Design Guidelines

Web standards

When writing HTML and CSS for the CMS we have a few simple requirements.  One is that all HTML should validate as XHTML 1.0 strict as specified under the W3C guidelines.  The following is also encouraged:

  • No embedding of css styles. That means either defining the style in the attribute of the HTML tag or placing it directly in the <head> section of the page.  All CSS should be contained in the external files.

  • No embedding of JavaScript in the HTML.  The page should not be littered with <script> tags.  If your style needs JavaScript place it in an external file and link to it in the <head> section of the page.

  • Write semantic HTML.  For example if you have a main heading use a <h1> tag.  Make sure text is wrapped in <p> tags.  Try not to clutter the page with unnecessary tags.  This helps accessibility and stops screen readers getting confused.

As well as valid HTML, valid CSS is also important.  Stylesheets should be valid CSS 2.0.  The use of CSS3 is discouraged as the spec has yet to be finalised and only a small percent of browsers support the functionality it offers.

Finally we require that any styles created must be cross browser compatible.  That means IE5.5, IE6, IE7, Firefox 1.5 and 2.0, Safari 1.3 and 2.0+.  If the CSS and HTML is well written this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. 

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