HTML Help

[+siouxpermann]

For the users that are able to make incredible caches pages, what resources are you using to know what HTML can be used, I have seen a few links out there, the one in the Knowledge books is ok, but I have seen some pretty snazy HTML caching pages.

 

I have since learned some HTML, made some really neat pages, then bring them to GC, and not all of it works, now I know GC does not allow some forms.

 

Is there a comprehensive list of what is used? And programs people use to help them build the pages?

 

Thanks,

 

Ryan

[+bflentje]

For the users that are able to make incredible caches pages, what resources are you using to know what HTML can be used, I have seen a few links out there, the one in the Knowledge books is ok, but I have seen some pretty snazy HTML caching pages.

 

I have since learned some HTML, made some really neat pages, then bring them to GC, and not all of it works, now I know GC does not allow some forms.

 

Is there a comprehensive list of what is used? And programs people use to help them build the pages?

 

Thanks,

 

Ryan

 

There is a list somewhere. Only the most fundamental HTML is allowed. No forms, scripting, or anything overly complex.

[+niraD]

Only the most fundamental HTML is allowed. No forms, scripting, or anything overly complex.

And that's a good thing. Some of us view cache descriptions on smartphones, handheld GPS receivers with paperless features, etc. What looks "snazy" on a high-res computer display may not look so "snazy" in some other viewing environment.

[+Hurricane Luke]

Only the most fundamental HTML is allowed. No forms, scripting, or anything overly complex.

And that's a good thing. Some of us view cache descriptions on smartphones, handheld GPS receivers with paperless features, etc. What looks "snazy" on a high-res computer display may not look so "snazy" in some other viewing environment.

 

I'd say that's more of an issue for those who make the smartphone and GPS apps. It's the devs responsibility to test and ensure that a variety of cache pages can display well on said device. I don't think there's an excuse for not being able or wanting to do that. Otherwise you're forcing cache owners to stick with the plain old bland and boring - it restricts creativity. And seriously, with every second cache seeming to be a micro in a parking lot, creativity is something we desperately need.

 

I'm not advocating the inclusion of more allowable HTML and CSS - the current allowable tags are just fine. I make good use of them and don't need any more.

 

@Ryan: The standard markup you'd need would be (of course excluding the angle brackets) the h1-h6 tags, p for paragraphs, br/ for line breaks, hr/ for rules, sub and sup for subscript and superscript, the span tag if you want to mark up a small section of text, and the set of table tags always comes in useful if you want an image with a caption. Links and images are implied (don't try and resize images using the "width=" and "height=" attributes, use a photo editor). I also don't really think div tags are necessary.

 

Some deprecated tags such as center, strike, b, and i - are still very handy because the CSS equivalent is either longer or isn't allowed.

 

CSS support is where it gets slightly less precise. You (obviously) can't include a stylesheet in the description, nor can you place a CSS block in at the the beginning of a document. You're only allowed CSS inline, which can get repetitive. The most common tasks would be to change text colour, size, and font. Easily achieved through "color:", "font-size:", and "font-family:". I wouldn't try to 'decorate' text mind you, flashing and scrolling is just irritating.

 

Programs? I use Notepad! It's so simple and honest. But if you are editing a convoluted entry, you can start getting confused about where you are. I have Adobe Dreamweaver, but it's expensive and too overpowered to just edit a simple cache description. If you don't know much HTML or CSS, you'll want a program which can hint, complete and highlight the syntax. The best bet would be Notepad++. It's free, lightweight, open source and easy to use.

 

Good luck!

Edited November 9, 2011 by Hurricane Luke