Web Development and Design Foundations with XHTML, 5th Edition

Answers^645

Chapter 9

Checkpoint 9.1

1. While either solution would be appropriate, the solution that uses three input
   boxes (first name, last name, and e-mail address) is the more flexible solution.
   These separate values could be stored in a database by server-side processing
   where they could easily be selected and placed into personalized e-mail messages.
   This provides the most useful functionality of the collected information in future
   manipulations.


2. There are a number of possible solutions for this design question. If the responses
   are short and about equal length, perhaps a group of radio buttons would be
   appropriate. If the responses are lengthy or of widely varying lengths, a select list
   would be a good choice. Radio groups can accept only one response per group.
   Select lists by default accept only one response. Check boxes would not be appro-
   priate because they allow more than one response to be selected.


3. False. In a radio button group, the nameattribute is used by the browser to
   process separate elements as a group.

Checkpoint 9.2

1. The
   tag creates a visual border around the elements contained
   within the fieldset. This can help to organize form elements and increase the
   usability of the form. However, this tag is not supported by all browsers. Test the
   form to verify that it is still usable even if the browser ignores the

   
   tag. The

   tag is used to provide a text description of the area bounded
   by the

   tag. This further serves to increase the usability of the form
   for visitors using browsers that support these tags.


2. The accesskeyattribute allows a visitor to select an element immediately by
   using the keyboard instead of a mouse. This improves the accessibility of the page
   and can be very helpful to mobility-impaired visitors. The W3C recommends pro-
   viding a visual cue of an underlined letter, bold letter, or message that indicates
   the hot keys to press to activate an element.


3. The Web designer and client decide which is used—standard submit button,
   image button, or a button tag. However, it makes sense to use the simplest
   possible technology that provides the needed functionality. In most cases, this
   is the standard submit button. The submit button’s accessibility can be


4. c


5. border


6. valign


7. larger


8. summary or title


9. padding


10. Although XHTML tables are still
    often used to configure page lay-
    out, CSS is a more modern and
    preferred method to configure page
    layout. Advantages of CSS include
    ease of maintenance and smaller
    Web page files (due to less
    XHTML code).