A Padded Cell - HTML

Drupal theming next steps: Overriding HTML output

Megan McDermott — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Soon after you've started out with Drupal theming, you'll probably find that you need to change some of the HTML code it generates. But how do you do that? This article will break down the process of overriding Drupal's HTML code (or "Overriding themable output"), using template files and theme functions.

Divitis: What it is and how to avoid it (Updated!)

Megan McDermott — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:38:40 +0000

When developing your website in HTML, you might be tempted to use the <div> tag to sovle problems. Things not lining up in every browser? Maybe another containing <div> would help. Don't know how to select that particular element? Wrap a <div> around it!

Get more sign-ups from Drupal 7: make ‘Create new account’ eye catching

Liam McDermott — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:12:00 +0000

According to our analytics software between 60 and 70 percent of visitors going to the new user registration page on the Webmaster Forums do so by clicking the Create new account link in the user login block.

Choosing your web building software

Megan McDermott — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:29:15 +0000

To build a website you need several types of software: a code editor, an FTP client, a graphics editor, and a selection of web browsers are the basics. This article will describe these tools and suggest popular software to try. In most cases, there are many alternatives available. It's a good idea to try several of them and see what works best for you.

How to create a Drupal 6 theme from scratch

Megan McDermott — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:38:09 +0000

Drupal theming can seem complicated and overwhelming. Even basic starter themes are filled with confusing PHP and convoluted CSS. What's a designer to do? Never fear, there is a simple way to create your own theme from scratch. This article will demonstrate a step-by-step process for creating your own Drupal theme, including a .info file, page template, regions, and CSS.

How to automatically include your header, navigation, and footer on every page

Greg Sanderson — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:28:17 +0000

Have you ever wondered how large websites handle those repetitve elements that appear on every page? The navigation menu, header, and footer usually stay the same on every page of a website. But what happens when you want to change something? Do you have to edit every page and change it separately?

PHP offers a wonderful method to resolve this with the include() statement.

Choosing the right doctype for your site

Megan McDermott — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:11:22 +0000

Which Doctype should I use? This is one of the first questions people ask when they start using web standards. There are four main doctypes in use today. This artcile will firstly define what a doctype is and how it works, and then go on to explain the four types and help you to decide which one to use.

Web Standards > Validation

Megan McDermott — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:16:31 +0000

Many programmers seem to think that complying with web standards means passing the validator. Validation is an important part of standards compliance but it is not the whole story.

What is a Div?

Liam McDermott — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:32:28 +0000

Web designers use it nearly every day, but not many actually know what the div tag means and where it should be used. This article aims to de-mystify the div tag, explain when and where it should be used and compare it with the similar span tag.

Using Web Standards to Reduce Cost

Liam McDermott — Sat, 12 May 2007 06:10:08 +0000

The advantages of Web standards have been listed in this series of articles. These advantages can also reduce the cost of a project, which is what this article aims to show.

Using Web Standards for Quality Assurance

Liam McDermott — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:09:55 +0000

Quality assurance is exactly that. Ensuring a Web project is of a quality high enough to work on all modern browsers, now and in the future.

This article outlines how Web standards can be used to provide quality assurance and how this benefits a customer.

Creating a semantic FAQ page with definition lists and advanced CSS, Part 2

Megan McDermott — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:39:11 +0000

In Part 1 of this series, we created a semantic FAQ page using definition lists and made it look pretty with CSS. Now it's time to work on some more functionality.

Creating a semantic FAQ page with definition lists and advanced CSS, Part 1

Megan McDermott — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:34:12 +0000

Most websites have FAQ pages, but few put much effort into creating an attractive and usable interface. This article will explain one method of creating a nice FAQ page

What’s the Difference Between Usability and Accessibility?

Liam McDermott — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 03:18:43 +0000

‘Usability’ and ‘Accessibility’ are terms often misused and confused. This article aims to explain the differences between the two terms, their meanings and where they overlap.

Future Proofing Using Standards

Liam McDermott — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:37:34 +0000

When creating sites it is important to realise the code might not be changed for years. This article shows how Web standards can be used to ensure a Web site still looks good, and functions well, years after it's creation.

What is the Semantic Web

Liam McDermott — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 19:29:15 +0000

‘Semantic Web’ is a term often used by Web professionals, luckily it's not a buzz-word yet, but is a term everyone involved in the Web should know and understand. This article aims to explain the Semantic Web in plain English.

Ensuring People with Disabilities have Equal Access

Liam McDermott — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 18:23:01 +0000

Continuing the ‘Web Standards for Everyone’ series, this article discusses the use of Web standards to ensure the disabled have equal access to Web sites.

Web Standards for Everyone

Liam McDermott — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:30:46 +0000

There are many tutorials explaining how to use Web Standards ^[1], what seems to be missing are reasons to use Web Standards. This series of articles aims to remedy that.

Introduction to Web Technologies

Megan McDermott — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 20:15:20 +0000

There are several different web technologies that you will come across when building your site.