Image Mapping

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Image Mapping is the process where the by clicking on the image, the user can directly access to the other pages linked with the imagery with the help of browser. This is frequently used for button panels of toolbars. Image Mapping is done with the help of server program. There are different types of Image Mapping having different file formats.

Elements of Image Mapping :

Image Map : for Image Mapping , Image Map is the most necessary element. It works as a container of information, which is necessary for undergo the whole procedure. The map tag should have its attribute. A map should also have its defined region to make the Image Mapping more user friendly. There are some different features a that a image map have. These are

• Map ID : this is the predefined map ID to recognize the map very easily.
• Map data : it should have attribute data that consists solely client-based mapping data.
• Map name : Overall name for the map in which the areas are located

Area : it is an empty element, holding the attribute information. It describes the whole image and its region within a linked image. Area in Image Mapping is determined by some predefined factors. The AREA tag is empty, so no close tag is permitted. Area has five possible attribute. These are –

• shape
• coords
• href
• nohref
• alt

These factors are as follows –

1. Map shape : it is defined as the whole image area or region to be mapped. It may also be defined as the geometric shape that a Image Map is having..Active regions– that is, parts of an image which the user can click on and expect something to happen– are defined using the Area tag. The values of map shape are as follows –
   • Rect : rectangle, used to defined a rectangle.
   • Circle : circle to define circular region.
   • Poly : polygon, the most important one to define the area or arbitrary angle. The number of points in a polygon are infinite, though the concept is applicable theoretically only.
2. Coords: size and shape of Image Mapping is determined by the Coords attributes.
3. Href : it supplies the identifier or address for the URL to which other factors are linked.
4. Map alt : it may also be considered as the map antenna or the URI of the alternative link to the map.

Steps for Image Mapping :

1. Create an Image : this is the first step in Image Mapping. There are a number of steps including image creation, image editing, preprocessing, and some other editing programs. This is called xpaint.
2. Create an Image map map file : this process of Image mapping is assisted by a number of tools. Mapedit is the most common tool used for this purpose. This step includes –
   • collection of points, polygons, rectangles and circles
   • each feature contain a short text description of some information
   • information server
   • interconnections are operated with lines or arcs
3. Referencing imagemap in HTML file: if the user created a sample map the directory becomes the public_HTML home directory. Thus the image will be referenced.
4. Load file : this is the final step of Image Mapping. Here, you load your HTML file and see the final result.Thus, the Concept of Image Mapping lies in the process of making online, user friendly maps.