Coming out with an an overall layout for your website is a very important aspect of the web design process. And one of the most important decision that you need to work out on is whether to go out for static pages or use dynamic ones. However, many designers are still confused with this two options.
Before moving any further, it would be a good idea to know the distinction between the two. A static page is essentially a page that doesn't change its contents, which are dictated by its source code. In order to change its content, the code itself must be tweaked by the webmaster. On the other hand, a dynamic web page is a page that automatically changes its contents based on a given parameter, such as the current date or the user accessing the page.
Dynamic web pages came about with the emergence of web 2.0. Web 2.0 is a web design philosophy which emphasizes on user oriented development. It is also being used in the creation of user generated content. Web 2.0 has, in fact, been hailed by its proponents as the next big wave in web development.
So does that mean that dynamic web pages are much better to use than static ones? Well not necessarily. You see, each type of page design has its own set of pros and cons. For instance, though the dynamic web page has much more capabilities than a static one, it is inherently harder to make. This is due to the fact that it needs more complex coding in order to run the algorithms needed to create a custom output. On the other hand, static web pages are much easier to create and put up and is also less tedious to maintain, albeit it has limited capabilities.
The final question then is: which one is better to use? This will actually depend upon the main purpose of your site. For those sites that are unlikely to change content frequently, such as tutorial or general information sites, static pages will more than work for these. On the other hand, sites that cater to user generated content will do better by using dynamic pages in managing the input sent by visitors.
It is also possible to combine dynamic and static pages in one site. This will produce a more flexible and efficient site design. For instance, you can use dynamic pages on much of your pages while using static design for your auxiliary pages. This way, you will be able manage both much easily. Just make sure that they will be compatible and integrate together correctly.
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