The Code Style site has evolved by gradual refinement and accumulation of features and content. This review is part of a fully backdated site log and archive that sheds light on when, why and how particular features were implemented.
This log is sometimes updated several times per week, sometimes with a long overdue backlog of items. Many log entries refer to the Code Style Java package that delivers the servlet services and utilities used to manage this site.
Subscribe to the news feed for this log: 
Reverse chronology
30th November 2002
Added explicit JAXP and JDBC JAR references to the Ant build.properties file for the standardised build project and implemented a temporary build directory for updating the live production host.
28th November 2002
Added the Ant path and ANT_HOME environment variables to the .bash_profile script on the production host and tested configuration with a minimal test build file. Added an Ant project link to the Anchor Points: Code Style page, and trimmed down the Anchor Points metadata keywords for use in combination with other keyword sets.
24th November 2002
Re-packaged all servlet supporting classes to move them out of the primary servlet zone. Created a Viewable interface primarily for implementing Sequence types and completed a first draft servlet for viewing a sequence of numbered images via an ImageSequence object.
Created a local batch file script to generate JavaDoc pages for all Code Style packages using a separate packages file.
23nd November 2002
Added further information on document configuration to each of the pages in the Apache custom error pages feature. Included a further note about problems with Netscape 4 on Windows 2000 to the DOM1 visibility menus article.
Created an abstract Sequence class from the ImageSequence class and adapted the original to extend it.
22nd November 2002
Stripped line comments out of the simple JServ diagnostic servlet, added basic JavaDoc comments and an operating system name variable.
...
private final String OS = System.getProperty("os.name");
...
out.println("Operating system: " + OS);
...
Added new answers to the FAQ: Javascript & DOM, DOM1 visibility menu FAQ and FAQ: Site Manager pages.
21st November 2002
Added new answers to the FAQ: Cascading Stylesheets, Font sampler and survey FAQ, a preliminary FAQ: Media dependent stylesheets, FAQ: Java servlets and preliminary FAQ: Site Design pages.
Further minor modifications to the Ant local development and test filter files.
17th November 2002
Added servlet configuration directories to the clean and prepare tasks in the standard Ant build file, with a filter copy to insert local, rather than production, file paths and settings. Also added a configuration file directory to the standard build.
Created a Ant filter file versions of the JServ property and zone files for the Code Style development environment and test environment. These will ultimately be condensed to single files with separate filters to configure each.
16th November 2002
Created a first draft ImageSequence class to represent a series of numbered images to be rendered via a single servlet. Added a new .ImageSequence selector to the Code Style wide stylesheet, CSWideImport.css, similar to the .FontImage rule in Sampler.css, to centre the images with extra padding-bottom.
/*
The text-align: center declaration
incorrectly centres images in IE5
and Opera 5; margin: auto is the
correct way to do it, but doesn't
work in those browsers so ...
*/
.ImageSequence{
text-align: center;
margin-left: auto;
margin-right: auto;
padding-bottom: 1em;
}
Added the text/xml Content-Type to the root level .htaccess configuration for XSLT files.
AddType "text/xml; charset=UTF-8" xsl
9th November 2002
Added Arial Unicode MS, MS Outlook, Caslon and ClearlyU to the templates for processing Code Style font survey submissions and the sampler stylesheet, Sampler.css. Also added these font details to the master codestyle_fonts database and the survey pages themselves, but did not upload immediately. Added a link to Alan Wood's Unicode fonts site to the "see also" links for the survey results pages.
Re-arranged the Anchor Points include file set to accommodate the new structure for Anchor Points: Site Manager and Anchor Points: Site Design sections, particularly for books and software. Created a new link navigation include file for pages in the Site Design section.
7th November 2002
Added links to the latest FAQ: Javascript & DOM answers.
3rd November 2002
Externalised the HTTP request part of the ViewSourceNet servlet as a new HttpRequest class for general use. All relevant exceptions are thrown as new org.codestyle.WrappedExceptions for optional logging and debugging. The class includes two constructors and accessor methods for the key variables.
Reviewed the first draft subject vocabulary page, refined various definitions and added a menu box with top links for all terms.
1st November 2002
Produced a first draft WrappedException class that wraps any given Exception so that it can be caught and handled in a generic way, while retaining all exception data. Re-configured the draft JAXP servlet to throw WrappedExceptions for all exceptions and handle them with a custom error 500, internal server error, page.
Previously on Code Style
These backdated pages record detailed changes to the Code Style Web site since July 2000, when development first got underway. Some pages may refer to documents or features that have since changed or are no longer part of the site, but the archive is checked to ensure there are no dead links.
Site log, origins to present
For a summary overview, see the annotated site log contents.
