# Asterisk use in HTML???



## Kristi (Aug 10, 1999)

When is a * used in HTML tags? In which tags can it be used?

Kristi


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## Cozz (Jul 10, 2001)

an * is used when defining the size of something.
eg, you want to have 3 frames on your page made up in 3 rows one top, one middle and one bottom frame. To make sure that the frames use all the browser page you would code it like this:

The first two set the top and middle frame to the exact size that you want, the * makes the bottom frame fill the rest of the page.
Might be a bit simply put, Classylinks will probably be able to explain it better.


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

LOL.... Who me???

Thanks for the vote of confidence Cozz!

Ok, FWIW, here's my 2 c.

The * is called a "wildcard". Essentially, it lets the browser determine the height or width of an element.

As Cozz suggests you can use it in a frame setting.

You can also use it for:
table width/height
row width/height
cell width/height

AFAIK, it is NOT recommended for sizing graphics, form elements or horizontal rules.

All that being said, it is usually better and much more cross-browser friendly to code your tables and such with absolute widths leaving less up to the browser.

Cheers.


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## Kristi (Aug 10, 1999)

Thanks for the explanations. I've seen this used on my daughter's ICQ homepage (which I've advised her to delete for security reasons). It was used in several tags. This is an example of one:

img src="images/grlhrscar.jpg*12611" width=57 height=32 border=0


What would the number be for?

Kristi


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## Cozz (Jul 10, 2001)

See I knew CL would explain it better!
As to what that means, no idea!
img src tells the browser where the image is coming from.
images is the folder the image is in on the server and the grlhrscar.jpg is the name of the image. But what that *12611 means has me stumped.
CL?


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

I know one thing for sure...it doesn't look like good html coding to me 

While I don't think it should have any effect on the site, I doubt the actual jpg would show up. Looks like a coding mess up to me.


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## Cozz (Jul 10, 2001)

Extremely browser unfriendly


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## Kristi (Aug 10, 1999)

Thanks for your replies. Here are some more statements for examples. The frames case that you mentioned, Cozz, is here with some additional use of the * in the frameset. Not all image tags used the *, only 3 images.

Since this is from an ICQ homepage, I wonder if it has something to do with a database???? (I searched for some info and the database info I found used a % for the wildcard.) 

The ICQ homepage is stored on the user's hard drive, so the only time it's available on the internet is when the user is online. And then ICQ accesses the user's hard drive to display the pages. I'm guessing that the template is universal and somethings are stored in a database.

Any ideas where I could learn more about the *? Or more specifically, what would I use for the search terms? I've been unsuccessful to date.

Anyhow, here are some more examples, in case you're interested and run across something like this in the future.

Kristi

frameset cols="125,*" frameborder="0" border=0 framespacing="0" border="0"
frame name="left" 
src="left.html*18082" 
marginwidth="10" 
marginheight="10" 
scrolling="auto" 
frameborder="no" noresize
frame name="right" 
src="right.html*31818" 
marginwidth="10" 
marginheight="10" 
scrolling="auto" 
frameborder="no"
/frameset


a href="right.html*18085" target="right"
a href="chat.html*9798" target="right"
a href="message.html*20132" target="right"
a href="details.html*26041" target="right"
a href="links.html*32289" target="right"
a href="guestbook.html*12643" target="right"
a href="custom.html1*8665" target="right"


img src="http://localhost:80/images/1.gif*20547" width=25 height=25 border=0 alt=""
img src="http://localhost:80/images/grandkds1.gif*24858"


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

This html shows me a page that should be barely functioning. Can you give me a link to the live url?

The * should have nothing to do with a database. No programming language that I know of recognizes it for anything but a wild card.



> The ICQ homepage is stored on the user's hard drive, so the only time it's available on the internet is when the user is online. And then ICQ accesses the user's hard drive to display the pages. I'm guessing that the template is universal and somethings are stored in a database.


Not really. You cannot access anything on a user's hard-drive unless they have it set up as a web server. They would need to have an IP address etc. Otherwise it is not possible. That reference to http://localhost won't work. Not for a www site anyway.

I'd be interested to see if those links really work. If they do, it is nothing magic about the coding.....just that the browser is being generous and ignoring the *whatever.


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## Kristi (Aug 10, 1999)

Hi ClassyLinks,

This is the URL to the ICQ homepage setup:

http://www.icq.com/hpf/

This is text from that page:

"The pages of your Web site are stored in your PC, and when you are online your PC acts as a mini server, which other ICQ users and the Internet community at large can connect to and view."

