h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: HTML Tags - From to - A892307
Author: R'win - U209791

I noticed not many entries seemed to define many HTML tags (correct me if I'm wrong), and I thought it would be a good addition to the guide.
If it needs to be split (I don't think it's that long, but other people might) after 'Colours and fonts' seems like a sensible half-and-half point

There were a few attempts to put an entry on HTML into the Edited Guide in the past, all of which failed. This one looks good to me. I know that there are new standards coming along such as XML, but for the moment, web pages are written in HTML, so I think there is a place for this entry in the Guide.

You mention GuideML briefly at the end, but it might be better not to. There are more differences between GuideML and HTML than you have shown. The main ones are:

1. all tags must be closed
2. case matters: the case of the closing tag must match that of the opening tag
3. tags must be correctly nested, so you can't for example have text.

Rather than listing all these, it might be easier not to give any details at all.

Good point.
Do you think it would be a good idea to say this is not a GuideML guide, and give a link to an actual GuideML guide?

This is a good start. There is a typo on the last line, though. You could also link to the html spec at www.w3c.net (i think that's right). The only major problem is that you are trying to use HTML as demonstrations in a GuideML page, when GuideML 1.0 is properly released I don't think it will work.

Tango

Hmm, not a bad start, but I can see this causing a few problems with people confusing HTML with the GML used to create entries... any entry on HTML in here would probably need a fairly large warning on it somewhere pointing people towards the GML pages for instructions on how to write for the guide.

Hi R'win

One problem you'll come up against is that this entry at the moment is not written in Approved GuideML, so might not get into the Edited Guide for that reason. You can find out more about this at A264520. Unfortunately, some of your tags wouldn't normally be allowed.

Can you be more specific, Bels? The only things in it I can see that are not approved HTML are the tag and the tag. I think a special exception should be made to the rule, since it is impossible to give an example of, for example, how to change the colour of text without using unapproved tags.

Use of Table, for instance. I don't know if it'll be a bar or not, I just wanted to point out a possible problem area. It would be good if the author could go through and make the entry as compliant as poss, and then keep fingers crossed.

What I meant to add is that you don't have to demonstrate *everything*. People can understand what blue text means even if they can't see it. And you don't necessarily *have* to use unapproved fonts or attributes.

At the moment they will probably make an exception, but as i said, when GuideML 1.0 comes out they won't be able to make any exceptions.

Tango

I've taken out the non-GuideML examples, as Bels made a good point; people won't need to see examples of everything.

I've also added a link to W3C's site, and to the GuideML guide entry (with a not that this entry is HTML only)

Anything else that could be done to improve it?

Hi R'win,

A Scout has recommended this for the Edited Guide, but before accepting it I just thought I'd check with you that you're finished, or whether you need more time to make last-minute changes.

Let me know here either way,

Jims

it is a very informative entry, but not complete. I know for one thing that font tags are for the most part deprecated in favor of style sheets. While they do work right now, the language is moving away from the usage of those type tags. I think that should at least be mentioned.

someone ought to do an entry on CSS to complement this.

I'd like to see this get into the EG somehow, even if it's a historical entry along the lines of 'HTML - the first coding language of the World Wide Web'.

that sounds like a really good idea, about the historical history I mean. html has and is changing so much so fast it would be hard to write a really complete and up to date entry on the subject without ending up with a book.

Jims, the entry is finished

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Yay!

Congratulations! It looks like we'll finaly have an entry on HTML in the Edited Guide!

Well done!