http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/SitePoint A listing of works published by SitePoint in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/SitePoint http://tc.eserver.org/34782.html http://tc.eserver.org/34782.html The two main and very closely-related foci of my job are evangelizing open standards and education. I spend a lot of time writing about relevant topics and giving lectures at universities to promote better use of web standards on courses and among students. I believe that the best way to improve the state of the Web is to start with those new to learning the trade. http://tc.eserver.org/34688.html http://tc.eserver.org/34688.html The blogosphere was jerked into excitement when Google gave a sneak preview of its new service, Google Wave. Only the select few have an account, but there’s an 80-minute video about it on YouTube for the rest of us. The service is an HTML 5 app, and so HTML 5 has gone from being too far away to care about to today’s hot topic. http://tc.eserver.org/34689.html http://tc.eserver.org/34689.html Here at SitePoint, we have started thinking about HTML 5, and whether or not the time is right to publish a book about it. To help us decide, we asked a number of web luminaries what they thought. Their answers were both varied and interesting. Take a look and decide for yourself: is it time you started learning about HTML 5? http://tc.eserver.org/33587.html http://tc.eserver.org/33587.html There you are happily surfing a web site; you click a link and suddenly find yourself at another site being asked to download a file. What happened there? Annoying, isn’t it? There has to be a better way to indicate to your visitors where a link is going and to what type of file. So, to help solve this little annoyance, I’ve written a bit of JavaScript and CSS that adds pretty little icons after the links—depending on the file extension and location—to indicate to the user the type of document they’re about to load. http://tc.eserver.org/33412.html http://tc.eserver.org/33412.html Below is a list of 15 companies that really get corporate blogging and produce blogs that are informative, fascinating, and a joy to read even for people who aren’t die-hard fans of the company. http://tc.eserver.org/33200.html http://tc.eserver.org/33200.html These checklists pull together best practice in the disciplines of information design, usability and accessibility, into an easy to apply format. If you are already familiar with those topics, the checklists serve as a handy reminder that is easy to refer to and apply when planning navigation. If unfamiliar it's also a fast-track lesson - providing you with a head-start in getting it right and enables you to make better informed choices / compromises. http://tc.eserver.org/33132.html http://tc.eserver.org/33132.html Ask anyone who has had to fix a Website that's littered with accessibility howlers, and top-most in their list of problems encountered will be forms, closely followed by tables. These two topics always seem to present the most difficulties, but they needn't be a problem. For the most part, forms are a problem because the extra accessibility tags are simply not known to the Web designer -- after all, it looks right, it seems to work... what's the problem? Only by switching off the monitor and using a screen-reader can our oblivious Web developer understand the issues. http://tc.eserver.org/32836.html http://tc.eserver.org/32836.html More and more countries have passed laws stating that Websites must be accessible to blind and disabled people. With this kind of legal pressure, and the many benefits of accessibility, the big players on the Web must surely have accessible Websites, right? http://tc.eserver.org/32861.html http://tc.eserver.org/32861.html Web accessibility has so many benefits that I really do wonder why such a large number of Websites have such diabolically bad accessibility. One of the main benefits is increased usability, which, according to usability guru, Jakob Nielsen, can increase the sales/conversion rate of a Website by 100%, and traffic by 150%. http://tc.eserver.org/32862.html http://tc.eserver.org/32862.html One of the main benefits of Web accessibility is that a Website that's more accessible to people is also usually more accessible to search engines. The more accessible your site is to search engines, the more confidently they can guess what the site's about, giving your site a better chance at the top spot in the search engine rankings. http://tc.eserver.org/32865.html http://tc.eserver.org/32865.html Simply ensuring that your Website is accessible to screen reader users is, unfortunately, not enough to guarantee that these users can find what they're looking for in a reasonably quick and efficient manner. Even if your site is accessible to screen reader users, its usability could be so poor that they needn't have bothered stooping by in the first place. http://tc.eserver.org/32660.html http://tc.eserver.org/32660.html Forms. Is there any other word that strikes as much fear into the hearts of grown web designers? There's also an improperly held belief that the only way you can guarantee