Splash screen
Encyclopedia
A splash screen is an image
that appears while a game or program is loading. It may also be used to describe an introduction page on a website
. Splash screens sometimes do not cover the entire screen, but only a rectangle
near the center. The splash screens of operating systems and some applications that expect to be run full-screen usually cover the entire screen.
Splash screens typically serve to enhance the look and feel
of an application or web site, and hence are often visually appealing
. They may also have animation
s, graphics and sound
.
The Java
programming language has a specific function for creating splash screens called java.awt.SplashScreen that handles standard splash screen functions (i.e. display an image centered on screen then disappears when the first program window opens).
On the Web
, a splash screen or splash page is a page
of a web site that is a kind of pre-home page front page. Designers may use splash pages:
An early use of the Splash screen on a Flash Website was to enable the site developer to launch the site in a JavaScript-controlled new window, without browser elements such as scroll-bars, address bar, etc. and in the exact size of the Flash movie. This has gone out of style with the predominance of pop-up blockers. Instead many starting Flash Web pages now allow their audience to choose to go to full screen viewing.
Since splash screens often increase the wait for the desired content and may take a long time to load, they are not liked by all users. Web splash screens are especially inconvenient for users with slow internet connections as the first page may take longer to load. Moreover, if the user has turned off rich content (such as images, Flash
or Shockwave), the splash page may not load at all. Splash pages created in Flash
(and the associated main pages) often cannot be accessed by search engines or handled by text readers for the blind.
Splash screens can also be created in HTML
and CSS
if they are designed for a purpose other than as a loading screen and instead used for another purpose, such as giving the option to pick the language.
Image
An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
that appears while a game or program is loading. It may also be used to describe an introduction page on a website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
. Splash screens sometimes do not cover the entire screen, but only a rectangle
Rectangle
In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is any quadrilateral with four right angles. The term "oblong" is occasionally used to refer to a non-square rectangle...
near the center. The splash screens of operating systems and some applications that expect to be run full-screen usually cover the entire screen.
Purpose
Splash screens are typically used by particularly large applications to notify the user that the program is in the process of loading. In other words, they provide feedback that a lengthy process is underway. Occasionally, a progress bar within the splash screen indicates the loading progress. A splash screen disappears when the application's main window appears.Splash screens typically serve to enhance the look and feel
Look and feel
In software design, look and feel is a term used in respect of a graphical user interface and comprises aspects of its design, including elements such as colors, shapes, layout, and typefaces , as well as the behavior of dynamic elements such as buttons, boxes, and menus...
of an application or web site, and hence are often visually appealing
Attractiveness
Attractiveness or attraction refers to a quality that causes an interest or desire in something or someone. The term attraction may also refer to the object of the attraction itself, as in tourist attraction.-Visual attractiveness:...
. They may also have animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
s, graphics and sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
.
The Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
programming language has a specific function for creating splash screens called java.awt.SplashScreen that handles standard splash screen functions (i.e. display an image centered on screen then disappears when the first program window opens).
On the Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
, a splash screen or splash page is a page
Web page
A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hypertext...
of a web site that is a kind of pre-home page front page. Designers may use splash pages:
- to direct users to the appropriate website for their countryCountryA country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
or languageLanguageLanguage may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
preference - to direct users to a low-bandwidthBandwidth (computing)In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
site or one more accessible to disabled users - as an additional form of advertisingAdvertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
- to restrict access to content such as pornographyPornographyPornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, alcoholAlcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
advertising or sales, or gamblingGamblingGambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods... - as an aesthetic complement to the main page
An early use of the Splash screen on a Flash Website was to enable the site developer to launch the site in a JavaScript-controlled new window, without browser elements such as scroll-bars, address bar, etc. and in the exact size of the Flash movie. This has gone out of style with the predominance of pop-up blockers. Instead many starting Flash Web pages now allow their audience to choose to go to full screen viewing.
Since splash screens often increase the wait for the desired content and may take a long time to load, they are not liked by all users. Web splash screens are especially inconvenient for users with slow internet connections as the first page may take longer to load. Moreover, if the user has turned off rich content (such as images, Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
or Shockwave), the splash page may not load at all. Splash pages created in Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
(and the associated main pages) often cannot be accessed by search engines or handled by text readers for the blind.
Splash screens can also be created in HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
and CSS
Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets is a style sheet language used to describe the presentation semantics of a document written in a markup language...
if they are designed for a purpose other than as a loading screen and instead used for another purpose, such as giving the option to pick the language.
See also
- Splash page – comic book terminology
- bootsplashBootsplashBootsplash is a term for a graphical representation of the boot process of the operating system.Bootsplash can be a simple visualisation of the scrolling boot messages in the console, but it can also present graphics or some combinations of both....
– splash displayed while booting up the computer. - loading screenLoading screenA loading screen is a picture shown by a computer program, often a video game, while the program is loading or initializing.-Loading times:Loading screens that disguise the length of time that a program takes to load were common when computer games were loaded from cassette tape, a process which...
- Proxy patternProxy patternIn computer programming, the proxy pattern is a software design pattern.A proxy, in its most general form, is a class functioning as an interface to something else...
- Interstitial webpageInterstitial webpageOn the World Wide Web, interstitials are web pages displayed before or after an expected content page, often to display advertisements or confirm the user's age. Most interstitial advertisements are delivered by an Ad server....
External links
- Splash screens – Information on how to remove various splash screens.
- Digitalis SplashKiller – Program that removes the majority of splash screens on Windows.
- GUIde Book Gallery of splash screens – Screenshots of many different applications' splash screens, including previous versions.
- PHP GTK Splash screens – Information on how to programming splash screens on a José Franco's article
- Dinosaur Sightings: Windows splash screens from 1.01 to Vista – A collection of Microsoft Windows splash screens since version 1.01