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Authoring Web Sites in XHTML

Darlene Fichterdarlene.fichter@usask.ca

University of Saskatchewan LibraryCanada

Internet Librarian International

26 March, 2003

Birmingham, UK

Overview

Frameworks Portlets Why use XHTML? XHTML syntax

How XHTML differs from HTML

XHTML and CSS XHTML tools

Yesterday

Today

Computer - Device

Static HTMLhand coding

HTML

Tag EditorsHTML, Forms,

Client Side Scripts

WSIWYG & Management Tools

Distributed Authoring

Dynamic / DatabaseSQL & Perl/PHP/ASP

Portals & Personalization“My Library”

Objects - XML

Portals & PortletsWeb ServicesXML, SOAP

Web Page

Web Site

Web Services

CMSAuthoring & workflow

Content Challenges in 2003: Document Collections

Storage & Management Content Structure

Work Ease of use Ease of creation Good retrieval

Service Challenges

Just in Time Repackaging

Over the Long Term Preservation Migration

HTML Simple, general-purpose document

markup language Simple hyperlinking Designed for collaborative authoring Combined authoring and viewing

roles

HTML Strengths Open standard Lots of tools and applications Easy and cheap Rapidly adopted

HTML Weaknesses Not extensible Supports only “simple” document

types Mixes presentation and structure Cross-browser wars

XML

More meaningful searches Flexible web applications

data from disparate sources/applications

client processing multiple views granular updates

Open standard Unicode Hope --> good for web delivery

What is XHTML? Called “Next generation” HTML HTML that conforms to XML

standards Will eventually support integration

with other XML applications Device independent web access

Why use XHTML?

Most documents on the Internet are in HTML – this is the logical next step

Simpler than XML for most authors XHTML documents are XML

compliant, which allows you to use XML tools such as XSL

Future -- XHTML easier than HTML with the next generation of browsers

Why do We Need XHTML?

Both HTML and SGML have major drawbacks.

XML’s use for encoding web documents is still at early stages of adoption

Benefits of Adoption Easier to develop software

handle specialized information distributed over the Web

Process data using inexpensive software

Allows greater end-user control of information display stylesheets

Metadata for resource discovery

XHTML - What does it take?

All documents must have a doctype declaration The transitional doctype declaration--

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/transitional.dtd">

Head and body Syntax

XHTML – 3 Variations

Strict <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"

"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/strict.dtd"> Used when CSS is used for all your formatting

Transitional <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"

"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/transitional.dtd">

Frameset <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0

Frameset//EN"

"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/frameset.dtd">

Syntax: Lower case Case matters

HTML: <Title> or <TITLE> or <title>

XHTML:<title>

Syntax: Attributes Attributes must be quoted

HTML <p class=quotes>

XHTML<p class=“quotes”>

Syntax: Close Elements All tags must be closed

HTML: <p>Le chien dort. <p>La chat joue.

XHTML: <p>Le chien dort. </p><p>La chat joue.</p>

Syntax: Empty Elements Empty elements must be terminated

HTML:<br>

XHTML:<br />

Elements Must Be Nested

<bigdoll> <mediumdoll>

<littledoll><littlestdoll/>

</littledoll><mediumdoll>

</bigdoll>

Scripts

<script> and <style> tags must be marked as CDATA

<script><!-- <![CDATA](script) ]]> - -></script>

Tip: Place your scripts in a external file.

Use entities for all ampersands

<a href="http://www.lights.ca/cgi-bin/script.cgi?what=chien&id=9">

<a href="http://www.lights.ca/cgi-bin/script.cgi?what=chien&amp; id=9">

Style Sheets & XHTML

The use of external style sheets is recommended

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href=“lib.css" />

The type attribute is mandatory for <style> tag – text/css

Enclose inline styles with <![CDATA[ and the ending tag ]]>

Find Out More: XHTML syntax

W3Chttp://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/

XHTML: le web devient coopératif http://www.xhtml.net/

XHTML.org http://www.xhtml.org

Darlene Fichter. “Web Authoring in XHTML”. ONLINE Magazine November/December 2002 www.findarticles.com

What about conversion?

HTMLTidy http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy/

Resources for Conversion

Converting HTML documents to XHTML by Bejoy Alex Jaisonhttp://www22.brinkster.com/beeandnee/techzone/articles/htmltoxhtml.asp

Roy Tennant. XML for Libraries. Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2002.

XHTML Validators

Validator http://validator.w3.org/

Typical Web Author

XHTML is available in standard tools Macromedia Dreamweaver HTML-Kit Macromedia HomeSite 5 NoteTab Pro

Content Provider

Usually authoring in Word Import in Dreamweaver Run it through a program like HTML

TIDY

New York Public Librarywww.nypl.org/styleguide/

Major Project

Consider the value of the content over the long term

Likelihood of delivery to “appliances”

If there is an XML “dialect”, use it If not, use XHTML (ideally XML

rendered as XHTML)

Example: Law Cases 1994

527 law cases edited, and formatted as HTML rigourous coding rules, poor validation Cost: $150,000

2001 converted to XML, DTD creation, enhanced,

rendered as XHTML Cost: $15,000

Future Cost < $300

http;// library.usask.ca/native/cnlch.html

Canadian Native Law Cases

Developers

Repackaging, reuse, migration, archiving

Code How long will this content be around? Always wise to separate presentation

from content Decision/Balance

Short term pain/effort vs. long term gain?

XHTML &amp; You

XHTML will make your life a little more challenging

XHTML will make your computer happier (eventually)

Silver Bullets? XHTML / XML No! In fact, these new choices just

raise some interesting challenges Only certainty is change

Content will outlive devices!

Thank you! Darlene Fichter

darlene.fichter@usask.caUniversity of Saskatchewan Library

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