FAQ - Mod 1

Welcome to the frequently asked questions page for Module 1. As many common questions can come up on Piazza, some of those questions are consolidated here.

HTML Validator

Why am I getting a character encoding error in the HTML validator?

Students frequently see the following error message when putting their code through the W3C Validator.

The character encoding was not declared. Proceed using Windows-1252

When writing html, you need to include a method of character encoding so the computer knows exactly how you want your data to be interpreted. There are multiple character encoding schemes, but perhaps the most common for modern web and application development is Unicode Transformation Format (UTF) 8. This error can be easily solved by including the following line in your HTML header:

<meta charset="utf-8">

One vs Multiple HTML Files

Should I include both parts of the assignment in the same HTML file?

Students often wonder whether they should include both the birthday card and search engine in the same HTML file or separate them into different files. While there is no grading requirement for this and they can be included in the same file, we recommend putting them in different files to get you more comfortable with the process of creating HTML files from scratch. In the end, though, this is up to you.

HTML Naming Conventions

Do my HTML files need to have specific names?

A common question is whether or not there are naming questions for HTML files, or whether or not they need to be named something specific for grading purposes. Unless we specify exactly what we want the file to be (a rare occurrence), you can use your discretion as to what a good file name would be. Needless to say, it should at least be related to the content of the file.