Cooperative Extension Service
Departments
Administration
Web Design and Coding Standards
The U A C E S has design standards regarding the basic layout and design of web pages. All U A C E S web pages must meet these standards.
HTML & ASP
U A C E S web developers and programmers create web pages with HTML & ASP that conform to the standards established by the
W3C. Valid HTML improves the accessibility and usability of Web pages by increasing the likelihood that the pages' appearance will be similar regardless of the hardware and software used to view them. The
W3C Validation Service is used to validate the HTML. All pages should be validated to determine that they are valid HTML.
Printer Friendly (PDF)
All Printer Friendly version links (PDF) will be accompanied by a
 printer
icon and located at the top right corner of the document immediately below the header.
Fonts
1. Body of document is no larger than Arial 12pt black and no smaller than Arial
11 pt black. The smaller pt size should only be used if absolutely necessary to fit a document onto one page.
2. Headers are no larger than <h4> based on the Arial 12pt
3. If colored Fonts must be used to they will match the color scheme of the web where the page lives.
4. In the event that the page should be outside of the normal web sites (Example:
http://stats.uaex.edu ) then the colors shall be those of the Main U A C E S web site.
5. Avoid use of italic font. This can be hard to read on
screen.
Background
1. All page body background will be white with Black text.
2. No background images will be allowed on any U A C E S web page.
3. Backgrounds used in tables should be used sparingly and will match the color scheme of the web where the page lives with
definite contrasting of text color.
4. In the event that the page should be outside of the normal web sites (Example: http://stats.uaex.edu ) then the colors shall be those of the Main U A C E S web site.
Graphics in place of Text
Do not make graphic to be used when straight text can be used. Graphics add
to load time and if the information can be displayed in text format a graphic is
unnecessary.
Use of Tables and Text Boxes
Avoid the use of tables and text boxes when straight text can
be used. This can cause accessibility problems to comply with Section 508
and Act 1227.
Use of Color for Conveying Information
Ensure that information is not conveyed through color alone. For example,
when asking for input from users, do not write "Please select an item from
those listed in green." Instead, ensure that information is available through
other means.
Page Titles & Descriptions
<title>The actual title of the page will be placed in this area</title>
<meta name="Description" content="A Description of what is located on this page will be placed in this area "> The description is to be provided by the submitting author.
Special Coding
All pages should have directly after the <head> code the following line of code:
<link REL="SHORTCUT ICON" href="http://www.uaex.edu/intranet/favicon.ico">
All pages requiring scrolling up and down should have before the </body> code the following line of code:
<div class="MicroKBranding" id="MicroKBranding" style="position:absolute;top:1;display:none;background-color=#993300;ALIGN=right">
<A HREF="#top"><img src="http://www.uaex.edu/top.gif" alt="Go to the top of this page" border="0" width="34" height="23"></a></div>
<script type="text/javascript1.2" src="http://www.uaex.edu/kgeo.js">
</script>
External Links
All external links will open in a new window allowing U A C E S window to always be open in the background. Links to non-U A C E S Web sites should be related to the subject matter of the referring page. All links will have a short description of what the user will find on the linked page. Links to commercial sites are strongly discouraged.
If any links are questionable, Web Development Associates will contact the
author.
Advanced Preparation for Search Tools
The use of search tools within the university Intranet and on the Internet are important for users when locating information. Thus, Web pages need to be constructed to assist the search process by incorporating appropriate HTML tags. This includes the use of the title command and various metatags including keywords.
The Web Development Associates should exercise due diligence in registering U A C E S web sites with strategic search engines.
Implementation
Required Web Design and Coding Standards will be followed on all pages and programs created by web developers and programmers. All U A C E S Web pages must meet all of the standards. If you need assistance with a page not updated to standards or have any questions, please contact Donna Rinke 501-671-2302,
drinke@uaex.edu .
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