Web Standards, Accessibility and Other Stuff

Just released the 2-year anniversary podcast for Web Axe, my podcast and blog on web accessibility. It’s been a lot of work, but a lot of fun too…

If you’re a front-end expert like me, and you work with Java programmers, then you’ll know how much typing the following web page will save you. Common HTML Validation Problems from the Web Design Group is a handy resource for reminding poorly HTML-skilled co-workers of what they need to write valid code. Well, as least it’s a start!

Some common errors include:

• Ampersands in URLs
• Incorrect Nesting of Elements
• Using a NAME attribute with IMG or FORM
• Uppercase letters in XHTML tags

Although, I must say, the real problem is in the process of going from mockups to development. The back-end guys never do it right. There should be a universal law that back-end programmers cannot change the front-end code; the outputted code should match clean semantic XHTML that you (and me) worked so hard to create.

Why is this so difficult? I blame two things–time constraints and lack of desire to learn. Marketing and management continue to push IT staff into creating web projects too quickly; haste makes waste. And, unfortunately many programmers are afraid of change; they program the same way over and over, for years. Uh, excuse me but web technology changes kinda fast, so keep up please!

Adobe’s Dreamweaver (previously Macromedia) is a great application. I’ve been using it for years and never found another application that performs so well overall in code editing, WYSIWYG editing, user interface design, extendability, automatic code cleanup and formatting, and compatibility with other applications (such as Fireworks and now Photoshop). And no, it doesn’t mess up your hand-written code.

Recently, I discovered couple of specific text coding features that I believe are not included. I don’t believe there is a command for wrapping a span or code tag around text. In the Insert panel (normally the bar above the page view), there is a text input sub-menu that contains buttons for blockquotes, preformatted text, lists, definition lists, etc., but lacks the span or code tags.

So, if you use Dreamweaver’s code editor a lot, like me, you can add a couple of custom commands to wrap a span or code tag around text. This can easily be done with the Snippet feature. To create it, open Dreamweaver and:

1. Select the Snippets tab in the Files panel.
2. Select the New Snippet icon.
3. Enter as name (such as “wrap a Span”).
4. Enter a Description if you’d like, it’s optional.
5. Leave as wrap selection.
6. In before block, enter “<span>”.
7. In after block, enter “</span>”.
8. Select OK. The custom Snippet is created.

Now to use it, just wipe-select some code and double-click the Snippet in the Panel (or select the Snippet and click the Insert button at the bottom left of the panel).

Today is September 11. In the States, the date is abbreviated as 9/11. This date has obviously become massively significant since September 11, 2001, when thousands of innocent people were murdered during the World Trade Center disaster.

OK, George Bush and the CIA messed up when it came to solidifying an alliance and finding chemical weapons. If the United Nations wasn’t so wimpy and wishy-washy about its own rules, then the U.S. wouldn’t have had to step in the problem in the first place (and thus save the world from an evil murderous regime, again).

Before you bash Bush, remember the answer to these questions:

• Who is killing hundreds of innocent people every month with car bombs and other cowardly acts of destruction?
• Who is stopping the people of Iraq from creating their own government and having a peaceful life?
• Who is hiding behind the name of “Islam” to excuse their terrorism?

The damn terrorist “insurgents”, that’s who.

And:

• What country freed the Iraqi population from a greedy, murdering tyrant?
• What country is helping the Iraqis create their own government?
• What country is spending billions of dollars of its own money and sacrificing hundreds of its own lives to do so?

The United States, that’s who.

Help stop spam!

Did you know that you can report spammers to the U.S. FTC? If you get spam email that you think is deceptive, forward it to spam@uce.gov. Learn more about it and the CAN-SPAM law on the FTC spam site.

Now let’s hope the FTC’s budget is increased 1,000% for this effort!

I’m not sure who loves this more, me, or my 1 1/2 year old son.