Grovenet Style Guide

When creating a web page for GroveNet follow the recommendations given here.

Theme

The theme of GroveNet is the grove. You'll find the backgrounds, logos, and icons relate to this theme.

Broken Links

Do not submit documents with broken links. This includes links such as 'INSERT URL HERE', and 'to be done'.

If you wish to link to an existing web page and you don't know the URL, that's OK. Just as long as you supply enough information so the webmaster can figure it out.

Use relative links wherever possible. Relative links between web pages don't break if the pages are moved as a set to another directory, or machine.

Readable even when printed

If possbile, use a style which makes your HTML page readable even if it's printed. For example, don't use 'click here' in a document. (Links are surrounded by underscores.):

_Technical details_ of this system are now available. Is preferred over:

Click _here_ for technical details of the system.

Title

The title appears in the title bar of the window. It will also be placed in the users bookmarks. Make the title descriptive even when it is read out of context.

Use: Forest Grove movies
Not: movies

Background

You may specify one of the predefined GroveNet backgrounds in the <body> tag of your web page. If you do not specify a background, one will be added automatically by the htmlfix utility run periodically by the webmaster. (This utility does not alter files in the chamber of commerce area, ForestGrove/Chamber.)

The following image is available.

GlobalImages/leave2a.jpg

For example:


<body background=../GlobalImages/leave2a.jpg>

Adjust the path to account for the location of your web page in the GroveNet directory hierarchy.

Header

Start the body of your page with a centered header. Use the <h1> tag.

Text browsers

Your page should be usable from both text only, and graphical browsers. Once you have your web page the way you want it to appear in a graphical browser, check it with a text browser such as lynx.

Browsers that do not support tables

GroveNet makes use of tables. Not all browsers support tables. Here are some tips on creating a table containing information that can still be viewed from lynx and other browsers which don't support tables. Browsers which don't support tables will ignore the various table tags. A simple table viewed with such a browser will show a mess of run-on text.

Use the following rules to make a table readable from all kinds of browsers. The idea is to insert tags which make the text readable, even when the table tags are ignored.

End each table cell with a <br>. The <br> will not affect a table enabled browser, but it will break run-on text in a non-table browser.
Add an extra cell at the end of each row containing only a <br>. This will separate the rows of the table with an empty line. It will result in an empty table column visible in table browsers. But the effect is not unpleasant.

Example html code:

<table border>

<tr>
<th>Movie Theater<br>
<th>Phone #<br>
<th><br>

<tr>
<td>Cinema 7<br>
<td>357-3100<br>
<td><br>

<tr>
<td>Forest Theater<br>
<td>357-5107<br>
<td><br>

</table>

This is how the table looks in a table browser. (Assuming you are reading this using a table enabled browser.)

Movie Theater	Phone #
Cinema 7	357-3100
Forest Theater	357-5107

And here's how it would look in a non-table browser. Not ideal, but readable.

And finally, this is how it would look in a non table enabled browser if you did not put in the extra <br>s and extra column.

Movie Theater Phone # Cinema 7 357-3100 Forest Theater 357-5107

Navigation

To make it easy to Navigate the web site navigation buttons will be added to the bottom of every page. One button will return you to the navigator, the other will return to the parent page. There is no need for you to write the html for these buttons it is added by the htmlfix utility run periodically by the webmaster. Also at the bottom of a page is a link used to contact the webmaster about comments and problems. This link is also added automatically by the htmlfix utility.

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