A very common question associated with design work is, “What is an image map?”
The easiest explanation of an image map is that they are images or img graphics files created for the purpose of navigation from the image to a different url or to content or pages that are part of the website through the use of a hyperlink.
A hyperlink is a clickable link. When a website visitor clicks the link in images using a mouse, browsers link (or jump) to the urls, data or text defined in the code of the hyperlink. Image maps may have different regions that go to various areas of a site or to different urls with content used as a resource or reference. A common example of an image map is actual maps where you can click on a country or state and be taken to the active website that serves that country or displays text about a certain state.
Client side image maps have coordinates within the img file while server side image maps have coordinates stored separately on a server. There are various design tools that can be used to make an image and you can usually find some with free downloads or internet-based trials that will enable you to experiment with design features. It’s a good idea to try different applications before you set your mind on one if you are not well-versed in graphic design.
Once you have your image and are ready to create an image map, an AREA HREF code is usually used to specify the coordinates of a clickable region. The letters src is an attribute used to specify the source or location of the img file. Commonly used image formats for image maps include gif, jpeg and png formats.
The advantage of using an image map is that it provides an interactive visual element for your website. The disadvantage is that, without an explanation displayed, website visitors that are not familiar with image maps may not know to click on the image for accessibility to further information, so some designers feel that using text hyperlinks is more effective.
// posted by BasicMichelle on 9/21/2005 11:28:00 AM / Permanent Link 
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