Gone GREEN!

And I mean literally. Because the validator has a green button that shows up when your files are validated. And guess what? Today, I happily validated my index and css documents! And I'll be up a little while to finish validating my superhero assignments, but that shouldn't take long. I'm so ecstatic, I'm nearly bouncing off the wall in J-O-Y! :D If you want to get a peek at my site, check it out here. I'm warning you, it's not perfect yet. I'm still working on it.

If you're reading my posts, you can probably sense that my journey through Computer Studies has had me at really low points, but this is one of those days where everything you do feels liek it finally pays off. Class today was a breeze, and I even ended up helping others to fix errors after we printed out the source codes of our websites.

Due to a slight printer malfunction at home today, I'll finish validating all my files, and print the source codes at school tomorrow. Int he meantime, let me cover some of the most frequent mistakes I saw today in source codes with errors.

The top 3 mistakes were:

1. Starting tags and not adding end tags.

2. Putting headings in paragraph containers (I'm guilty as charged, but I eventually DID fix it), anchors outside of paragraph containers, or just general misplacement of tags.

3. Adding formatting in the html (such as breaks, underlines, formatting of text, etc.)

Now, even though I'm still not an expert on any of this yet, here's what I've learned so far from hours of trying to validate files:

1. To avoid errors, copy the template, and CAREFULLY type up your html, after reading the page mechanics COMPLETELY and THOROUGHLY. Precision is the best tool.

2. Check back on your html as you type, to make sure you aren't making the same mistakes over again when you copy and paste to other sections.

3. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT format in the html section. Mr. Arkin has repeated this many times, and even I've made errors with that after listening to instructions. Separate content from format. That's what css is for. trust me, it may seem like a hassle now, but get into the habit, and it will save you a lot of trouble later.

4.Same with the proper indenting. Although you may think that since browsers don't notice the indenting and spaces, getting into the habit makes your webpages easier to look at, and more professional. Also, it will be a lot easier to look for errors later if you indent and add spaces appropriately.
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Enough of me sounding like a seasoned pro. When I'm still fumbling my way though everything. :)

If you were wondering, I went to (no, was DRAGGED TO) curriculum night with my dad, which is why I was so late in posting today. Before I go, I just wanted to share 3 things I learned from tonight's program:

1. VP has GREAT choice in cookies.

2. I am TOTALLY going to join Panther Press. It seems like a great club, and I'd be really proud to be part of that organization.

3. My science teacher next semester seems really cool. I actually thought it was a woman, as my schedule only said "Larratt-Smith, S. So I was a BIT shocked today when Mr. Larratt-Smith was introduced.

Okay, gotta go VALIDATE!!!
Peace out, my awesome readers,
Grass. (I'm feeling the hippie vibe today :)