LESSON 7: TIPS ON GOOD HTML STYLE

1. Study the index cards on Tips on Good HTML Style. I've included a hard copy of these index cards, for your convenience. Be sure you can answer all the questions! Do the worksheet items W7.1 through W7.5, and also do A7.1 (but not A7.2). Here, you'll practice validating some HTML code.
   • What is "good" HTML code? (Three answers were given on the index cards; list at least two of these.)
   • Is there any way to check that my files meet the current HTML specifications?
   • What does "debugging" mean?
   • Are tags and attributes case-sensitive in HTML?
   • What does the phrase "case-sensitive" mean?
   • What is one reason that you might want to capitalize all your HTML tags and attributes?
   • What is one reason that you might NOT want to capitalize all your HTML tags and attributes?
   • How can you use the fact that HTML ignores extra whitespace to make your HTML code more readable?
   • What is the maximum length that you should make your lines in your HTML code?
   • What is the correct extension (suffix) in naming HTML files? (The part after the "dot".)
   • Should you use spaces and special characters in file names?
   • What should you use instead of a space in a file name?
2. By studying the code in worksheet (W7.1), you should be able to construct simple tables. Notice that "TR" stands for Table Row and "TD" stands for Table Data.
   Put the attribute "border" in the opening TABLE tag to get the lines on the table. For the coding part of this quiz, you should be able to construct any simple table. Practice by writing the code to produce each of these tables. Notice the different amounts of space around the contents of the table data elements.
   

   My name is Carol J.V. Fisher!

   My name is Carol J.V. Fisher!

   Still Carol J.V. Fisher!

   
   Note: We will study lots more about tables in a future lesson!
3. CHALLENGE PROBLEM: Write the code that produces EXACTLY the three tables you see above, all three in a single row across the screen.
4. Please read pages 29–33 in the Weasel book (up to "Why Specifying Type Is Problematic") and answer the following questions:
   1. Is designing pages for the Web the same as designing a printed page? If not, what is the main difference?
   2. List several things that "printed page" designers have complete control over, but that Web designers have much less control over:
   3. What are the seven "Unknown" factors listed in the text that will directly impact the design and functionality of a web page? Try to come up with a memory device to help you remember these seven things!
   4. What are three common "platforms" mentioned in the text?
   5. Can users change the default appearance of the pages they view? If so, will the user settings override settings that you specify when designing a web page?
   6. If you own your own laptop or home computer, figure out how you can change the default appearance of the pages you view. Make several changes, and view the same page under these different conditions.
   7. List five things that users can adjust regarding the default appearance of web pages.
   8. List four different possible connections to the internet that users may have.
   9. What type of connection does Miss Hall's School have? If you have a connection at home, what type of connection do you have?
   10. What is the "golden rule of web design," according to your text?
   11. What should be the maximum size of graphics for the web? What is a "kilobyte", and what is its common abbreviation?
   12. According to the author, what is the criteria for a good web design?
   13. Fill in the blank: "HTML was created with the intent of putting ultimate control of the presentation in the hands of the ___________.
   14. Can a web designer guarantee that a user will see a particular font and size?
   15. What are the two fonts you can be sure you have to work with when designing web pages?
   16. What is a "proportional" font? In a proportional font, will the letter "i" and the letter "m" have the same width?
   17. What are proportional fonts typically used for in web pages?
   18. What is the default proportional font in Navigator?
   19. What is the default proportional font in Microsoft Internet Explorer?
   20. Do the majority of users take the time to change the default font in their browser preferences?
   21. What is a "fixed-width" font? In a fixed-width font, will the letter "i" and the letter "m" have the same width?
   22. Is this sentence written in a proportional font, or a fixed-width font?
   23. Is this sentence written in a proportional font, or a fixed-width font?
   24. List three of the six HTML tags that use fixed-width font to render type.
   25. Give two examples of fixed-width fonts:
   26. What is a sure-fire way to have absolute control over font display?
   27. What are two advantages of using GIF (graphics interchange format) text?
   28. What are three disadvantages of using GIF text?

• (10 pts) Coding part: Code a simple table!
• (5 pts) Show me that you've marked the answers to all the questions in your text book!
• (30 pts) Questions from the index cards and reading (see below).
  There will be 19 randomly-chosen questions; you will cross off 4 questions.
  The remaining 15 questions are worth 2 points each.