MIS 114 Project 7

Web Page Essentials

Project 7: Creating Consistent Code

(Last Updated: April 13, 1998)

Lesson #	Topic	Lesson #	Topic
One	Consistent Code	Four	Spelling
Two	Structure	Five	Testing
Three	Design	Go to the	Table of Contents

Lesson 1: Creating Consistent Code

A web browser ignores spaces, tabs, blank lines, etc. in a document's HTML code. How text is displayed is determined by formatting tags. The design of your page should enhance, not detract, from its content.

Indents, spacing, blank lines, comment tags, etc., however, are very useful in documenting your HTML code so that it can be easily maintained, updated, modified. Creating consistent code in the pages you create will also make it easier for you to correct errors in the coding.

Some general rules for creating HTML code:

Put <HTML>, <BODY>, and similar tags on their own lines.
Put each "List Item" in Ordered or Unordered lists on its own line.
When using <BR> tags, place them at the end of a line.
Put <HR> tags on separate lines.
Use comments:  to clarify and identify sections of your code.
Use meaningful names for your anchors, files, and graphics.

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Lesson 2: Structuring Your Pages

Good organization is important to the design of your page. You should guide the readers in a logical flow rather than losing them in a maze of unrelated links. One approach is a top-down linear design, which is easy to design, write, and implement. If you have a great deal of content to display, take advantage of hyperlinks from the initial page to related pages in an organized, easy to follow pattern. See your textbook's publisher's site, Macmillian Publishing Company as an example of user-friendly index to a vast amount of information.

Often it is a good idea to index your documents in an orderly fashion, logically grouped by categories. This type of design has help make Lycos a very popular search site for millions of web users.

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Lesson 3: Properly Designing Your Document

Home Page Design and Layout Suggestions:

To reduce download time, keep your page under 40K.
Keep the number and size of graphics to a minimum.
Use the <ALT> tag to give your graphics a meaningful name to accommodate non-graphic browsers.
Avoid using a large background image file which would significantly slow load time.
Identify yourself on all pages you create.
To encourage individuals to re-visit your page, update it from time-to-time.
Dating your documents will help visitors to easily note whether there have been changes since their last visit.
Give visitors an email address to send comments to.
Use navigational aids (anchors, etc.) to assist visitors navigate your page(s).
Meaningful text within your <TITLE> tag and <H1>, <H2>,... tags, etc. improve a page's information content.
Break your content up into brief sections, appropriately ordered and linked.
Avoid overused expressions like, "Click here," for links. Be creative but brief in writing clickable link reference text.
Give related pages a consistent, professional layout which enhances, rather than detracts, from its content.
Proof your page(s) carefully for spelling, grammar, form, load times, current links.

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Lesson 4: Spell-Checking Your Document

spell checker

HTML Assistant Pro

MS-Word

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Lesson 5: Properly Testing Your Pages

HTML Coding Suggestions:

Make sure your page includes all the basic tags in the correct order.
Check for missing end tags, e.g., </P>.
Verify all links are current and correct.
URL's must have quotation marks around them, <A HREF="www.uah.edu/">UAH</A>.
Be careful not to use reserve characters as a part of your text (e.g., < , > , & , and ") in such a way as to confuse a web browser. Use special character strings instead. Under the Options menu of HTML Assistant Pro set the option, "Show ISO Characters list" on and use it to insert those and other characters into your text.
Do not put HTML elements inside Hypertext Reference links:
Wrong: <A HREF="HTTP://www.uah.edu"><H1>UAH</H1></A>
Make sure links are not put within HTML elements:
Wrong: <H1><A HREF="HTTP://www.uah.edu">UAH</A></H1>
Avoid overlapping tags:
Wrong: <B>This is an example of <I>overlapping</B> tags</I>

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To send email to the course instuctor, Alan F. Whitten
Telnet to your email.uah.edu account from a UAH computer lab
Above email gif created by: Matthijs Rouw Use an email enabled web browser configured for your address Email graphic to the right was created by: Camilla Eriksson
Use your HotMail account to email whittena at uah.edu or anyone else you care to write.

Go back to Project 6 on Tables or go back to the Table of Contents.

Last updated: Nov. 19, 1998.