That Bright Line - Part 2 of 2

In That Bright Line - Part 1 of 2, I talked about how I continue to get a clearer understanding of the separation of web page structure (using XHTML) from style (using CSS). Of course, I'm speaking of the heart of web page design standards when I talk about "That Bright Line" that separates the two.

Who better to affirm that I'm on the right track with adhering to web design standards then from one of my students? I won't take any credit for her revelations although I can still feel pretty good that she has benefited from what she has learned. (Strike that last sentence - I just took some credit).

A few weeks ago I got an email from Karen, the student, that I now share. She thanked me for stressing the separation of document structure from style. She told me she didn't have much to say about web design and, with no prompting on my part, she said a lot.

Karen...In Her Own Words

1. In the long run, it saves time and effort. Each time I feel tempted to put design information into my HTML code - a little extra space between sections maybe, or a different font for some crucial information - I'm always glad I resisted and took the time to create a class and put the formatting in the CSS file. Not only is it quickly available the next time I need it - making up for any time lost the first time around - but I don't have to go hunting around in all the HTML files trying to figure out what I did and on which page.

2. When the HTML code is clean, the content and structure are clearly visible. I've been working on web sites whenever I get long enough stretches of time. Sometimes weeks or even months go by before I can get back to coding a particular site. If I had to pick up with files that look like most of what's on the web, I'd need a lot more start-up time to figure out what I'd done so far.

3. When code - both HTML and CSS - is clean, you can re-use it. You might need to tweak it some, but it helps a lot to start with tested blocks that can be cut and pasted or even saved as templates. If you're good about commenting and organizing the CSS code, it becomes even more easily reusable. (While I am careful with HTML code, I'm still not very disciplined in my approach to CSS - I do a lot by trial and error and then don't bother to comment when it's ready.)

4. Consistency makes a web site more pleasant to use. Web sites that do things differently on different pages bother me. I don't mean using techniques like page-specific graphics or having the home page and other special pages look a little different. That's controlled variation with a purpose. I mean things like layouts or fonts that change sporadically across pages, or links that appear in different places or behave differently. Inconsistent web sites look unprofessional and can be frustrating to use.

5. Making a design change is a snap. This really becomes important when you have many pages on a site. Using "search and replace" on the HTML files is tedious and can give unpredictable or irreversible results. When I have to use it, I approach it with caution. Making a change in a CSS file, on the other hand, is trivially easy and reversible. It makes it easy to experiment with design variations and to immediately view them across the entire web site.

Thanks Karen. I could not have said it better myself!! You are hereby confirmed as a Joy Gems Contributor.