You might like to check out the report provided by the NZ State
Services Commission (responsible for watch-doggin' the NZ
e-Government Strategy).
BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
The report cites a number of best practice examples in the categories of:
-Accessibility
-Usability
-Information delivery
-e-Se
Been following the breadcrumb (BC) discussion, and think it may come
down to defining the *purpose* of the BC. Through a process of
distillation I've arrived at the following conclusions;
The ('correct') semantic markup of a BC should be based on what the
BC primarily 'means'.
There is the dis
Does anyone have a (ideally substantiated) approach to use us of the
fullstop/period in alt tags and/or title tags?
e.g. alt="My goldfish" title="On holiday in Spain", v.s
alt="My goldfish." title="On holiday in Spain."
Seem to recall mention of screen-readers requiring the punctuation in
the sa
If I have the following on my index page, do I need to repeat it on
every page at my site? Doesn't this tag appearing once
send the robots forward to all the other pages?
A robots.txt file is a better option for controlling site-wide search
engine behavior.
http://www.motive.co.nz/glossary/ro
Title: Re: [WSG] The Holy Grail ... CSS Liquid
Three-Column Layou
I think I
may have found the Holy Grail that 3-column css liquid
layout
What I need
help with is this: I have checked this out on Mozilla, FireFox,
Netscape, and IE all on the pc. Can anyone who is interested
please check it out
SEMANTIC MARKUP FOR PUBLICATION TITLES
In print the name of a publication is typically type-set in an
oblique or italic font. A similar *visual* effect can be achieved
either through the use of:
- an italic font-tag Publication (probably deprecated)
- an emphasis tag Publication
- styling a span
Maybe I'm not fully understanding your question, but what about
having a class (call it "pub" or whatever) and then defining
font-style: italic in the CSS?
Creating a custom class will yield the desired visual effect, however
the class "pub" has no semantic value.
Compare this to text marked-up
Title: Re: [WSG] Semantic markup for publication
titles
"CITE:
Contains a citation or a reference to other
sources"
So you are not referencing a source, just
mentioning a publication.
Seems that the intended use is stretched to include marking-up a
publication title using the tag (when not
I know I should read about Robots from the Robot FAQ web site. However, I am
a little pressed for time right now. What do I need to web sites to stop
Robots reading my web sites I maintain? Thank you.
Create a text file and name it 'robots.txt'
Paste the following code, save and upload to the root
Morning list,
*Please respond to this request off-list ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), once
we've compiled the results we'll get Russ to add a link to the
Resources section of the WSG website.*
E-GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES
We're attempting to compile a list of international e-government web
guid
something along the same lines has already been compiled here:
http://www.webaim.org/coordination/law/
Might be a good starting point in and of itself, and also to avoid
duplication.
Thanks Mike, we'll definitely cross reference, although the WebAIM
materials are broader than what I had in mind (
Hi list,
Any thoughts on semantic markup for object dimensions? For example
works of art;
height x width x depth
400mm x 800mm x 200mm
Could be two parts to this, markup to indicate dimensions (that the
'x' is mathematical: 'by'), and that 'mm' is an abbreviation of a
standard unit. (aside from
Hi Anura,
1. How do you get IE to handle font sizes in tables properly?
Try adding a style for td
td { font-size: 1em; }
or possibly
td { font-size: 100%;}
This should force inheritance of the body font-size.
I have run into a problem with 100% width DIVs inside other DIVs.
Depend
). From an interface perspective this
can be quite confusing. (A feedback cue that suggests interaction is
possible when it is not).
Cheers
--
Andy Kirkwood
Motive | web.design.integrity
http://www.motive.co.nz
Hi Julián,
There's no reason to avoid Verdana. In the
example webpage you referenced, the author's
chief concern seems to be with what happens to
copy legibility if Verdana is *not* installed.
As Verdana comes bundled with a significant
number of Microsoft products and the Windows
operatin
Hi Damien,
We recommend reserving the to describe the page content. Perhaps on the
homepage and the 'About us' page this might be the same as the website name.
Should you want to include the site name on the page, we recommend appending it
to text instead. For example, if the page is on 'New
Hi Kara,
Unlike a , a div will expand to fill the available space (and not the
content it contains), if a width is not specified.
To achieve the layout you describe, you will need to:
-set widths on the divs, and/or
-set left or right margins to accommodate both divs, for example if [A]
is 20p
Hi Mike,
Seems that making user's aware of what 'zoom', 'single column',
'high/low contrast', 'low graphics' or any of the other alternatives
is another issue like that of educating new users about browser 'Text
size' options.
