Building informational webs with PyStyler

So far, we've given the reader a way to move down the tree (that is, further into the outline) by explicit links from 4.2 to 4.2.1 and 4.2.2. We've given them a way to move laterally along the sequence back and forth between 4.2.1 and 4.2.2.

However, we should also give the reader a way to move back up the tree, or to make jumps to related topics.

One clear way to present options to the reader is to have a navigational link at the end of the page labeled “See also,” followed by one or more links elsewhere. For example, a page on carburetors might say, “See also: fuel pumps, intake manifolds, and air cleaners.”

As you wander the Web, you'll see pages with “Up” links. However, what happens to the poor reader who follows a link that lands somewhere in the middle of your structure? They have no idea where they are in your structure, or even that there is a structure. So the reader may find it difficult to predict where “Up” will go.

Dr. Jonathan Price recommends that you provide an “Up” link, but that you call it a “See also” link. If the page above this one has a meaningful title, the reader will realize that it is a more inclusive topic, and can make an informed decision whether to go there.

PyStyler lumps these two categories together: the “See also” link out of a PyStyler page, by default, will point to the next higher topic in the outline (from 4.2.2 to 4.2, for example). You can add more see-also topics to any page, and you can also suppress the “up” link on a page if you prefer.

Now that we've defined how the default navigation works, let's move on to the mechanics of putting up your web.