Mick's Dinky Di Ridgy Didge Web Site and HTML Guide?

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Assorted HTML design tips

Don't use imagemaps as the sole means of navigation

Make sure that all documents you want indexed can be reached with normal links (no imagemaps) from the index documents. A search engine cannot use an imagemap to navigate your site. This also makes it possible for people who have image loading disabled to use the site.

Imagemaps may also take a long time to load. For this reason, avoid them on the main index pages.

Splash Image Mapper is a good place to begin designing an imagemap from a ready made picture you have created. An organisation type chart is one possible way to start off mapping a site visually. Get it from the site http://www.gosplash.com/ (if it's still available).

Map This! is another good image mapping tool I've used previously. Sadly, the programs I've seen lately seem to be limited trial versions only. This is fine if you just need to make one or two image maps, which is a likely scenario. Such programs typically range from 500KB - 2MB. They are really not that complicated in many ways, since they calculate X - Y co-ordinated on an image and generate basic code to represent this.

Java Scripts

Use the full SCRIPT definition by adding the <LANGUAGE="JavaScript" TYPE="text/javascript"> property within the tag.

In addition, older browsers may crash or fail to read pages with java scripts. To avoid this, the hide tags should also be included. They enclose the entire script and are placed immediately after the script tag and before the closing tag.

Some scripts need to be placed in the HEAD section. Some other parts may need to be place in the BODY tag, while many can be placed entirely within the BODY section itself.

The other type of java used is the applet. It is a different file, commonly called *.class and can be more complicated to design. Many are modified from a template version.

Javascript can do some clever things but like other features such as Shockwave, they often require a browser to be enabled or have a plug in. Visitors can be put off by the delays in loading such pages or the need to download and configure additional software before viewing a web site. Use with care and only when they truely improve a web page, not just look 'cool'.

META tags

Please read the META tag notes page for a description of these tags

Using HTML Editors

Use Notepad to edit and write HTML, you will need it to edit minor changes on the spot anyway. Use a word processor/HTML editor to get spelling correct or to make a quick start with a template. After this using these programs only risks ruining good pages and code. They do not like scripts and other features either and can wreck them in a moment by just opening the page.

RECOMMENDED (ie. ones I've tested and used) EDITORS

Try Arachnaphilia Perhaps the best all round editor that is also Freeware/Careware so not a financial proposition to use or possess

PROBLEMS WITH WORD

General ~ Microsoft Word 7 loves to add plenty of paragraph and space tags to a document and can corrupt java scripts quite easily when one opens such documents with the view to making small additions or changes.
It would seem a good idea to use Word when adding text if only to spell check at the same time but I suggest you slap yourself hard in the face and resist this.
Word also fails to track tags, particularly simple bold and italic styles, so Navigator trips up and looks different and often just bad as a result.
Use word then save as HTML when done to avoid dramas, but never reformat or reopen later if you want to live a long and happy life.

Images ~ Word mucks up image sizes, horizontal rules and so on, and seems to hate percentage widths.

Finding Stray or Errant Tags ~ viewing the code in source format and Notepad use the find options and set the case or whatever suits to find all B tags, etc, and visually scan for the paired sets when one seems to have not been closed, as with a Word HTML file (see Word notes above).

In the end I use Word to type longer bits of text and occasionally to format a lot at once, but very carefully and occasionally. Conversion of Word documents is perhaps the best use you will get but unless you can read the source well enough you may find Navigator will not display the poor nesting style Word produces.

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HOME ~ RESOURCE KIT ~ WEBMASTER'S ZONE ~ JAVASCRIPT ~ DESIGN TIPS

Arachnaphilia ~ available widely on CD or Internet as a careware version. Provides colour coded tags and assorted useful toolbars and a good table creation wizard. Recommended for all levels of users as a text editor with a little extra flexibility besides (and useable for other languages and scripts).
"So here is my deal: stop whining for an hour, a day, a week, your choice, and you will have earned your copy of Arachnophilia. Say encouraging words to young people, make them feel welcome on the planet Earth (many do not). Show by example that we don't need all we have in order to be happy and productive.
Paul Lutus, Port Hadlock, WA" ~ http://www.arachnoid.com

Splash Image Mapper ~ available widely on CD or Internet in shareware and full versions.