Difference Between Hypertext and Hyperlink

May 2022 · 5 minute read

Humans tend to learn. Whether it is about some technology, some information about any object or person, we keep trying to extract it anyhow. In this work, the world wide web or internet helps us in many ways. And the world wide web has many components like Hypertext and Hyperlink that help us to make our task easier.

Hypertext vs Hyperlink

The main difference between Hypertext and Hyperlink is that Hypertext is a text containing any link to another text. It can be any information that is displayed by the text. On the other hand, Hyperlink is like an anchor to the related source. It can be text, image, video, etc.

Hypertext is the text displayed on a computer, mobile screen, or any other electronic display that can be clicked by the action of a mouse or can be touched to redirect the page to another page. It is one of the major parts of the world wide web, as it gives access to thousands of information available on the internet.

A hyperlink is a link that connects one page of a document to another. It is activated when clicked by mouse or clicked by a touch on the screen. It is mostly embedded in hypertext in the form of text or numeral. It can connect any type of file like text, image, video, etc.

Comparison Table Between Hypertext and Hyperlink

Parameters of ComparisonHypertextHyperlink
DefinitionHypertext is a text that contains references to other information.A hyperlink is a link that anchors a page to another same or different media.
IncludesIt only includes texts.It can have images, video, audio, texts, etc.
CredibilityGenerally, it has related information.It can have unrelated information as well.
ContainIt contains a hyperlink in it.It contains a link in it.
AssociationIt is associated with keywords.It is associated with anchor tags.

What is Hypertext?

Hypertext is a special text that appears in a document or a webpage. It links that document or webpage to another informational page or data. It is an important part of the worldwide web as it is a medium of connecting all the web pages on the world wide web.

It is an immediately accessible text that connects hypertext documents using hyperlinks. It can be activated by a mouse click or by click on the touch screen display. Hypertext documents can be static or dynamic. Static documents are stored after they are prepared, and dynamic documents keep changing like a dynamic web page.

It is like an index of a book that connects the related information using some easily accessible texts. It also a feature is known as “Strech Text”, in which as a user interacts with the hypertext that expands or contracts the content at the same place, which gives more control to the user.

It is a useful element of the world wide web and many other things as well. It is implied in Project Xanadu, HyperCard, NLS, Hypertext Editing System, and many other important implementations. It came into existence about seven decades ago, but it is still relevant as it was in the past.

What is Hyperlink?

A hyperlink is a type of link that connects one page of data to another. It is mostly embedded in hypertext. It is way to another page that may contain a text, video, image, etc. It is connected with a text known as anchor text. It connects the text and a link.

It is embedded in a text or an image which is known as the source document. This source document defines that link. For example, the term “Wikipedia” containing a hyperlink defines that it may have a link to the Wikipedia website page, and in the case of an image, that image may define that link.

The function of Hyperlink depends on the type of document or page it is used in. In normal cases, it takes the user from one place to another in the same document, but in the most common use of hyperlink, which is the world wide web, it completely takes the user to a new page.

It is also a useful element of the world wide web, as it acts as a thread between two mediums. But sometimes, it also leads to a piece of unrelated information that is not useful. It is used for many years, but it still finds its uses in many applications.

Main Differences Between Hypertext and Hyperlink

  • The main difference between hypertext and hyperlink is that hypertext is a text displayed on the screen with reference to other data, whereas a hyperlink is a link between two pages, information, or data.
  • Hypertext generally contains a reference to another information or data, while Hyperlinks acts as an anchor between two pages, data, etc.
  • Hypertext, as the name concludes, includes texts. On the other hand, Hyperlink includes text, video, image, etc.
  • Hypertext contains a hyperlink in itself, whereas Hyperlink contains a link in it.
  • Hypertext leads to related information as mentioned in the text of Hypertext, but Hyperlink can lead to any information that can be either related or unrelated.
  • Conclusion

    The World Wide web is a common part of our world these days, and Hypertext and Hyperlink are an important part of the internet. People most often get confused between these similar types of terms. 

    Hence it is important to have a basic knowledge of both terms.

    Hypertext is a text that appears on screen like normal words, but it links different information, data, or pages, etc., whereas Hyperlink is a link that is used in hypertexts to link the information, data, etc. Both of the terms are different, but both of them are interconnected and related to each other.

    References

  • https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/BFb0027309
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