From personal experience, when first stumbling upon issues of web
That's what makes selecting a suitable representation difficult. With a 'T' and
magnifying-glass icon, would the user expect to have their layout transformed
from 2 or 3 columns to a single column or a high/low contrast layout? Perhaps
the type size, layout and contrast options should be separat
Hi Paul,
The main advantages of the Dublin Core metadata is that it represents the
efforts of a group of information and library science experts to translate the
cataloguing conventions previously associated with real world libraries into
metadata equivalents. This translation includes details
Hi Sarah,
COLD WAR AND NAVIGATION CRITIQUE
A usability consideration with link duplication is the potential for
'navigational confusion'. This becomes more pronounced if there are
*apparent* differences either in presentation or wording of the
navigation. To polarise the issue, it can be usefu
Hi Taco,
SINGLE IMAGE vs MULTIPLE IMAGES
A single image loads faster than the same cut into separate images.
HTTP requires a new connection to be made to the server for each file
(i.e. image). Even when the single image filesize is the same as the
sum of the individual files, reconnecting to d
Hi Joe,
Extra space between s is often caused by a bottom margin overhang on the
content of the top . For example, say the element has a bottom margin
.of .6em. If this is the last element in the top you may get a space of
approx .6em between the top and bottom s.
The solution is either to s
Hi Rachel,
MARKUP
Although the 2-column split may be efficient in terms of screen real
estate, the form will be less-likely to be misinterpreted if no.s 1-4
are grouped either in a single column or as a single 'row'.
The row example might look something like this:
(Headers) School | Economic
Hi Mike,
I'm curious as to how the decision regarding browser support came about. What
did the client perceive the 'benefits' of excluding a particular user-base to
be? Why not cater to IE5 Mac if the work had already been done?
>no, that was an informed client choice! We had orginally done the
Hi Terrence,
My interest in Mike's post is in the client-developer relationship. What swayed
the client toward excluding Mac IE from stylesheet support could be beneficial
when considering the merits of such an approach with other standards-aware
clients. Perhaps the RNZ decision means that Mac
Hi Dan,
Data storage units are a bit of a can of worms. The problem lies in
common-usage vs. international standards. There are also 'old' and 'new'
standards for unit abbreviations.
METRIC vs BINARY UNIT GUIDE
Essential reading before continuing...
< http://www.romulus2.com/articles/guides/mis
Hi Joe,
>Our clients don't care as long as it works. They do care that we care enough
>to make them the best, most accessible site we can, but they could care less
>how.
It's more of an issue when a website is maintained by the client. If they're
not aware of the distinction between accessibl
Hi Richard,
To play the devil's advocate...
Certainly humanist developers aim to remove the barriers that technology might
place between users and content. However, difficulty arises when determining
what constitutes 'technical' literacy. This could range from 'What's a link'
through to 'How d
Hi Julián,
SEMANTICS EXTRACTOR
Sometimes a view that approximates the semantics
of the content can be useful. Fortunately the W3C
have just such a tool: <
http://www.w3.org/2003/12/semantic-extractor.html >.
This will likely affirm Paul's point regarding an
as a 'parent' to an element (i.
Hi Darren,
I haven't reviewed the bug, however if its anything like the issue we've come
across with comments [1] then you could try an alternative method of commenting
the code. (This goes somewhat to the concept of semantic markup also.)
Rather than:
...
try:
...
Rationale: Th
Hi Jonathan,
I second Patrick's comment that 'pointing' the DC records to content on the
page is not the solution.
Although, from a maintenance perspective, this may appear to be a work-around
for not completing the metadata records (questionable), metadata harvesting
tools are unlikely to pop
Hi Sarah,
>I was just looking for a way to give the user immediate feedback about
>each reference, and thought the title may be useful.
>
>The problem with linking back and forth is that there are *so* many
>references on each page, sometimes two or three to each quote, so it
>gets a bit messy.
P
Hi Sarah,
>Unfortunately the exact wording of the content (in this client's case)
>is legally required, and so the possibility of editing it, or the
>references, in any way is out of the question.
Moving the title of the reference to the fore of the title attribute value
wouldn't be changing the
Hi Jonathan,
An interesting application of the technology, although I'm not sure
that is addresses how to make it *easier* for administrators to
maintain metadata records.
ISSUES
(Assuming the ideal solution would be a wysiwyg editing environment
for non-technical content authors.)
