Mmmm, layered cakes, looks great doesn’t it?

Hold on, we’re not talking about cakes here, and no I am not bonkers. We’re talking about the three layers of web development. Maybe not as fun, but should always make for a pleasing result.

When building a new site, I always (unless its unavoidable) build using 3 distinct layers.

1. Content - our XHTML
2. Style - our CSS
3. Behaviour - our Javascript

Just like our cake here we don’t want to mess these layers up as this can have, well, undesired effects!

There are many benefits of keeping clear separation of content, style and behavior. Some of the most obvious are the following -

• