Directory/Folder structure

You will need to create a logical directory structure which lets you store elements of your website so that they are easy to find. One possible way of doing this may be to organise the resources so that all images are in the same directory, with all other resources in one massive directory. This is quite a simple structure and probably not the best.

An alternative would be to place all images in one directory, with all other shared resources (such as sound or video files) in a directory called shared resources. This would then allow you to organise your resources more easily. If you have a lot of resources to go into each of the five pages, but which are not used elsewhere, you could set up a directory for each page of your website.

You should also choose descriptive and accurate names for your directories. Directory names such as stuff or website bits are not at all helpful. Try to name your directory so that you are never unsure where to place an element and anyone looking at your structure would be able to understand it immediately. Directory names such as shared images or shared videos are far more descriptive and will make your work easier.

Filenames

Below is a list of files that have been used in a website about fish.

• new_page_1.htm

• new_page_2.htm

• new_page_3.htm

• new_page_4.htm

These file names are not very clear. The list below shows the same website, but this time more descriptive filenames have been used.

• index.htm

• aquarium.htm

• seafish.htm

• freshwater.htm

If you look at the two file lists, you should see the benefit of having file names which are clear and easy to understand. You may be convinced that you would be able to remember the contents of each page in the first list, but imagine what would happen if your website grew into twenty pages or even thirty. By using descriptive names for each page of your website, you will be saving yourself a good deal of time and worry later on. It is a good habit to get into, even with relatively small websites, and is also something which is stressed as one of the criteria for Assessment Objective 2.