21: Ten HTML Do s and Don ts in Java

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When building Web pages, the temptation to view the Web only in terms of your favorite browser is hard to avoid That s why you must recall that users view the Web in general (and your pages in particular) from many perspectives and through many different browsers During the design and writing phases, you ll probably hop between HTML and a browser view of your work At that point, you should switch among browsers and test your pages using different ones (including at least one text-only browser like Lynx) This helps you visualize your pages better, and also helps keep you focused on content Using a text-only browser is also a great way to ensure that visually impaired visitors can still relate to your site Check out the Spoon Browser Sandbox page at wwwspoonnet/browsers It lets you emulate numerous browsers on a Windows PC, including multiple versions of IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera Additionally, you can use free public Telnet servers with Lynx (a character-mode browser) installed Otherwise, visit http://brainstormsandravescom/articles/ browsers/lynx for a good discussion of using Lynx when testing Web pages (you ll also find pointers to Lynx downloads for Windows, DOS, Mac OS, and other platforms there) There s even a free Firefox plugin for Lynx previews inside a pop-up window available at https://addonsmozilla org/en-US/firefox/addon/1944 During testing and maintenance, browse your pages from many points of view Work from multiple platforms; try both graphical and character-mode browsers on each page Testing takes time but repays that effort with pages that are easy for everyone to read and follow It also helps viewers who come at your materials from many platforms, and helps your pages achieve true independence from any single viewpoint Why limit your options If several pages on your site use the same basic (X)HTML, create one template for those pages Test that template with as many browsers as you can When you re sure the template is browser-independent, use it to create other pages This helps every page look good, regardless of the browser that visitors use, and moves you closer to real HTML enlightenment

Users who view the splendor of your site don t want to be told you can t get there from here Aids to navigation are vital amenities on a quality Web site A navigation bar requires a consistent placement and use of controls to help users get from A to B Judicious use of links, and careful observation of what

constitutes a complete screen (or screenful) of text, help users minimize (or even avoid) scrolling Text anchors make it easy to move to previous and next screens, as well as to the top, index, and bottom of any document Just that easy, just that simple or so it appears to the user We believe in low scroll pages: Users should have to scroll no more than one screenful from a point of focus or entry to find a navigation aid that lets them jump (not scroll) to their next point of interest If users must scroll, vertical scrolling is okay, but horizontal scrolling is an absolute no-no! We don t believe navigation bars are mandatory nor that names for controls should always be the same But we do believe that the more control you give users over their browsing, the better they like it The longer a document gets, the more important controls become; they work best if they occur about every 30 lines (or in a set of always visible page controls)

The tendency to sit on one s fundament, if not rest on one s laurels, after launching a Web site is nearly irresistible It s okay to sit down, but it isn t okay to leave things alone for too long or to let them go stale from lack of attention and refreshment If you stay interested in what s on your site after it s ready for prime time, your content probably won t go past its expiration date Do what you can (and what you must) to stay on top of things, and you ll stay engaged as should your site visitors! Over time, Web pages change and grow Keep a fresh eye on your work and keep recruiting fresh eyes from the ranks of those who haven t seen your work before to avoid what we call organic acceptance This concept is best explained by the analogy of your face in the mirror: You see it every day; you know it too well, so you aren t as sensitive as someone else to how your face changes over time Then you see yourself on video, or in a photograph, or through the eyes of an old friend At that point, changes obvious to the world reveal themselves to you as you exclaim, I ve gone completely gray! or My spare tire could mount on a semi! Changes to Web pages are usually evolutionary, not revolutionary They proceed in small daily steps; big leaps are rare Nevertheless, you must stay sensitive to the underlying infrastructure and readability of your content as pages evolve Maybe the lack of onscreen links to each section of your Product Catalog didn t matter when you had only three products but now that you offer 25, they re a must You ve heard that form follows function; in Web terms, the structure of your site needs to follow changes in its content If you regularly evaluate your site s effectiveness at communicating, you know when it s time to make changes, large or small