WWWeb Hypertext Style

by Jerry Tutsch, Copyright © 1996

Previous/Next Page

The user interface feature most often used by a book reader is the page flip. The function of the page flip is two fold. First, a page flip allows the reader to scroll to the next physical section (page) of text.1 Secondly, since books are structured in a linear way, the page flip is also used to navigate to the next logical section of the book.

In a hypertext document, it is sometimes necessary to scroll within a window to see all of the text in a node. However, since the physical order of the nodes is not related to the reading order, replicating the navigational function of a page flip with a "next page" button is generally not possible.2

If in a hypertext document, some sections or chunks are best read in a sequential fashion, a link to the logically previous or next sections should be placed at the beginning or end of the sections. Within linear parts of the hypertext document, Netscape's Back/Forward buttons can be used to navigate within the history list.3

As navigational tools, previous/next functions only make sense within static documents. Corresponding navigational tools, back/forward, are needed in dynamic documents but are meaningful only in conjunction with a dynamic reading path such as that recorded by a history list. For "dead" books, page sequence in space (fixed by the author) implies reading sequence in time. For "live" hypertext, page sequence in space is meaningless and reading sequence in time is controlled by the reader.

NOTES
1. Before books were bound in their current folio form, it was common to scroll horizontally through text. Pages were of a fixed size and were essentially bound right-edge to left-edge in a continuous fashion and then rolled up on two vertical rollers.
2. You will find linear hypertext documents on the WWWeb that have next/previous page flipping buttons. These are print-based documents that have been "converted" to the WWWeb. For the first 200 years after the printing press was introduced, the majority of books that were published were converted manuscripts. It takes a while to write for a new medium.
3. The history list in Netscape can be viewed from the "Go" menu or it can be opened in a separate window. A major problem with Netscape, when reading long hypertext documents, is that the history list cannot be saved between sessions. Even saving the URL of the current page requires special action on the part of the reader.
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Created using HyperText ToolÝ, at 11:53 AM, on 4/3/96. The document is located at: http://www.execpc.com/~tutsch/HTT-W3HTS/top.html.