Quick Tips
The HTML5 placeholder attribute is not a substitute for the label element
The placeholder attribute is meant to give the user a nonessential hint before filling in a form field, not replace the label element.
The difference between width:auto and width:100%
If you’re using width:100% to undo a previously set width on a block level element, you should probably be using width:auto instead. Here’s why.
Make links focusable (or use real buttons)
When using a link to trigger JavaScript functionality, make it keyboard focusable by giving it a non-empty href attribute. Or use a real button instead.
Style visited and unvisited links differently (most of the time)
Browsers give visited and unvisited links different colours by default for a reason. Make sure you have a really good reason to make them look identical.
You can’t reliably detect screen readers
Since screen readers run alongside regular web browsers and have no user agent string of their own, there is no reliable way of detecting them.
Be careful with non-ascii characters in URLs
Unless you have really strong internationalisation requirements, consider sticking to the following characters in URLs: a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -, ., _, and ~.
Void (empty) elements and self-closing start tags in HTML
Two types of mistakes that I see every now and then are using end tags on void elements and using self-closing start tags on elements that can have content.
Whenever you use :hover, also use :focus
Neglecting to style :focus when you style the :hover pseudo-class can lead to minor inconvenience at best and complete inaccessibility at worst for non-mouse users.
Beware of “Web Page, complete” when saving HTML pages with your browser
Using the “Web Page, complete” (or similarly named) option when saving a page with a web browser will often change the markup.
Use the th element to specify row and column headers in data tables
When creating data tables in HTML, make sure to mark up the table structure properly, using the relevant elements and attributes available in HTML.
Use the optgroup element to group select options
When grouping the options of a select element, you can use the optgroup element with a label attribute instead of faking the groups with option elements.
Skip links need to be at least temporarily visible
When you add skip links to a site, do not hide them completely from sighted users.
(Almost) never add a reset button to a form
Think carefully before adding a reset button to a form. Is being able to reset the form so valuable that it is worth the risk of losing the data you have entered? Probably not.
Help screen reader users by giving data tables a summary
To help users of non-visual browsers understand data tables, use the table element’s summary attribute to describe the tables’ structure, especially for complex tables.
Do not remove the outline from links and form controls
Do not use CSS to remove the visual outline most browsers put on elements that have keyboard focus, and do not use JavaScript to immediately remove focus.
Don’t forget keyboard navigation
Remember that many people do not use a mouse to interact with the web, so you have to make sure that the sites or applications you build work independent of input device.
CSS background images cannot and should not have alternate text
There is no way to specify alternate text for CSS background images. This is not a problem since background images should be used for presentational purposes only.
Use the fieldset and legend elements to group HTML form controls
Only use the fieldset and legend elements to group logically related form controls, always use both elements together, and keep legend texts short.
Using an XML declaration triggers Quirks mode in IE 6
If you use an XHTML doctype with an XML declaration, Internet Explorer 6 will switch to Quirks mode and use an incorrect CSS box model.
Do not create empty links
Always make sure that any links you create have actual text content, or they will be unusable to some of your visitors.
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