that a form displays properly is by using tables. All of the code reproduced here for forms is standards-based, semantic markup, so you've got no excuse for relying on tables now! http://tc.eserver.org/27621.html http://tc.eserver.org/27621.html This article aims to give you an introduction to the foundations of remote scripting, in particular, the emerging XMLHttpRequest protocol. We'll then walk through an example application that demonstrates how to implement that protocol, while creating a usable interface. http://tc.eserver.org/27623.html http://tc.eserver.org/27623.html Many sites that present tabular data use alternating background colors to increase the readability of that data. And as I developed a site, I realised I wanted to do that, too. The problem? In my case the table was not generated by a server side application or script of which you can find numerous examples on the Web. http://tc.eserver.org/27626.html http://tc.eserver.org/27626.html When they’re navigating through a long document, users often are confused or disoriented when they click a link that jumps to another location in that same document. http://tc.eserver.org/27628.html http://tc.eserver.org/27628.html One of the most common tasks Web developers face every day is to change the content of a Web page, without additional requests to the Web server. The easiest way to accomplish this assignment is through the use of layers. http://tc.eserver.org/27630.html http://tc.eserver.org/27630.html XML is a very important base on which Web Services work, and, in conjunction with a number of client- and server-side languages, can be put to good effect. Let's see how we can use XML and client side JavaScript to display the contents of a XML file, access child elements, manipulate elements, and more! http://tc.eserver.org/27625.html http://tc.eserver.org/27625.html One of the great pitfalls of using client side techniques, such as JavaScript, to display content on demand is the prerequisite that everything be contained in variables. This makes adding and updating the content very cumbersome. http://tc.eserver.org/27629.html http://tc.eserver.org/27629.html In two parts, this series introduces the Document Object Model, explaining its benefits, and exploring its implementation. http://tc.eserver.org/27624.html http://tc.eserver.org/27624.html Web developers loathe the task of building forms almost as much as users loathe having to fill them in. These are both unfortunate facts of the Web, but some smart JavaScript and intelligent CSS can go a long way to remedying the situation. In this article, I'll introduce a number of simple tricks for improving the usability of forms, and hopefully inspire you to improve on them and create your own. http://tc.eserver.org/27622.html http://tc.eserver.org/27622.html Want to get a bang out of your AJAX artillery? In this hands-on tutorial, Stoyan puts AJAX on the front line as he develops a Web app with which you can execute shell commands on your Web server. The downloadable code provides a real tactical advantage as Stoyan marshals JavaScript and XML to create the app. http://tc.eserver.org/27627.html http://tc.eserver.org/27627.html It’s no secret that over the last few years DHTML has been used almost exclusively for evil purposes. Users associate the technology with intrusive advertisements and error-prone pages, while developers associate it with browser detection and hideous hacks. http://tc.eserver.org/27408.html http://tc.eserver.org/27408.html We've all heard a great deal of buzz about AJAX in the last few months, and with this talk has come a legion of articles, tips, presentations and practical APIs designed to explore the possibilities and try to arrive at best-practice techniques. But, for all of the excitement and hype, still very little has been said on the subject of AJAX and accessibility. http://tc.eserver.org/27410.html http://tc.eserver.org/27410.html Prototype is an object oriented JavaScript library (written by Sam Stephenson and friends) that makes JavaScript fun. So it says on the site, anyway. Those of you who are familiar with the open source community's latest and greatest application framework, Rails, may recognise Prototype as it actually forms the backbone of Rails' JavaScript helper. However, Prototype can be used independently of Rails to aid the coding of many JavaScript doodads and Web 2.0 thingy wangles. http://tc.eserver.org/27409.html http://tc.eserver.org/27409.html JavaScript is an amazingly useful language that offers many unique benefits. With a little consideration for how scripted functionality degrades, you can use JavaScript to bring a whole range of functional, design and usability improvements to your web sites. http://tc.eserver.org/26789.html http://tc.eserver.org/26789.html The Ajax express train rumbles on, threatening to crush anything in its path. Recent discussion has turned to those critical elements of good web development, usability and accessibility. Accessibility is a major issue with Ajax, mainly because anything that relies on JavaScript to function is inaccessible pretty much by default. There are two solutions: either provide a fall-back