struct |
How you structure your site is of critical importance both to those who would navigate it, and you who build it. Keep in mind a few simple tips, and you won't have to change your links around so often. |
These tips are especially relevant if you manage a large site, but remember, every site starts somewhere. It might as well be somewhere easy to figure out!use directories
When you have content that can be grouped, say a poetry subsection, or a collection of link pages, 'tis better to throw the pages together in their own subdirectory.
Filenames likeFewer files to wade through in your master directory, everything easy to find in its particular place.
poemtree.html
become
poems/tree.html.
I started a page about my dad as /vita/fam/dad.html. I wanted to link directly to the poetry I've written about him, say /vita/fam/dad.holiness.html.par exemplo:
Since I had many works to post about him, I decided to make for him a subdirectory
/vita/fam/dad/ and the poem is
/vita/fam/dad/holiness.html. You can tell exactly what's going on by looking at that URL. Something in my life section, about my family, specifically my Dad, and his holiness.
When someone wants to know what holiness.html is related to, they can link to /vita/fam/dad/ and get the index.html in that directory.
resource subdirectories
I've started putting my resource files in the relevant subdirectories.Pictures of Howard are in
/vita/hlr/pix/ When I need to call a graphic in file about Howard (say /vita/hlr/greenhouse.html), the URL is
<img src="pix/altar.sm.gif> Because the links are relative, if I ever want to move Howard's stuff around, I move /vita/hlr/ with the pix/ subdirectory and I don't have to change a single picture link within my Howard files.
Easy for me to remember, and it keeps my Howard stuff out of the fray. I probably have over a hundred pictures at this site. Keeping them all in one directory would be maddening.
My friend Jonathan favours capital letters for subdirectries: i.e. Images/, to differentiate between files and directories.
I don't like capital lettors in filenames at all, my default is pix for pictures in subdirectories.
nomenclature
Just because you can have long names don't mean you should. Keep your URLs as short and logical as possible, with subdirectories and extensions.short file names
/documents becomes /doxFind common abbreviations that differentiate within a short file name framework:
/pictures/ becomes /pixI have some pictures of some folks, a thumbnail and some larger versions:
the tiny thumbnail is
/share/96sum/dson/pix/cheese.ty.gif
the larger picture is
/share/96sum/dson/pix/cheese.lg.jpeg
Remember when you are dealing with file names and extensions that it is best to defer to the lower case. In the language of the net, CAPITAL LETTERS ARE TANTAMOUNT TO SHOUTING. lower case is the default; in speech, and in navigation.so
.ty is tiny
.sm is small
.md is medium
.lg is large
.hg is hugeeasy to figure out, and it sorts reverse alphabetically too!
justin's links by justin hall: contact