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BROWSE_SEQUENCE

 
                                     March 18, 2004
                               Rev:  July  23, 2004  

I keep using the term
"browse sequence"
maybe I should explain
it:

All of the pages here are
chained together with
"next" and "prev" links,
so that you can start at           
the top node, and step          
through all of them.  That      I first encountered this                    
sequence is the "browse         jargon in the days when                     
sequence".                      I was working on "help"                     
                                files in Microsoft's                        
                                format.                                     
Originally, the                                                             
"doomfiles" was        The "browse sequence"     MS help files are a        
one big text           in MS help files was      "closed" hypertext         
file, so you           intended to let you       format which means         
could just read        read through each         that they're written
it from bottom         topic like turning        by professional            
to top.  There         the pages of a book.      authors, then                
was a browse                                     compiled and shipped       
sequence there,        Click on the "next"       in a monolithic,    
whether I wanted       button enough             unalterable form.   
it or not.             times, and you                                     
                       could be sure you'd       Essentially all the links  
                       tml">HISTORY          were internal links, 
     CONTENTS    
      could use some improvement.

          (It should show more info:
           A date, a topic description...)
         
                                           

   A thought I've had before: use a different 
   link label to show a strong or weak connection 
   "NEXT" vs "next".                       
                                           
      Where would that be encoded?   
                                         Abandon use of text files 
      In the master browse sequence?     as the source file format?
                                                                   
                                         Add more fields to the 
                                         original text file format?
   

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