Your blog will be similar to the Wordpress blog that we using in class. Eventually it will be dynamically retrieving and storing data in a database. However, for now you are just making static "mock-ups" for each kind of the blog pages. There will be three kinds of pages:
Your task for the semester-long project is to design and implement a web site that displays this data and allows users to post messages and comment on other people's messages.
The display style of the blog pages must be set using external CSS files. An occasional in-line style is OK, but beware that those can easily get out of hand. You must have at least two different CSS files for your blog. Make sure that the two CSS formattings are significantly different, not just a change in fonts and colors.
There are two ways in which you can set a layout of a page: using tables or using CSS formatting features. To start with, you should use tables to format your page. We may cover CSS formatting later in the course, or you can read ahead if you prefer to use that instead of (or in addition to) tables.
Your blog pages must pass XHTML and CSS validation.
Think of what pages you need in the blog and what these pages will look like (the layout, the style). You need a "mock-up" of all the three kinds of pages, as listed above.
Your task is to come up with two CSS files for two different styles of your blog. Draw pictures, think of fonts, styles, and colors. Then write a basic HTML page and a css file that implement your idea. Your HTML has to pass the XHTML validator (or, if an occasional non-XHTML feature is used, please put a comment explaining why you are using it).
Keep in mind that you may need to add to your CSS file or change some settings later. Write it so that it is easy to understand and modify. Code clarity is a part of the grade.
Create a sample page for each of the three kinds of pages. The sample pages should link to each other: clicking on a comments link should bring you to comments for a post, clicking on a user name should display a page with information about a user. Since your pages are static at the moment, all comment links lead to the same page and all user links lead to the same user.
The work will be graded based on the inclusion of all necessary features (make sure to include things like date and time of posts and comments, etc.), XHTML/CSS validity and quality of code, the layout and appearance of your pages, the quality of CSS formatting and appropriate use of CSS features, and the difference between the two CSS files (i.e. two very similar files that differ only in colors and fonts will not get a high grade).
To submit, please upload the files to csci1101sp10 into one of the group members' accounts and send me an e-mail with the files location and names. You must CC the e-mail to your project partner(s).