Comments on latest draft addition to my web

[doug]

I've finally got round to updating my website - the events described prevented me from finishing my 2004 update. Anyway this is the page for 2005. Any comments will be gratefully received.

2005

[CurlyWhirly]

I don't like black text on a white background as it makes my eyes go funny and is hard to read

[doug]

Thanks CW I've not tried modifying the background before. If this is better I'll do the other pages as well.

[CurlyWhirly]

If this is better I'll do the other pages as well.

That's not so bad now IMHO, in fact I actually read some of it in contrast to when I first viewed it.

I make a point of not bothering to read any website text if it is displayed so it's hard to read i.e. black text on a white background.

[Watchful]

Haven't seen it before doug but it is easy enough to read now.

Just one point, in your Training Diary; are the large letters FLUE meaning that you had 'flu in that week, 2nd April? If so, knock off the letter E. ;)

[dadyassa]

Hi doug, just my 2 pen`erf ;)

10 out of 10 for perseverance mate

Its much easier to read with the different coloured background, but i find the text too sort of cramped, maybe its just me ;)

Hope you don't mind but I did a bit of editing on a paragraph

I think it makes it easier to read ?

"Now I had been following the instructions from the Physio's to the letter, especially avoiding any knocks to the elbow.

However, I was sitting at my computer when I knocked something off the desk.

Then following instructions I used my left hand/arm to lower myself to the floor - every joint was still aching. Use left hand to pick up object and place up on desk. Then, as the Physio had instructed, used left arm to swing myself upright. I heard and felt a crack - I'd swung my left elbow back into the leg of the chair I had been sitting on.

This resulted in the puzzle of an elbow to be scrambled and required a fresh operation. The surgeon took no chances this time and screwed all the bits together and plastered the arm.

This meant that I was not allowed to get the arm wet. Ablutions were difficult, instead of my normal enjoyable shower I had to laboriously lower myself into the bath as I was till aching everywhere this hurt.

I had to kneel in the bath and endeavor to wash my hair with the left hand then rotate to lower my body into the bath with my right arm dangling over the edge to avoid any water getting on the plaster. Was told it was quite a sight.

Toilet arrangements were difficult. Being blunt wiping my backside using my left hand and dead reckoning was not satisfactory.

After a while the plaster came off and then the metal staples removed. I then developed an infection and was put on courses of antibiotics.

After several weeks one of the screws then worked it's way out through the elbow. This resulted in the third op. to remove all the hardware.

Recovery was then slow but progressive. Exercises with weights helped and milestones such as being able to touch just the tip of my nose with my right thumb were measures of success."

[catgate]

Looks OK to me.

Not sure about you though.

You either want decorating or certifying.

[andsome]

Looks OK to me.

Not sure about you though.

You either want decorating or certifying.

DITTO

[doug]

Thanks Pushlin, yes flu aching joints, headache, sneezing and generaly miserable. Doctor said it can't be old age flu because I had had the jab. So I concluded that it must be a young one. Anyway I'll correct the spelling.

Also thanks dady- Grama and spellin were never my strong point - 4 tries to get 'O' level english. Mind I was a wiz at the sciences especially maths.

[doug]

A question dadyassa, how do you manage to start the sentences on a new line? I'm using M$ Frontpage and when I hit the return button it starts a new paragraph!

Ah think I've got it having to insert the

symbols in on the html page. This correct?

[dadyassa]

A question dadyassa, how do you manage to start the sentences on a new line? I'm using M$ Frontpage and when I hit the return button it starts a new paragraph!

Ah think I've got it having to insert the <br> symbols in on the html page. This correct?

I have never used Frontpage and it was a few years ago I used to do a Gymnastics site. I used to cheat and use a free text to html converter called Arachnophilia and did the website with Homesite 4, but I think the are a little out of date now perhaps, ;) But found it saved loads of time.

They still do it HERE

I dont think the site is up anymore, when I left UK a girl took over and kept it running on my freespace on Virgin, it was ok for a few years but has gone now :(

[doug]

That's OK. Thanks for help anyway. I'll stick with Frontpage for now especially as I develope a bit more confidence with this hypertext stuff.

[dadyassa]

That's OK. Thanks for help anyway. I'll stick with Frontpage for now especially as I develope a bit more confidence with this hypertext stuff.

