Hi. I’m Andrew

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Suggested common elements and naming conventions for websites

Andy Clarke's suggestions

OK, here goes... my latest thinking...

#container
Page container (usually a < div >)
#branding
Used for a header or banner to brand the site.
    #branding-logo
Used for a site logo
    #branding-tagline
Used for a strapline or tagline to define the site's purpose
#nav or #navigation
Used to contain a navigation device
    #nav-main
Main or primary navigation
    #nav-section
Navigation to pages within the current site section
    #nav-external
Navigation to pages outside the site
    #nav-supplementary or #nav-supp
A supplementary list of links, perhaps in a footer. This can replace the common, but presentational #footer
    #nav-(whatever)
A list of links named at a designer's descretion
#search
Related to search interface and search results
    #search-input
A search form
    #search-output
Search results which could include a or other markup including definition lists
#content
Used for content rather than for another purpose such as navigation
    #content-main
The main content area
    #content-news
News related content
    #content-(whatever)
Could include any form of content, including #content-related, #content-quote etc.
#siteinfo
Used for various site related information
    #siteinfo-legal
Copyright information etc.
    #siteinfo-credits
Designer or other credits

E-commerce related

#content-products
An overall area containing products
    .products
Referring to individual products
    .products-prices
Prices, discounts, special offers etc.
    .products-description
A summary or longer description of a product
    .products-review
A customer review
    .products-(whatever)
Could include any form of product related content

Summary

My main reasons for these particular suggestions were to:

  • Name for content rather than presentation or positioning
  • Build a structural heirarchy
  • Allow for flexibility and extensibility within a common framework

So, what do you think? Does this reasoning 'work' or am I barking up the wrong tree? And even if these conventions are not definitive (and I don't suppose for a minute that they are ;) ), how can we best promote (what Eric continues to call) 'best practices' and see a set of conventions widely used?

View a huge lists of some famous web designer's naming conventions

Filed under  //   bookmark   css   guide   semantics   web standards   xhtml  

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