This list has made a fundamental change to the way I go about creating sites in my shop.
Previously, I usually worked on the data structure first after getting agreement on the plan from the client, then got the client entering the data while I got on with doing the front end and display stuff. The public/display parts of the site would take me much longer than building the backend in most cases, and I had no real plan for how to attack the task. Sometimes I'd try stuff and mess about with it for a day or more while I tried to find a page layout that I liked. After learning more about the structured approach demanded by standards compliance I built a site and was most impressed with how much it reduced my building time and simplified the tweaks and changes requested by the client. So now I'm in the process of making a series of template sites to use for future sites. A fixed width two column site (based on the way Aura is built - what a superb tool that is!!), a fluid 3 column site with headers and footers, a fluid 2 column site with headers and footers, etc. For new sites, I reckon I can have the public areas done very fast now, and be working on the more tricky things that the clients need. Thanks to this list, I have a much better understanding of standards and compliance, and can see the very real benefits of using the techniques discussed here. (Although I have to add I don't consider myself anything more than a novice in this field!! I know there's a lot more to learn). I can see benefits for me in a number of areas: Time to develop a site: It'll be much faster because I have the structural elements pre-defined in my template sites. And since I built them, I know what to tinker with to make the changes required by the client. Profit on a site: Because it'll take less time to develop, that means I can either afford to charge less for the site, or just take more profit for myself Ease of maintenance: Because the site is simpler in terms of the code, it's obvious to me that it's going to be far easier to locate bits of code that require fixing than wading through nested tables looking for the correct cell. Profit on maintenance: Easier maintenance translates to either lower pricing for maintenance, or more profit for me on the existing prices. Reuse of code: A structured approach will mean it will be far easier to build site elements in modules that can be reused from site to site, thus reducing further the cost and time to develop a site. Reduced maintenance: Standard-compliant sites will need less maintenance, because there will be far fewer calls with clients telling me things are broken. I feel kind of stupid that I didn't latch onto this idea earlier. I'm looking at my last month's work with one of those <slap-forehead-and-shout-DOH!> moments, thinking how much easier it would have been to create half the stuff I've done over the last few years if I'd known then what I know now. (And had the browser environment of today as well, but that's another story). Thanks everyone on this list! You've made 2004 look a lot rosier for me than 2003 was. Cheers Mike Kear Windsor, NSW, Australia AFP Webworks http://afpwebworks.com ***************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ *****************************************************
