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Web Page Design
Links: Start with Content and Structure
will follow
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Check for broken links on a regular basis
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Use relative pathnames (e.g., ../AnotherDir/file.html)
instead of absolute pathnames (http://www.gb.nrao.edu/~yourname/AnotherDir/file.html
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Use http:// and ftp://; think twice about using
mailto:. Instead use:
<form action="http://www.nrao.edu/cgi-bin/contact"
method="post">
<input type="HIDDEN" name="key"
value="Ronald+Maddalena">
<input type="SUBMIT" value="Contact Ron
Maddalena">
</form>
See below for an example.
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Use anchors judiciously
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Image links and image maps are cool but remember a
user can turn off image viewing so use ALT's and TITLE's for image
links and image maps, respectively.
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Don't "Click Here"
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Use default link colors, don't confuse your viewer by
changing them.
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All links should be descriptive. You can
create a link to "myfile.jpg" but instead of placing
just 'myfile.jpg' as the link text on your web page, either:
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add a description next to the link (e.g., myfile.jpg
(An image of a cow)
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Use the description as the link: An
image of a cow
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Put the link as part of a sentence.
"The quintessential country scene always includes a couple
of cows"
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If you are linking to something big, warn the user of
the size of the file (e.g. , myfile.jpg (An
image of a cow; 120 kBytes).
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For navigation, consider using image arrows for
'forward', 'back', 'home' as well as a navigational text menu.
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Only rely on the browser's back button when absolutely
necessary. Avoid having to say: "Click on the back button to
return to..."
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