CSCI 011

Assignment 1b

Assignment 1b: Introduction to HTML and CSS (cont'd.)

For your first assignment, you are to design and build a website with a single set of content but at least two different styles. This is due by the beginning of class next Tues, Jan 14. This document describes your second set of milestones as you work toward that goal.

Creating a Williams CS User Website

Yesterday's tutorials had you create webpages and related style sheets, but there was no way for anyone to see the pages but you. That was no big deal, of course, as they weren't your own creations. But now it's time to create a website that's accessible to the world. To create your CS User WebSite, follow these instructions.

The assignments you complete in this course will hang off of your CS homepage. If you already had one before this exercise, simply make sure there's a section from which you can link to your completed assignments. Otherwise, create an index.html file now. Of course, if you want to change the default style, you'll also need a separate .css file. You can make your homepage as simple or complex as you'd like, but don't let it distract you from this week's main task.

Once you have a homepage, let me know so that I can check it.

Validate Your Homepage

As we discussed yesterday, there isn't a clear line separating what you can do with HTML and CSS, but there are current standards to follow in making implementation decisions, such as using HTML to specify structure and CSS to specify style. Furthermore, most browsers will let you get away with all sorts of minor errors in your HTML and CSS. (Some of you experienced this yesterday, with webpages that looked good but weren't quite what was intended.)

To get a sense of the quality of your new homepage, check its validity with the W3C Markup Validation Service. How did you do?

Create the Structure for Your Website

Now it's time to begin the process of writing the HTML for your website. Remember that the point here is to mark up the text with tags that specify the structure of your webpages and their relationships to each other. But do keep in mind the ways in which you plan to style your pages later.

Summary of things I need to check today

Your website concept and initial content files.
Your CS user homepage.
The outcome of your validation exercise.
Your progress toward the website that is the goal for Assignment 1.