Animations can be useful to make your web pages fun and to attract attention to something important. However, animations are all too often used in places where they are only annoying and distract the viewers' attention away from the important parts of the page. You should therefore think twice before you decide to use animations on your pages.
There are several methods for making animations:
This is the most common method. The .gif format for images allows the image to change. You need special software for making animated gifs. Shareware or trial versions of such software can be downloaded from the Internet.
Old method: <BLINK></BLINK>. This method works only in Netscape.
Style method: <SPAN STYLE="text-decoration:blink">This text will flash</SPAN>. This method works in most newer browsers.
<MARQUEE width="50%"></MARQUEE>. This method works only in MS Explorer.
The combination of Java Script and Document Object Model (DOM), also called Dynamic HTML, is the best way to make text and images appear, disappear, and move anywhere in the browser window. Unfortunately, DOM is not yet fully standardized, and therefore has to be coded differently for different browsers. You need a browser-sniffer to detect which browser the user has, and supply the code that fits the users' browser. Description.
The aeroplane you see here is made with this method. View source code.
Java applets can make quite impressive animations within a square area of the screen. Java applets may take considerable time to download and start. Description.
This is a technology for making impressive animation effects without the need for a high bandwidth. Description.
It is possible to supply video files, for example in the .avi format, that can be seen in a square area of the screen. Video files take very long time to download, especially if the user has a slow connection.