Development: Website Template

This page describes required and recommended aspects of using the BSD web template. Please also read about BSD website hosting services.

Requirements

The BSD requires two elements on every web page that we host:

1. The official BSD logo must be placed on the page as a clickable link to the Division's website. The logo is available as part of the downloadable packages.
2. The name and contact information (land mail and email addresses) for the administrative unit represented by the site (e.g. department, committee, lab) must be part of the page.

Note that the downloadable BSD web page footer provided by BSDIS demonstrates an easy way to meet these requirements, and can be incorporated into any page design you want for your site. The BSD web template page provided by BSDIS also demonstrates a way to meet these requirements, with additional recommended page elements and layout.

You do not need to use the complete template page and you do not need to use any of the code exactly as provided by BSDIS; as long as you meet the minimal requirements described here (e.g. the BSD footer) you can use any design, layout, and implementation that suits your needs.

Style Guide

Here are some recommended best practices, most of which are generally accepted recommendations for all website development, not just BSD sites. The provided template code follows these practices.

• The full page template is not required; however, BSDIS does recommend that you use it as a framework to build your site.
• Be as accessible to all visitors as possible. Prioritize W3C priority 1 accessibility guidelines plus retain existing template 'skip link' and secondarily meet W3C priority 2 & 3 accessibility guidelines.
• Use valid XHTML (with specified DTD and NS) to structure the content -- code should be valid except for the exception present in the template code for absmiddle attribute. See also: XHTML style tutorial.
• Use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to style the content. Use template stylesheets via link (not embedded in head) and add any additional style information in a separate, site-specific linked stylesheet
• Use the BSD search engine to incorporate a search form for your site. Both the demonstration templates include an optional search form, which defaults to searching across the BSD subdomain. To enable a search engine customized for your site, please contact BSDIS.
• Use meta keywords and description in all pages
• Use fonts as supplied by BSDIS for button images (see BSD Web Page Template)
• Use of template-supplied Javascript rollover code (maintaining naming conventions for images)
• Accurate page title for every page
• Name all files with extension .html and name home page index.html
• Check this style guide source for updates at least quarterly