Preparation
Establish
directory structure and file naming conventions
Consistent file structuring and naming conventions
make it easier to find and organize files, and to continue the work of
developing the site.
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To manage your content and accurately code your
relative links, match the file directory structure to your site
structure |
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To avoid broken links, make all file names
lowercase unless a program, such as a Java applet, specifies
otherwise (on a case-sensitive server, home.html is not the same as
Home.html) |
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If you are doing cross-platform development,
establish file-naming conventions that accommodate all platforms
(you may want to use the DOS rules for formatting file names because
all platforms support this format: limit file names to eight
characters and file types to three characters, sometimes known as
"8.3") |
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Use names that describe content so that it isn't
necessary to open the file in order to know what it contains |
Establish a
method for version control
The procedures you establish to manage developing
versions of your site will begin in production and continue throughout
the future maintenance of your site. The procedures should be clearly
defined so that it is easy to follow them consistently. In most cases,
you should not throw out older file versions of your site because you
may want to refer to them later. You should also keep back-up copies.
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Decide how you will identify different versions
(by file dates, by file names, or by directory names) |
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Decide how many back-up files you will create,
how often files will be backed up, and where they will be stored
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Generate page
templates
Use page templates to ensure layout consistency
throughout the site and to separate the content and the interface.
Separating the content and the interface will help you avoid having to
place an element in multiple HTML files.
Templates should include your own design decisions
for the site and any conventions dictated by your company or
organization. They should also adhere to Web accessibility guidelines.
Addressing accessibility at the level of templates will make the
fundamental structure of your site accessible to users with
disabilities. It will also make it easy for content providers to make
individual pages accessible. For a complete list of Web accessibility
guidelines, see IBM Web Accessibility.
Templates can be implemented using server-side
includes, database forms, scripts, or simple, coded ASCII files. Items
often found in templates include calls to standard CSS and JavaScript
files and common header, footer, or navigation elements.
Separate content
from the interface
Developing content independently from the user
interface allows you to develop both more efficiently. If the two are
developed interdependently, then every change made in one would have
to be immediately considered in the other. Frames, JavaScript, and
Java applets all allow you to separate the interface from the content.
For example, the text in this guideline is used in both the print-all
version and the frames version without modification.
Use relative
links instead of absolute links
A relative link (images/example.gif) is easier to
create and move than an absolute link (http://www.ibm.com/ibm/hci/guidelines/web/images/example.gif).
Relative links allow you to test out the site on your local hard disk
and then transfer the site to the server without changing the code for
the links.