-adding
Title: Re: [WSG] Naked metadata - RDF in
HTML
Hi Terrence,
It feels like we're talking at cross-purposes?
I'm approaching the subject with the idea
that metadata is
important in order for people to find
(related) information at some later
time.
Interesting and valid point, unfortunately not th
Hi Jonathan,
>** The problem **
>On the Web, DC.description and DC.subject are not very effective finding aids
>when the full text is indexed.
I'm unclear as to the purpose of your enquiry. My take on what you have
outlined is that you're seeking a method of generating metadata records without
Hi Geoff,
(To pick up on Patrick's point.) Have you come across a scenario on a
website where it seems appropriate to use an input element to
indicate that an option exists but cannot be edited by the user?
Perhaps it's preferable to show such content as text rather than as
an input? (Seems
Hi,
Currently there seem to be a few different approaches (with regional
variation) to marking up a simple search form.
-Search for [Input field] [Button: Go]
-[Input field: Text: Search for...] [Button: Go]
-[Input field] [Button: Search]
The above approaches seem ok for sighted users.
The
Hi Rebecca,
>For example, if you wanted to show that a field was editable content (within
>the whole application), but not on the particular screen you are on right now
>(especially if the user knew that by clicking on "edit" or some other option
>they would be able to edit those particular fie
Hi Kevin,
Nice example, top marks ;).
Sometimes these discussions can get a little abstract and one (real world)
example can help make the discussion less murky.
Geoff, I understand your pain with regard to traditional (print) designers and
the often rocky transition to screen-based design. (A
Hi,
(Apologies for the re-post, thought this might have been buried under
the flurry of CSS queries.)
Currently there seem to be a few different approaches (with regional
variation) to marking up a simple search form.
-Search for [Input field] [Button: Go]
-[Input field: Text: Search for...
Hi Goran,
Our glossary provides a few form references, including usability,
accessibility, styling, etc. Have reviewed the references up to a
point. As per usual with the web, caveat emptor.
< http://www.motive.co.nz/glossary/forms.php >
Best regards,
--
Andy Kirkwood | Creative Director
M
Hi John,
>Many standards websites have subtle gradients in backgrounds -- is this
>because designers are confident in using PNG files which do gradients better
>for smaller file sizes?
My opinion is that gradients and textures are introduced to recreate the
textures of real world surfaces not
bsite uses PHP or ASP then server-side includes that have been
implemented using directives for Apache or IIS will not work. (A PHP or ASP
include directive will need to be used instead.)
More on SSI: < http://www.motive.co.nz/glossary/ssi.php >
HTH,
--
Andy Kirkwood
Motive: net commun
nkey/99/41/index3a_page2.html?tw=design >
Cheers,
--
Andy Kirkwood
Motive | web.design.integrity
http://www.motive.co.nz
**
The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/
See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm
for some hints on posting to the list & getting help
**
Hi,
NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT WEB GUIDELINES
I posted to the group late last year regarding formal implementation
guidelines that refer to web standards. Mostly these are created by
public sector (government) or government-related organisations.
For those interested, we've just added a developer's
Title: Lynx current navigation state
presentation
Hi there,
LYNX CURRENT NAV STATE PRESENTATION
Regarding feedback provided by ¸ukasz, to the use of
vs elements in Lynx...
I *use* and . CSS has nothing to do with
it.
Does anyone have a preference/recommendation for how the
currently select
Hi tee,
.strong {
font: 1em bold #369 Arial, San Serif
text-transform: uppercase;
text-decoration: none;}
The font shorthand doesn't include a color property. Your rule should
look like this:
.strong {
color: #369;
font: bold 1em Arial, sans-serif;
text-transform: up
Title: Re: [WSG] accessibility - opening new windows
philosophy
Hi there,
Could be that this discussion has drifted toward usability rather
than accessibility.
Accessibility considerations would be ensuring that users are
advised of what will happened when they activate the link, either than
th
Watch out for IE keyboard navigation bug. Depending on your method
for setting the destination anchor, things can go a little awry. For
details, see:
< http://www.motive.co.nz/glossary/anchor.php >
Cheers,
--
Andy Kirkwood | Creative Director
Motive | web.design.integrity
http://www.motive.co
Not strictly an accessibility reference, but perhaps a useful example
showing click here scan-ability vs. meaningful hyperlink text, and
other pointers on writing hypertext:
< http://www.motive.co.nz/glossary/hyperlink.php >
Cheers,
--
Andy Kirkwood | Creative Director
Motive | web.design.int
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