FIT3044 - Advanced website authoring

Leader: Lindsay Smith

Offered

Berwick First semester 2008 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit extends the website authoring concepts taught in FIT1012 by looking at more advanced techniques which are available to web site developers in publishing rich media/multimedia content. The structure of an XML document is investigated and the manner in which such a document can be converted to HTML or other formats. Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL), a form of XML, will be investigated as a technique for authoring interactive audiovisual presentations. In addition the unit introduces Macromedia Flash remoting as a client for web services, php's multimedia capabilities and the requirements/standards for web audio/video streaming.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit students will have a theoretical and conceptual understanding of the fundamental elements of an XML document's structure and the processes involved in reading and handling such a document; the advantages and limitations of XML in comparison to other formats such as HTML, EDI, Flat files etc; the role of the XML Schema Definition Language and its relationship to Document Type Definitions (DTDs); the role of XML Stylesheet Language (XSL) in document publishing; the role of XML in rich media/multimedia presentations through the use of Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) and the issues involved with audio/video streaming on the web. At the completion of this unit students will have developed attitudes that enable them to adopt a flexible approach towards application development by consideration of the wide range of XML approaches available; appreciate the importance of systematic and structured approaches to program development. At the completion of this unit students will have the skills to create an XML document and its associated Document Type Definition (DTD); create an XSL style sheet and use it to convert XML into HTML or other XML formats; use Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) to author interactive audiovisual presentations; write Macromedia Flash applications which access web services via Flash remoting; use a scripting (php) approach for manipulating images, creating PDFs, and creating Flash content and setup and configure a basic web streaming server. At the completion of this unit students will have further developed the teamwork skills needed to work as a member of a project team.

Assessment

Practical Assignments: 40%; Examination: 60%

Contact hours

4 contact hrs/week (comprising 2 hrs lecture, 2 hrs tutorial) plus 8 hrs/week of self-directed study, project/assignment work.

Prerequisites

FIT1012

Prohibitions

GCO2811, GCO3823, CPE3002, CSE2030, MMS2802