These pages are, like the Archive, a work in progress.
It is not necessary to read all these pages before you start coding! They are intended to be references you can use as you go along. But whether you’re a beginner or have previous experience with HTML and CSS, it’s very important that you refer to these documents and read the Front End User Guide and the Coding Standards before you commit any code to the Archive.
Getting started with XHTML and CSS
How we code stuff
Our coding practice may be radically different from anything you’ve done before. While our standards may seem limiting and fussy at first, they are designed to keep the code (and the Archive interface) as neat, consistent, and manageable as possible.
- Coding Standards
- Front End User Guide
- Coding Accessible Tables
- Style Guide
- CSS Shorthand
- Classes
- Em Scale
- Accessibility Statement
How we name things
Classes are how we describe and document our data, so it’s very important to use them consistently and accurately.
- Taxonomy
- Supertypes
- Types
- Modifiers
How we structure things
Design patterns are a major part of how we code things. While not every new feature will fit an existing pattern, we strive to reuse as much XHTML and CSS as possible.
- XHTML Page Templates
- Diagrams of Regions
- Design Pattern: Actions
- Design Pattern: Interactions
- Design Pattern: Index
- Design Pattern: Blurb
- Design Pattern: Listbox
- Design Pattern: Meta
- Design Pattern: Preface
- Design Pattern: Comments
- Design Pattern: Stats
Finding and fixing problems
- Debugging the Cascade
- Floats
Major front-end projects to do
- Forms
- Proposals: Zoning the Archive
- Mailings
- Errors and Validation
- Help
- Site Map