This is the URL of my daughter's homepage on ICQ:

http://webfront.icq.com/34084401

The site worked fine for me and I got the code for each page from the temporary internet files folder. That's where I ran into the *'s. I guess I really don't need to know what they do. I'm just naturally curious!

Thanks for your replies. Maybe you can help me with code for frames. I'll post it separately.

Kristi


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

Trying to access your daughter's page I got redirected to: http://web.icq.com/webfront?Uin=34084401

No matter what having users access anything on your hd is NOT a good idea. I would have her remove it IMMEDIATELY! If she wants to put up a free homepage, use geocities or something that is an actual web server.

They even warn against using it:


> Caution!
> By activating the "My ICQ Web Front" feature, you may provide third parties with certain limited remote access to certain files on your computer. Activating this feature increases the risk that parties will be able to tamper with your computer. Also please note that by activating the "My ICQ Web Front" feature you allow third parties to view your IP address.


Overall...not what I would call a great feature, especially with the code red type viruses going around today which specifically target machines doing any type of hosting!

I may just be overly paranoid...but if she has had this up for any length of time I would suggest that you invest in a good personal firewall program to make sure you are monitoring ANYONE trying to access files/folders on your machine. I do have a webserver running on my home computer for production of web sites, and I make sure my firewall is active 24/7.

Just my 2c.


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## maxim (Jun 9, 2001)

Hey Classy, how do you know so much about HTML and the web in general? You must be a *REAL* geek!!! DISCLAIMER: Geek is a compliment.

--maxim


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

Too funny Maxim.....yep, to many people I would qualify as a geek, and not always complimentary.

How do I know so much about HTML and the web in general?? I run a web design company.....I have to be able to throw the bs around with the big guys. 

But hey...I know other stuff too! Ask me about curling.....I do that semi-professionally. Ask me about cats.....I've got four of the little fur balls.

Oh no! I am a geek! 


ROFLMAO!


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## maxim (Jun 9, 2001)

So, uhh, how exactly *DO* you curl? I hear that you heat up hot bacon grease, and fire it all over your face. Is this a rumor?! Oh, wait, I think that's the face lift without surgery! Curling...hmm...nope, don't know a thing about it.

Cats? I used to have one. My family took it to the waterslides, and, well, we never saw the poor cat again! It ran off somewhere. It was sad...I liked the cat, although I don't care for all cats. They're too...lazy...and they reproduce like rats!!! 

--maxim


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

No...that's not the curling I know. LOL

We "throw" really heavy rocks down an ice rink and try to make them land on a bullseye. Sort of.

http://curling.ca/

My cats aren't much into waterslides either. But here's a hint...there's a thing the vet can do with a really sharp knife that fixes that reproduction thing.


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## maxim (Jun 9, 2001)

Hee hee hee!

Oh, so you DON'T hang someone upside down and kick their bum back around the frontside of their face? Oh, too bad

The cat that was lost got the 'operation' done, too!

--maxim


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

> Oh, so you DON'T hang someone upside down and kick their bum back around the frontside of their face? Oh, too bad


I might do that.....I still have fun with the game!


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## maxim (Jun 9, 2001)

It sounds fun, huh? Yep, I do it every day. Wake up...get some water...brush my teeth...hang myself upside down and kick my bum around my face...yeah, it's okay

--maxim


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

shhhhhh Max......Kristi will start to question your sanity.


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## maxim (Jun 9, 2001)

what sanity?

--maxim


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## Kristi (Aug 10, 1999)

Hey, I'm a cat lover too! My precious Kitsi is on my lap right now. I collect cat items also. A couple of kids once tried to count all the cats (stuffed, pictures, ceramic, glass, etc.) that I have and they got up into the 200's. And that was a few years ago.

And hey, a couple of small dogs were leery of some of my stuffed cats because they look so real. Even Kitsi has had a stare down with a Siamese that hangs over the bathroom door! 

We could start a whole new bulletin board here! Kitsi chews cords -- his specialty is phone cords, even though I've seen him leave the floor on two different occassions when he cut through them. 

Back to the subject at hand. I've told my daughter to get rid of that homepage! I told her I would put it up on a free host for her and that's when I went looking for the html pages and found the *'s. 

Kristi


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## ClassyLinks (Aug 12, 2001)

Cat Lovers Rule!

Check this out:

My Kitties....well, most of them.


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