This paper investigates the two key technologies I plan to demonstrate in my project which are:
I believe a limitation of the technologies I have chosen is the ability to only create static pages (with scope for limited interactivity), because websites are capable of so much more. This has been resolved by defining the scope of my project in my learning proposal, (as opposed to understanding the scope of websites more broadly). I believe these technologies are matched to my learning needs because I have no prior experience in developing websites.
I am building an information website that will be used by parents to provide menus and recipes for children aged 1 - 6 and beyond.
I have chosen to explore each technology in terms of the key macro considerations regarding the technologies. Due to the symbiotic nature of (X)HTML and CSS, some of the macro considerations will consider these technologies together as well as macro considerations unique to (X)HTML and CSS. The macro considerations attempt to demonstrate my understanding of the technology choices I have made. I then interpret these considerations in terms of my project (micro analysis) and how I believe these considerations may impact the outcome of my learning and final product.
Although these macro considerations seem basic and hackneyed it is important to consider the unique features of the (X)HTML when creating a website because the web has changed the way people read, write, learn and interact as well as the opportunity to access information. In terms of my project, a "cookbook" site, the target audience is a local one but it is accessible to everyone around the globe and this needs to be considered when I am developing my pages.
(X)HTML provides for structure and content of web pages and CSS the formatting and style instructions for these pages. These two technologies are the foundations of the internet as an information system. All web pages are written in (X)HTML.
The internet is much more than an information repository today. These technologies per se do not facilitate the interaction and collaboration that people have come to expect of the web. What these technologies do continue to do is provide the means for people across the globe to share information.
(X)HTML is dependant on being interpreted by web browsers and screen readers. Web pages are viewed by the user through the browser (client side). Web documents are hosted on other computers (server side). Client computers contact the server, the web document is send back and the browser displays the result. (Bennett, 2008 and Lecture 1 DMT)
The web browser is a key dependancy for (X)HTML and CSS as it is the technology that interprets code. The web browser used by a consumer of the web is a variable that is beyond the control of the web developer although standards help towards achieving universality. The goal of universality is one of the key factors that helps the ongoing development of (X)HTML and CSS and many other technologies.
The push for standards came about after the "browser wars" in around 1994/1995 when Netscape began creating extensions to HTML that only Netscape could interpret, Microsoft also began doing the same. This meant that web developers had a lot of difficulty getting web pages to function the same in different browsers (Castro, 2008). The World Wide Consortium pursues its mission for "one wide world web" through the development of web standards and guidelines. To date W3C has published 110 standards or W3C recommendations. Standards don't only try to address issues with browser software. Once again in the goal for "one web" standards address issues with software (browswers), hardware (device independence), culture, geography (internationalization), mental and physical ability (accessibly).
Personally these macro considerations make me feel nervous! Standards try to achieve so much and there is so much to consider. I have also seen that, although there are standards and the web seems to have come a long way, browsers still behave very differently, for example the exercise in the week 6 lecture. Some ways these macro considerations can be taken into account into my project include:
In addition I am aware that universality is currently driven by W3C and they will continue to be a key resource and reference for this project and my own future research or project work.
XHTML is designed to be the HTML of the future. XHTML contains all the elements of HTML 4.01 with the syntax of XML (W3schools). The use and understanding of the current version of XTHML1 comes from an examination of the history of mark up. In the past HTML included mark up that defined the style of a web page, the concern was on how the pages looked, not what they meant (Haine, 2006). The result was web pages could be slow to load, didn't work well across browsers and were difficult to maintain. By 1998 (HTML 4.0), CSS, a separate styling language was designed and associated with HTML (Chapman and Chapman, 2006) Around the same time XML was developed to allow users to define their own types of structure to enable content to be easily exported free of formatting constraints (Chapman and Chapman, 2006). HTML was then redefined using XML in January 2000 by W3C . Keeping content separate from presentation assists with accessibility, websites working across a number of browsers including on mobile devices and ensures that key content is preserved even if the site requires a redesign. (W3C) Some of the key differences include of HTML and (X)HTML include:
Strict: Follow strict XHTML rules
Transitional: allows for depreciated elements
Framset: used for docs that will contain frames. (Castro, 2008)
Apart from these differences HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1 are not very different. It is still important to write the code well and writing in XHTML is not necessarily enough (Haine, 2006). W3C recommends XHTML to enable forward compatibility towards XHTML 2.0.