Yeah if you are used to it then its probably best.

If you get time to play, download Arachnophilia and paste and copy some text from somewhere into it and convert it.

You will then see what I mean about saving time on the tags etc ;)

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

John,

Regarding readability, I would also experiment with different fonts. You do not explicitly specify any font, so the resulting display is each visitor's browser's default setting. So for some it can look really nice and easy to read, for others it may be terrible.

Now that you have the text nicely divided in paragraphs (I know Frontpage is doing that; I will check if there is a way of stopping that - I hate it too!), try to format each paragraph in a different font. With this you can easily see which font is the most readable.

[doug]

That's a good idea Pat, (just got back from a 7 miler) I'll try that out and ask all for opinions again.

[doug]

Pat and dadyassa, if I could trouble you again would you please give it another look see. I've changed the font to Arial and changed the layout and background. If you, or anyone else would care to comment I'll knuckle down and tidy up the rest before finishing off the remainder - as you say an awful lot is mixed.

2005

Full Website

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Better, but still not easy to read. Copied your HTML source into Frontpage and tried a few fonts; Verdana looked best to me. (I know, I know... it is not 'best practice' to specify one specific font, as other visitors may not have that font. We should specify a font family.)

This is the way it should be done correctly (taking one paragraph from your text):

<p style="background-color: #EBEBEB; font-family:Verdana">When I had finally collected all the pledges in with the bank interest it came to a total of £3484.<br>
The Physiotherapy Department of the Regional Neurological Rehabilitation Unit at Hunters Moor used this to purchase 3 fully adjustable wheelchairs and an electronic stimulator.<br>
The wheelchairs are very useful because they can be adjusted to meet the need of each patient recovering from neurological surgery/damage until they can get their own special purpose chair made. This can take many months.</p>

[Chris]

Although a font family would be more like:

font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;

[doug]

Chris, what does all that do?

[Chris]

Tells the browser to display the text with the verdana font. If the font is not installed on the machine then use the Arial font and so on.

You can have whatever font family you want.

[doug]

Aha, will give that a go, thanks.

[doug]

Struggling a bit here Chris, I can select individual fonts but no sign of font families. Do I have to type each one in using code?

[doug]

Still struggling. Is it possible to set up the font family for the whole page or do I have to type it in for each paragraph?

[Chris]

I'll show you...

[Chris]

This will define how your paragraphs are styled:

<style type="text/css">
<!--
.style1 {
	color: #FF0000;
	font-size: 10px;
	font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
}
-->
</style>

So you would have this....around your paragraphs:

<span class="style1">When I had finally collected all the pledges in with the bank interest it   came to a total of £3484. The Physiotherapy Department of the Regional   Neurological Rehabilitation Unit at Hunters Moor used this to purchase 3 fully   adjustable wheelchairs and an electronic stimulator. The wheelchairs are very   useful because they can be adjusted to meet the need of each patient recovering   from neurological surgery/damage until they can get their own special purpose   chair made. This can take many months.</span>

So by changing the font colour in the first bit every paragraph would then get changed...

Each paragragh could have it's own .stylex and so by changing one value would change the whole paragraph.

Like so...

.style2 {
	font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;
	color: #0000FF;
	font-size: 24px;
}
-->
</style>

<span class="style2">Training for the run was limited but   eventually was able to start in a limited fashion, very short runs. As it was   our 40th wedding anniversary we went to the Italian Northern Lakes, in hind   sight I must have picked up a lung infection on the flight out. I had started   going for a short jog each morning but then found that I didn't have any energy   left to manage my wife in her wheel chair - put this done to the heat so didn't   do any more running. On returning home I felt poorly and was diagnosed with a   lung infection and had to have 2 separate courses of antibiotics. Then was able   to start training again, getting up to 4 miles every couple of days. Then 4   weeks before the run we went on another holiday to a caravan in the south of   France that we go to each year - retired you see. Normally I go for a trot each   morning. Leave the Caravan site and go along the road to a convenient spot then   back - a 3 mile round trip. Then each day I do bigger loops round the site until   I get to 4/5 mile per day. Well the second morning I must have trod on a rock   because the pain in my right foot was agonizing. Couldn't walk on it for 3 days,   certainly couldn't run for the remainder of the holiday.</span> </p>

Make sense? :P