| Using HTML is the quite easy because of eth | | | | indent paragraphs or whole pages. The problem |
| structure of this language. But even after | | | | is that software may interpret and deliver |
| that the best HTML programmers can commit | | | | information a certain way because of the tag. |
| mistakes in the coding if they develop some | | | | So, a text-to-voice reader might interpret |
| bad HTML habits. In this article we will | | | | the block quote information as a quote and |
| discuss some of the bad HTML habits which | | | | read it accordingly when, in fact, you were |
| keep even some of the best HTML jockeys from | | | | just trying to indent a paragraph. Again, |
| gaining proper accessibility. Let's discuss | | | | style sheets offer the best solution; they |
| and try to understand some of the bad HTML | | | | allow you to separate the formatting and |
| habits developed by many of us. | | | | visual appearance of the material from the |
| | | | structure of the page. |
| In the due course of time some of us may have | | | | |
| been using the style sheets to the extent to | | | | Bad HTML Habit#4 |
| alleviate the dependence on FONT formatting | | | | |
| tags, but as you make your way through the | | | | Another culprit is the use of absolute text |
| HTML world, you will definitely find out that | | | | formatting tags instead of relative ones. |
| this is some code that may work but not to | | | | and , for example, may render the same in |
| the exact specifications. | | | | many browsers, but they do not mean the same |
| | | | thing. The tag, as well as the tag, was |
| Bad HTML Habit #1 | | | | designed to indicate structural emphasis that |
| | | | could take the form of either a visual change |
| The first bad HTML habit is the improper use | | | | (font, size, and style) or an audible change |
| of headings. The user agents may be able to | | | | (inflection, volume, and pitch). |
| build a table of contents by reading the | | | | |
| headings on a Web page. So, using H1 through | | | | If you want to improve then don't ignore |
| H6 tags to structure your information is | | | | these tags |
| important, and using these tags simply to | | | | |
| size text can cause problems. | | | | You need to provide alternative content if |
| | | | you're creating pages with certain elements: |
| Bad HTML Habit#2 | | | | |
| | | | * When you use SCRIPT, provide NOSCRIPT |
| Transparent images have become a de facto | | | | information. |
| workaround by which many Web builders elude | | | | |
| HTML's layout limitations. These images, | | | | * When using FRAMES, provide NOFRAMES |
| however, can make it difficult for user | | | | information. |
| agents to distinguish between real content | | | | |
| and ancillary images such as spacers. | | | | * When using EMBED, provide NOEMBED |
| Instead, use style sheets to control margins, | | | | information. |
| spacing, and other page elements. (CSS2 also | | | | |
| offers new styles that address white space.) | | | | * When using APPLETS, use ALT text. |
| | | | |
| Bad HTML Habit #3 | | | | * When using FRAMESET, make sure to use |
| | | | TITLE. |
| Another no-no is using block quotes or list | | | | |
| containers to control indention. Both are | | | | * Provide a text-only alternative to audio or |
| common workarounds used by Web builders to | | | | video. |