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Guide to good practices for WWW authors

What a template might include

A template might include standard HTML elements which are used on every page, e.g.

DOCTYPE declaration
<HTML>
<HEAD>
     <TITLE> </TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
     <H1> </H1>
     <ADDRESS> </ADDRESS>
</BODY>
</HTML>

meta-information which applies to the whole site or body of information, for instance a copyright statement, details of authorship. Such items could be included in the HEAD section. They would not be visible when the document is viewed but would still be accessible to automated services such as search robots, and also to the user through the option of viewing the source file.
graphical or layout elements which determine the look of your pages, e.g.
logo
horizontal rules
images
navigational aids
pointers to contents or home page, next page, invitation to comment (MAILTO), and other information you may wish to make accessible at all times

NOTE: If you use images here, be sure to provide alternative text pointers for text-only browsers.

The following example illustrates a standard group of items with alternative text links at the bottom of every page on the fictional XYZ Institute's WWW server:

<HR>
<a href="/welcome.htm">
     <img src="/images/house.gif" alt="| Home Page |"></a>
<a href="/help/help.htm">
     <img src="/images/help.gif" alt="| Help |"></a>
<a href="search.htm">
     <img src="/images/question.gif" alt="| Search |"></a>
<HR>
<A href="/institute/staff/JSmith.htm">J.Smith</a>
<P>
<a href="/copyright.htm">Copyright &#169 </a> The XYZ Institute.
All rights reserved.<p>

On a plain text browser, this section of HTML would appear thus:

|Home Page || Help || Search |
J.Smith
Copyright &copy; The XYZ Institute. All rights reserved.

Contents

MMI
February 1996

Graphics Multimedia Virtual Environments Visualisation Contents