An Image Map is an image with one or more mouse selectable hyperlinks. When the mouse selects a spot within the defined area, it will activate a link. Since the browser supplies the URLs, not the server, the response time is faster. Most of the image maps currently on the Web are client-side image maps. For this reason, only client-side image maps will be discussed.
Image maps can be gif or jpg format.
To create an image map, one can always start from scratch by finding out the coordinates of the image with the aid of a software program such as Paint Shop Pro. However, this method is cumbersome and tedious. Many tools are available, through shareware, that make creating image maps easy and even fun. They come in various forms such as animated letters, images and slides shows. It is an effective way to attract viewers' attention and to make web pages come alive.