XHTML 2 XHTML 2.0, W3C Working Draft aims to address problems of HTML by improving accessibility, device independence and internationalization (Haine, 2006).
It is important to understand the current methods of using the technologies to create a website. A good understanding of the language will ensure I am equipped with the right tools, resources and knowledge to get the most of what I want to achieve from my project.
It is important to be able to write XHTML by hand to create a structurally sound website that will work across browsers and improve accessibility. This knowledge I believe will serve me well in the future as it provides a sound foundation for my skills and knowledge. It will help me follow good practices and avoid bad habits. Since I have no prior knowledge of HTML this historical perspective provides me with a depth of understanding of issues and why things are as they are today.
Features and "rules" of XHTML provide me with knowledge to be able to write the code necessary for my pages correctly.
Internationalization is about the globalization of the web by making it available to more people through targeting audiences that may vary in culture, region, or language (Holzschlag, 2006). This may include translation to other languages, sensitivity to cultural differences, currencies or even colour.
While I don't believe this will significantly impact the current project I am working on, it is important to be aware of these developments and be mindful of them even in developing a simple website such as the one I am building. I found the concept of "semantic markup" as opposed "structural markup" a very interesting one. For example using the italics tag in a Japanese document does not add the necessary meaning, whereas using emphasis tag does the job more effectively (Holzschlag, 2006).
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a stylesheet language used to give a developer control over the layout and design of web pages. (McFarland, 2006) This includes colours, fonts and layouts. Further CSS has the ability to help create dynamic web pages by creating animations, feedback and layout. (Bennett 2008)
The primary purpose of CSS is to separate the presentation from the structure of a web page (Wikipedia, CSS). As noted in the (X)HTML analysis, this helps with accessibility and creating less complex HTML pages, improving file size of HTML pages and consistency of look and feel. As well as simplifying the (X)HTML, which helps with a screen reader for example, CSS facilitates accessibility by allowing the same markup page to be presented by being read out by a speech-based browser or screen reader and used on Braille-based, tactile devices as well as flexibility for basic presentation types such as on-screen or in print.
Stylesheets make updating a site easier by allowing the stylesheet to be kept in one external file. If this is updated the change is reflected throughout the pages the stylesheet is applied. (McFarland, 2006)
When writing (X)HTML, planning for CSS needs to be a careful consideration for example when adding attributes to tags. When writing XHTML for CSS, the tag should match the role of the content not the way it looks (McFarland, 2006).
It is important to be aware that there is inconsistent browswer support for CSS.
W3C has three recommendations for CSS
CSS is critical to my project because it is the look and feel of the site beyond the structure. The look of my site will be very important to me personally and will be important for the targeted audience (parents of young children).
CSS works together with my other chosen technology, XHTML, and I am aware that while writing the XHTML I will need to have some forethought in what I want to achieve with the CSS and plan for this within the XHTML, for example, defining div ids and classes as well as using the correct tags for what may end up being the navigation.
I need to be aware of browser issues and need to be equipped with the right strategies and resources to find help when I need it. In particular, I have come across Explorer and Firefox displaying things differently and things being solved with the "reality of CSS hacks" (Villarreal, 2004), for example the "!important" property which allows browsers Explorer to take a second value since it doesn't support the property while other broswers use the first (Villarreal, 2004).
I believe the technologies I have chosen both suit my learning needs and are suitable for the project (creating an information website).
This paper reflects many of the current macro issues and current trends around XHTML and CSS. I believe that with this knowledge I will be more aware of these considerations and be more able to implement current ideas for best practice (as much as I can).
This work has also made me aware of how 'big' this subject area is and how limited my knowledge is in comparison. I think admitting this upfront will ensure that I try and stick to small goals but try to do them well.
