30; width:630; height:400">
- Multi linking. That means that instead of opening a single file there could be the possibility to open multiple files like <A href="../Seurakunta/vasen_alue.html" target="left" value="top:30; left:30; width:630; height:400;" href="../Seurakunta/Virheet.html" target="center">. At this system the user could exchange the content of several frames at the same time, but he would not need to exchange the whole frameset neither use block level frame systems like I have designed.
These two windows should be possible to put close of each others like in this picture
The browser cannot know the page, which launched the special navigation page as a certain name or a fragment identifier (the id attribute), if it is not a frame-document. A frame document has a name or a fragment identifier, for example <FRAME name ="textpage" id="textpage" ...>). But if the HTML would have the possibility to give the id attribute to all documents and there could be the possibility of multi linking the system could work better. Lets make an example so that the idea become more obvious:
- A file could have this attribute: <html id="navipage" ... >.
- Two documents could be called with names like this <A href="navipage.html" target="navipage"; a href="something.html" target="textpage">;. They are opened at the same time and there is no need to open other documents. These two documents would work like a frame-document, but they would be independent. Both documents could be put into the bookmarks lists. I hope, that in future the root element could have core attributes and the id attribute.
- Alternative two document, which root element has the id attribute could" communicate" with each other and both could change the content of the other document.
The problem in the existing HTML language to my system is, that when the navigation page is launched, the start page should be closed, because it is not needed anymore. After the user have closed the unnecessary document, he has two unframed documents, and the contents of both documents can exchange and put into favourite list (sometimes it is also sensible to use frame-documents and put in to the list the parent-document, but if the whole system base on parent-documents, it is impossible to sensible mark sub-documents (child-documents)). Indeed the same functionality can be reached by using JavaScript. If the main page has for example window.name="mainWindow" and the main window opens a pop-up navigation window, it is possible to link back to the main window from the opened pop-up navigation window using in links target="mainWindow". At that way only two windows are needed and any window doesn't need to close.
In order that this would be sensible, the process should be automated and the browser tiles them automatic like Opera. This is a screenshot of Opera. For small devices could be used cascading files.

XML has XLink. It might solve some navigation problems, but it doesn't necessary do, what I mean (I have not read thoroughly the documentation).

Advances of my suggestion:

If my suggestion could be somehow automated, it does have following advances:

In the navigation page can be very much links, because it is only for navigation. This page could also be changed, if it becomes too big.
In the pages, which does contain the actual information could be nice, because links don't steal the space. In many WWW-pages (sometimes also in my pages) links "steal" the main role and in some pages there is nice links without real information! Links might be attractive to watch, but what you make bare links?
Graphics can present the matter itself - not primary links! The graphics can be more attractive and clear.
Both link pages and information pages can be put into lists.
You can easily resize both navigation page and information page (also by using scalable frames this is possible, but all browsers don't allow to resize frames or allow this only partially)
It is possible to avoid the problem of ordinary table systems - a big quantity of links in the information page and information page is mess mixture of links and information. In my mind sensible navigation consist only links to the main chapter and link to backward and forward like Jukka Korpela suggest, but going to bigger entireties goes from the special navigation page.
It is possible to avoid the problem of ordinary frame-systems (impossible to mark sub-documents or if the use opens sub-document into a new window, the lonely window might not be working properly without the parent-document).
Large pages are easy to handle and make so, that in every page can go with 1-3 mouse clicks.

For personal use it is easy today make this kind of system with Opera! Opera can save as name the whole window system and user can open these saved files (Preferences > Save Window Settings - File > Open). If other browsers could do the same, instead of frame set files, browsers could use window saving files. The page designer gives the downloadable starting set, but the user could exchange it and save it with an another combination. The whole window is in use and what bigger screen, the more powerful system - with small devices is impossible to reach this efficiency. This system is ideal for scientist, which needs to compare materials with each others.

Tapio Markula 1999-2003, Salo, Finland
(table of topic groups, E-mail - (add to beginning of the e-mailaddress my name, Tapio Markula, separated with a comma)(@dnainternet.net)

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Mixed technical pages has been last edited 28.01.2004