A new tool for Firefox users is Firebug – Web Development Evolved. You can edit, debug, and monitor CSS, HTML and JavaScript live in any web page with this tool. Some of it was available in the Web Developer Toolbar, some of it is new. Check it out.
Category: tools
Skip Navigation or a Heading?
I’m currently reading an accessibility book. I’m not quite ready to post a review of it yet, because it’s very lengthy, but I got so excited about a new piece of information in a chapter of the book by Jim Thatcher that I just had to say something about it.
A modern screen reader can navigate using heading elements (h1 to h6). Using the H key, a person with a screen reader can jump from heading to heading to get a sense of how the page is organized and find the content they want to hear. (Opera uses the S key.) This means a well structured page with textual heading elements (or their equivalent) identifying each major content area of the page can be quickly understood just from the headings. Skip navigation links are not needed in a page with informative heading text. In particular, there should be a good heading indicating the main content.
When using skip navigation, the most useful link is to the main content.
Technorati Tags: web design, accessibility, usability, CSS, web design education, web standards
Three Microformat Creators
Microformats.org has three wizards that will generate the code for a microformat for you. Very easy to use. Try them: hCard Creator, hCalendar Creator, and hReview Creator.
ADDENDUM: I thought I’d give one of the microformat creators a try. Here’s the code it generated for me as an hReview.
Oct 29, 2006 by
Virginia DeBolt
Virginia DeBolt
★★★★★ A collaboration between the CSS guru Eric Meyer and the training movie queen Lynda Weinmann. It’s all on CD so the price tag is a little high, but the movies let you learn all about CSS layouts from the master
This
hReview brought to you by the
hReview Creator.
Technorati Tags: web design, microformats
Markup Maker: a new Developer Tool on Accessify
Markup Maker – Takes a simple list of page ids that you enter and converts it to a valid XHTML document | Developer Tools | Accessify is a handy new tool at Accessify. It puts the emphasis on structure, not appearance, which is where thinking needs to start when planning a new site or page design. You end up with an XHTML page structure and an embedded style sheet waiting for rules to be entered. Slick.
BrowserCam and now DeviceCam
Many people make extensive use of BrowserCam for screen capture and remote access service for cross platform compatibility testing and HTML design quality assurance. They are announcing a new service: BrowserCam’s newest improvement is DeviceCam, which works exactly like our classic screen capture service. The big difference is what it lets you do. With DeviceCam, you can see how your website will look on PDAs. Whether a PDA’s screen is in portrait format or landscape format,
DeviceCam will help you to fine tune your website for your customers who are
always on the move.
Opera’s had a free handheld simulator for quite a while, but this, although not free, will certainly offer more options.
Technorati Tags: web design, accessibility, usability, CSS, web standards
A good resource
The eConsultant site has compiled a nice resource with lists of the top links to resources, services, and tools for web designers. Ultimate Web Developer Lists: eConsultant
It isn’t as complete as some of my favorites such as Web Design References or Web Site Tips, but it has the virtue of speedy use.
Web Accessibility Toolbar now available for Opera
The Web Accesibility Tools Consortium has provided a dowloadable toolbar for Opera. In addition to downloading the toolbar, they also recommend downloading the menu, skin, and keyboard hot keys; read the download instructions more carefully than usual. Get it here: Resource Center – About: WAT for Opera
Technorati Tags: web design, accessibility, web standards