Hypertext is a method for preparing and publishing text used for specific types of reading – namely, computer-based text in which readers can pick their own paths as they go through the material. Content is broken down into manageable units that are then marked and linked in order to connect them together.
Technipages Explains Hypertext
These paragraphs, chunks or even pages of text are called nodes. No matter their size, each one of them then gets a hyperlink – in this context called anchor – attached to it, in order to be able to point to it. When a user clicks on a link somewhere, software displays the content in the node that it points to. This means that rather than showing everything at once, the user is encouraged to pick and choose bite-sized pieces of information one at a time.
Navigating nodes of hypertext this way is called browsing – and a connection of nodes is called a web. If browsing a web sounds familiar, that’s because the World Wide Web functions in this way. Links and URLs point to nodes with information and websites or files in it. At a smaller, scale, this system is ideal for working with massive amounts of text, such as encyclopedias and multivolume books. In other words – anything that can easily be indexed and may need to be retrieved one node at a time.
Common Uses of Hypertext
- Hypertext is a type of interconnected bits of information called a web.
- While it can appear at almost any sort of scale, hypertext’s most common form is the World Wide Web.
- Hypertext relies on a computer-environment to function.
Common Misuses of Hypertext
- Hypertext is another word for a link to other data.