system where the site remains useful without its Ajax enhancements, or provide a whole separate interface that works without scripting. http://tc.eserver.org/26650.html http://tc.eserver.org/26650.html Explores exactly what XHTML is, and how you can use it to start producing the next generation of Web pages. http://tc.eserver.org/23810.html http://tc.eserver.org/23810.html Traffic statistics have a huge impact on a Website's success, and Apache provides one of the most powerful and flexible logging features available today. Blane explains the nitty-gritty of configuring Apache Weblogs in this handy how-to. http://tc.eserver.org/23809.html http://tc.eserver.org/23809.html MySQL is old news ...or is it? In this fast-paced expose, Blane looks at where MySQL is now, and what's planned in Versions 4.1 and 5 - including the exciting developments of MySQL Cluster and Stored Procedures! http://tc.eserver.org/23180.html http://tc.eserver.org/23180.html This article explains how information architecture can impact the sales process, and how and effective information architecture can help a site flourish. http://tc.eserver.org/22954.html http://tc.eserver.org/22954.html Ask anyone who has had to fix a Website that's littered with accessibility howlers, and top-most in their list of problems encountered will be forms, closely followed by tables. These two topics always seem to present the most difficulties, but they needn't be a problem. For the most part, forms are a problem because the extra accessibility tags are simply not known to the Web designer -- after all, it looks right, it seems to work... what's the problem? Only by switching off the monitor and using a screen-reader can our oblivious Web developer understand the issues. http://tc.eserver.org/22667.html http://tc.eserver.org/22667.html How can you quantify a concept as nebulous as user experience? Rob's tutorial shows how you can statistically assess the experience a site provides - a great way to review a prospect's existing site and springboard redevelopment discussions. http://tc.eserver.org/22668.html http://tc.eserver.org/22668.html You want to build accessible sites, but your clients don't see the need. How can you convince them to fork over the cash it'll take to ensure their site's accessible by all Web users? Trenton has the answers... http://tc.eserver.org/22461.html http://tc.eserver.org/22461.html A website can be both attractive and easy to use. Usability and good looks aren't mutually exclusive and one doesn't necessarily have to negate the other. http://tc.eserver.org/22466.html http://tc.eserver.org/22466.html One of the hottest topics these days in Information Architecture circles is documentation. This is probably partly because the IA's role is so ill defined. Our jobs sit perched between engineering and graphic design: go too far in one direction, we're doing the coding, go to far in the other and we are doing the design. Neither role maximizes the architect's key skills; defining the organizational structure and behavior of the web site or application. An IA is most effective when they leave implementation and final graphic design out of the mix. The documents they create to express this have to be crafted with equal skill and diplomacy. http://tc.eserver.org/22459.html http://tc.eserver.org/22459.html Designing your site's navigation can be quite a tricky task at first. You need to research the number of categories you'll account for, where your visitors are most likely to click, the colour schemes that will best satisfy users, and many other aspects. With so many variables, navigation design can seem like a situation in which there's no right answer. Today, we'll discuss the task of designing navigation -- and hopefully give you a head start in creating a navigation system that works the best for your users. http://tc.eserver.org/22460.html http://tc.eserver.org/22460.html After working hard on a design, image or article you may want to protect it by using a JavaScript that disables right-click while optionally warning a visitor that the content is copyrighted. http://tc.eserver.org/22467.html http://tc.eserver.org/22467.html Text-centric commercial websites are taking a pounding this year, with layoffs and closures affecting even the giants as advertising revenue streams slow. One result of this revenue squeeze shows in such widely read information sites as Forbes.com, The Economist, Salon.com and the Financial Times, all of which are experimenting with new web formats to better compete for readers. http://tc.eserver.org/22465.html http://tc.eserver.org/22465.html Evaluation and testing is an important part of your website development process. Usability tests gather data about the usability of your site by a group of users performing specific tasks. http://tc.eserver.org/22463.html http://tc.eserver.org/22463.html Ever wondered what makes some websites easier to use than others, or why some people seem to master new navigation systems quickly while others struggle to learn? Do you know why users get lost in electronic space or find it difficult to communicate with others through the medium of technology? These questions