Overview

The assignment is to create a web page and upload it to the CS server. You'll write HTML code (here's a useful HTML Reference) and use applications for editing (TextWrangler or Notepad) and file transfer (Fetch or WinSCP).

The basic assignment is to write a web page about yourself, your home town, your interests, your ambitions, or whatever strikes your fancy. The goal is not volume, but demonstrating skill. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are not required on this assignment. However, if you'd like to use CSS, you may.

Turning it in

You'll turn this assignment in by uploading it to the CS server; that's all that's necessary. We'll grade it by looking at it with our own web browsers.

You must check that your page is properly uploaded. If your account is myname, you must visit the following URL to see that your stuff is there:

     http://cs.wellesley.edu/~myname/hw1/assign1.html

Just type that (substituting your own username for the fake myname above) into any web browser to make sure your submission is uploaded.

Properly uploading your files, and checking that they are properly uploaded, is part of the assignment. If your files don't properly appear, you will receive no credit. We hate doing that, so check to make sure your stuff is there. We can give you partial credit on whatever is there, but no credit for stuff that's not.

Requirements

It's important that you be able to name things properly, so we require you to name these items exactly as specified above — including case.

We'll be looking for the following specific things:

  1. Comments at the top of the file, stating the name of the file, the name of the author and the date the file was created. Something along these lines: 
              FILE NAME: assign1.html 
          WRITTEN BY: Wendy Wellesley
          DATE: 3 February 2012
    Make sure these are comments, i.e. they don't show on the web page, but only when one looks at the source code!
  2. A descriptive title to your web page (the text that appears in the browser window's title bar).
  3. An introduction of yourself to your fellow students. Be creative.
  4. At least two links to websites outside of the CS server.
  5. An ordered or unordered list.
  6. Your HTML code must be validated in order to earn the icon at the bottom of this page (it looks like this: Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional). Your assign1.html should also display the same icon at the bottom of the page. Click here to learn how to validate your HTML code.

Coding Style

Your HTML code must be written cleanly and indented. This is a graded aspect of every assignment. Furthermore, you must always comment your code in all homework and project pages.

Your lines should be of a reasonable length, so that you don't get a horizontal scroll bar when you view the source of your page using a web browser. Here is an example page where the source is too wide. The way to avoid this is to put hard returns in your code: that is, press the return or enter key when the line starts getting too long. In TextWrangler, stick to the area on the screen where the background color is white rather than gray.

Also, double-check the indentation of your source using the browser. It sometimes happens that the source is lined up when you're looking at in in TextWrangler or Notepad but not when you view the source in the browser. This is because of the erratic treatment of tabs by different software. For that reason, it's best to avoid using the tab key when writing code (that is, using TextWrangler or Notepad), and instead just press the space bar. See here for more on the tab character.

You may not use a page generation program such as Claris Homepage, Dreamweaver, Frontpage or even Microsoft Word for this assignment. You must type the tags yourself: it's good practice.

It's a good idea to start with a basic HTML template and work from there. Click here to see a basic template.

Grade Sheet

This grade sheet will be used to assign a grade for the assignment. The perfect grade is 10. Depending on the errors, there will be subtractions from this grade.

Due Date/Time

Remember that assignments may not be turned in late. They are due at 5PM on the due date (check the schedule). Furthermore, remember that this policy means that you should not modify turned in work after the due time has passed, so that when we grade it, it's not time-stamped late.