Firefox Extension
Alpha release, for testing purposes only. Still under heavy development.
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What Is Standard-Navigation?
Standard-Navigation revolutionizes the way we navigate the Web. A Standard-Sitemap is a file in XML format, created by the webmaster, representing the web site’s structure. From this file the browser builds a navigation system which replaces the traditional (embedded into the page) navigation bar. Thereby, navigation is becoming a function of the browser. Due to its platform independence, Standard-Navigation is the future-proof norm for all of tomorrow’s devices.
What Are the Advantages of Standard-Navigation?
For Web Users:
- All Web sites get a consistent navigation system. This means:
- No permanent re-orientation between different Web sites. The navigation system is always in the same location and works the same way for all Web sites.
- No more hassle with intransparent navigation systems.
- Each user can customize the navigation system, according to their own needs (font size, appearance, etc.).
- Less learning effort for novices.
- Improved accessibility, since the Standard-Sitemap is readable by every end user device. This allows for optimized display.
- Unified form of displaying the site map itself (i.e. overview of all pages).
For Programmers:
- Easiest method to implement a cross-platform navigation system.
- Less programming effort, since even for multi-level navigation hierarchies there is no more need to develop laborious JavaScript solutions.
For Designers:
- More potentials to design the actual content of the page, since no regard to the navigation bar is necessary.
For Search Engines:
- Completely new opportunities, since not only the page’s content, but also its position in the overall hierarchy can be analyzed.
How does a Standard-Sitemap look like?
For web users: See Firefox Extension
For webmasters: See File Format
For which Web sites is Standard-Sitemap appropriate?
For each and every – no matter if it comprises just one or several millions single pages.
Can I Contribute to the Development?
Yes, your help is greatly appreciated. Start by visiting or SourceForge project page or subscribing to our mailing list! You could:
- Help programming the Firefox extension
- Program an online validator
- Translate the Standard-Navigation web site into other languages
- Propagate Standard-Navigation with:
- webmasters
- Web software vendors
- CMS vendors (Typo3, Joomla, WordPress, Plone etc.)
- browser vendors
- journalists
- W3C
- search engines
Supported by the Internet Privatstiftung Austria 
Project Summary (PDF)