are just some of the driving forces behind research in the developing field of Human Computer Interaction. http://tc.eserver.org/22468.html http://tc.eserver.org/22468.html Much like our real world namesakes, information architects design spaces for human beings to live work and play in. The big difference is the materials we work with: cement is replaced with thesauri, timber with hierarchies and steel with interaction flows. Confused? Let me tell it as a story. Oh, and to do so I’m going to have to reveal I’m a big dork. Hope this won’t slow you down. http://tc.eserver.org/22458.html http://tc.eserver.org/22458.html Usability is a phenomenon that has dramatically changed the way the products, including Websites, are designed and manufactured. http://tc.eserver.org/22464.html http://tc.eserver.org/22464.html Follow these seven steps to make your forms - and your users - happy. http://tc.eserver.org/22457.html http://tc.eserver.org/22457.html I'm an avid surfer, and have been for several years. However, after all this time, I'm still astonished to see the same old usability blunders repeated in large, brand new sites. Though the use of technology may have changed, the issues with user interface and functionality design persist. http://tc.eserver.org/22462.html http://tc.eserver.org/22462.html Today's corporate firms focus increasingly on their online presence. However, not many understand the long-term implications of not testing their site's usability before it goes online, and in a recessionary era like the one just past, frequently usability is all too easily forgotten. Often no funds are allocated to conduct usability testing, even though it's a key component of any online or interactive project. In an ideal world, a Website should be evaluated for usability from the point of a new concept's inception, to the final execution and upload. http://tc.eserver.org/22398.html http://tc.eserver.org/22398.html And, as a result, selling the concept is never all that easy. Sure, you can harp on about all the 'business benefits' (potential increased audienced, reduced bandwidth costs, good PR), but what you really need to be able to do is show that it's possible to do this without compromising on the design. That's often where the problems begin. http://tc.eserver.org/22401.html http://tc.eserver.org/22401.html Suggests that knowing how to create a Web page is only a small step toward writing good hypertext. The article is the first installment in a two-part series on hypertext for anyone who writes anything for the Web. In a world where designers create systems to offload work to secretaries and writers, both technical and non-technical people need a sense of the possibilities opened up by hypertext. http://tc.eserver.org/22400.html http://tc.eserver.org/22400.html While they're not absolutely necessary for Website functionality, images help improve the appearance of a site. With a few gcood quality, highly optimised images, you can give your site the edge it needs to leave a lasting impression. The problem is that many Webmasters, both novice and experienced, don't feel confident when it comes to creating clean looking graphics and optimising them for the Web. http://tc.eserver.org/22403.html http://tc.eserver.org/22403.html This three-part series outlines a common sense, cost-effective approach to Website acceleration according to the two simple laws of Web performance. http://tc.eserver.org/22405.html http://tc.eserver.org/22405.html Macintosh has long been passed over by the typical Web developer, as it's considered a niche operating system and platform for development. Until OS X, Macintosh was almost solely the domain of designers and artists, and just another piece of the Web development puzzle. This is no longer the case. http://tc.eserver.org/22402.html http://tc.eserver.org/22402.html 'Focus on the user and all else will follow' is a philosophy that can make or break a product. Software designers have become notorious for concentrating on implementation patterns and neglecting the user. It is easy to get lost in grand concepts at an abstract level and get excited over stuff that makes your work as a developer easier; thus, the needs and desires of the 'real' users may sometimes take a back seat. Identifying the usability constraints and designing within them keeps the focus on the user. http://tc.eserver.org/22406.html http://tc.eserver.org/22406.html Whether you want to build your own forum, publish the messages from a mailing list on your Website, or write your own CMS: there will be a moment that you'll want to store hierarchical data in a database. And, unless you're using a XML-like database, tables aren't hierarchical; they're just a flat list. You'll have to find a way to translate the hierarchy in a flat file. http://tc.eserver.org/22404.html http://tc.eserver.org/22404.html As MySQL developers, we are often required to keep two databases in complete sync with one another. http://tc.eserver.org/21171.html http://tc.eserver.org/21171.html Optimize your GIFs, JPEGs, and PNGs with this handy guide. Tom explains these file formats, and gives tips to improve their appearance on your site.