Now it's time to create the ring fragment. This is simply a matter of providing some
navigational controls in a standard format for use by those sites that join your ring. Each site will receive a copy of
the fragment, customized specifically for their site. They are expected to insert this fragment onto their page, along
with any (optional) graphics.
Note: this tutorial assumes a working knowledge of HTML coding.
Before you begin, you should review the article "Ring Fragments" for an overview of what
fragments are and how they work. Once you've read that article, we will proceed by describing how the Ringlink system
works.
The ring fragment contains of some controls, each of which allows surfers to perform functions on the ring. These
controls execute CGI routines (written in Perl), which perform the actual tasks.
The controls which are available are listed below.
| Function |
CGI routine name |
Description |
| HOME |
home.pl |
Go to home or join page |
| LIST |
list.pl |
List all sites in ring |
| NEXT |
next.pl |
Proceed to the next site |
| NEXT 5 |
next5.pl |
List next 5 sites in ring |
| PREV |
prev.pl |
Proceed to the previous site |
| PREV 5 |
prev5.pl |
List previous 5 sites in ring |
| RANDOM |
rand.pl |
Go to a random site in the ring |
What you are attempting to do when you design a ring fragment is:
- Give surfers a way to get to as many of these navigational controls as you can. Ideally, you should let them use all
of the controls.
- To somehow convey a sense of the theme of the ring. This is usually done by including one or more graphics.
All right, now it's time to design the ring fragment. A simple example of a fragment is shown below (this is the
default fragment from Ringlink).
This is a functional ring fragment, but it is indeed boring. It also has the problem in that it does not really
communicate (except in the ring title) the purpose of the ring.
A more interesting version is shown below.
A graphic image for the right side (next) and the left side (previous) would be included on this fragment. You would be
wise to note in your join page that the graphics must be loaded onto each site's own
space. Otherwise your host will loose bandwidth each time the ring fragment is displayed.
The HTML code for this fragment for the ring "demo" is included below.
You will note the presence of some special tags. These are substituted with information specific to each site when a
site is added.
| Symbol |
Description |
| $::ringtitle |
Changed to the name of the ring |
| $::siteid |
This causes the site id to be inserted |
| $::sitetitle |
Changed to the name of the site |
| $::wmname |
Modified to the name of the webmaster of the site. |
| $::wmemail |
Modified to the webmaster's email address. |
Proper use of these substitution symbols ensures that sites which join the ring receive fragments which are exactly
ready for insertion into their web pages. A good goal to achieve is to make it as simple as possible for sites to add the
fragment - otherwise you will spend a lot of time helping people do this simple chore.
There are many different variations on the fragment format available to you. Since you code the fragment, you are free
to do whatever you want with it.
I've included some example of other types of fragments below. These examples are from surfing around the various rings.
Minimalist Format
«
?
#
ring leaders
%
#
»
This format is very interesting in that it takes up very little space but still provides all of the navigational
controls. Take a look at this page and you
will see how useful this format can be.
|
