Features of DHTML

There are four primary features of DHTML:

1. Changing the tags and properties
2. Real-time positioning
3. Dynamic fonts (Netscape Communicator)
4. Data binding (Internet Explorer)

Changing the tags and properties
This is one of the most common uses of DHTML. It allows you to change the qualities of an HTML tag depending on an event outside of the browser (such as a mouse click, time, or date, and so on). You can use this to preload information onto a page, and not display it unless the reader clicks on a specific link.

Real-time postioning
When most people think of DHTML this is what they expect. Objects, images, and text moving around the Web page. This can allow you to play interactive games with your readers or animate portions of your screen.

Dynamic Fonts
This is a Netscape only feature. Netscape developed this to get around the problem designers had with not knowing what fonts would be on a reader's system. With dynamic fonts, the fonts are encoded and downloaded with the page, so that the page always looks how the designer intended it to.

Data binding
This is an IE only feature. Microsoft developed this to allow easier access to databases from Web sites. It is very similar to using a CGI to access a database, but uses an ActiveX control to function. This feature is very advanced and difficult to use for the beginning DHTML writer.