1. HTML basics
1. Ensure that the site is still usable when scripting abilities are disabled
2. Use structural markup in HTML, eg different heading levels (H1-H6), rather than presentational markup, such as bold. In conjunction with style sheets, this approach means that text readers can make more sense of the information
3. All font specification should include ‘sans-serif’ as a default lowest common denominator
4. Ensure that symbols are properly coded, ie use ">" instead of ">" in order to avoid problems
5. The ‘accesskey’ attribute should be used for main navigation - (see also: Accesskey shortcuts page) this is an element of the A HREF tag
6. Do not rely on the scripting method to convey meaning or data, use standard HTML – eg. mouseovers must not contain essential information that is not in the <alt> tag, or menu systems that rely on scripting
7. All table tags must be closed correctly - particularly important on the Mac platform
8. Each HTML page must contain the <head> <title> <body> tags in the correct order
9. Only use the HTML appropriate to the <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
10. It is acceptable to use cookies or session identities to track visitors' paths through the site. This will be essential in e-service areas on the site e.g. the e-shop
11. If you use cookies you must clearly state the Lancashire County Council Privacy Statement in the Disclaimer
12. All HTML should be lower case
13. All attribute values should be contained within speech marks ("). This will ease the transition to XHTML
14. Each HTML tag which requires doing so must be closed
15. Do not rely on colour to convey information
16. Always quote colour in "#hexadecimal" rather than by name, such as "red".
2. PDF Plug-ins
1. The only attachment type permissible is PDF version 5
2. The maximum size for a PDF attachment is 1MB if there is no HTML format alternative for the information
3. A PDF should never be used if it is less than five pages. The exception to this is a form for the public to print out and fill in
4. When including a PDF use the File Resource Document section. Provide a brief summary of what is on the PDF in the Description of the Resource and include keywords in Search settings
5. Any information that is offered in a format that requires a plug-in should also be offered in HTML, (excluding PDF)
6. Users should be notified of the plug-ins required to access information, and provide links to those plug-ins
7. The text only version must contain all information that can normally be accessed through the plug-in version
8. Excel and Word documents are not accessible to everyone, and pose a security risk. Only use non-standard attachments if your audience is specialised e.g. autoCAD for architects
9. You must supply an alternative text version of any information offered in audio or video format eg a transcript.
3. HTML file management
1. Use the Government Standard error 404 page - see also: Our Standard error 404 page
2. File names must not include spaces
3. If file names are to be split the underscore ( _ ) or hyphen (-) character must be used
4. Only the underscore ( _ ) or hyphen (-) character should be used within a URL
5. File names must not exceed 50 characters
6. File names should be as descriptive as possible
7. The standard for the HTML file extension is .htm. Only Unix web server administrators are allowed to use .html.
4. HTML Metadata (see also: Required e-GMS and standard metadata elements page)
1. Metadata information eg key words must be added to the head section of each HTML file
2. Key words relating to the document must be used in the appropriate section of the meta tag
3. The metadata description of the page must be relevant to the published document
4. Use the Dublin Core identifiers specified within the UK guidelines - see also: Required e-GMS and standard metadata elements page
5. Always use the Keyword and Description metadata method as well as Dublin Core.
5. Tables
1. Text in tables must be clearly legible
2. Tabular information must always be clearly labelled and easy to follow columns of text in tables present problems for text reader programs
Identify row and column headers (WAIG 5.1). Use markup to associate data cells and header cells (WAIG 5.2). See W3C website for example: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-HTML-TECHS/#identifying-table-rows-columns
3. Information must be presented from left to right for text readers to follow, and make sense when laid out in this manner. If this is not possible, provide an alternative equivalent (WAIG 5.3). See W3C website for details: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-avoid-table-for-layout
4. Keep the table borders simple. Avoid dropped shadow, double borders etc as they may be less clear in different browsers. Do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting (WAIG 5.4). See W3C website for details: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-table-layout
5. Table background should be transparent. If it is necessary to differentiate information within the table, then it is acceptable to use grey (value: #CC,CC,CC or RGB 204,204,204) or light blue (value: #CC,FF,FF or RGB 204,255,255)