THE TEN STYLE COMMANDMENTS
I File Names
- Your file names for html documents must be no more than 31 characters long, they must not contain spaces or the "/" symbol, and must have ".html" or ".htm" as the file suffix. "default.html" is the default file in any directory. This last restriction can be a problem for DOS users because of the three letter suffix convention. Let Larry Susanka know if this is a problem for you.
II The Beginning and the End
- The first symbols in any html document should be <html> and the last should be </html> . This is an example of the "pairing" of instructions that is used for many html commands. The first symbols effectively tell a browser "we are about to read an html document so pay attention for html instructions." The last symbols - note the slash symbol by which they differ from the first - tell the browser "no more html." As a matter of readability and "style" you should put each part of such a pair on its own line.
III The Head
- Within the html document there are two areas where text and other things can go. The first of these is the head. The head is defined as all the text and instructions between the pair <head> and </head>.
IV The Title
- Several different items can go inside the head. "BCC Style" requires only one - a title. This is a phrase that describes the document. It may show up on the title bar at the top of the browser window. The title is typed between the pair <title> and </title>. For readability purposes each member of this pair should be on its own line.
V The Body
- The second part of an html document is the body. It is defined as everything between the pair <body> and </body>. Almost all of an html document is in the body.
VI Save as Text Only
- HTML documents are pure text documents. You must have your text editor "save as" text only or you will most likely have problems.
VII Keep an Eye on Links "Out"
- A link is an instruction to a browser to view (go to) a file or a place in a file. Links in an html document are often highlighted words and you "go" to the link by clicking on the highlighted word with the mouse. Links can "point" to pictures or other files. If you link to a file you are responsible for the integrity of the link and for the appropriateness of the content to which the link points. This means you must frequently check to see that the link is not broken ( the file still exists on the Net ) and that the contents have not changed.
VIII Maintain The BCC or Science Division "Look and Feel"
- We want the style of graphics and content to have common elements throughout the public document. People who are browsing our page should be able to tell at a glance if they are still with us or if they have gone to another site. This does not necessarily apply to individual faculty pages.
IX Limit Monster Graphics and Files
- Forcing a browser to download a big graphic or other file or many small graphics over a modem line is an unfriendly act and seriously affects the impact of your pages. You should try hard to limit your graphic or other individual elements to no more than 50 k total per page. An absolute upper limit should be 100 k. Sometimes larger graphics or files are necessary. If so give a thumbnail version or description of the big file as a link to the big version. A notation next to the link should indicate the size of the big file, so the user can decide if it is "worth it."
X Provide a Link Back to the BCC or Science Division Index
- A way should always be provided on every page to jump to other parts of the BCC or Science Division Home Page. At the least a link to the BCC or Science Division Index page should be provided.
Send email to Larry Susanka, the technical manager of this site, at ls@ls.ctc.edu.
(This page was last modified on 8/19/96.)
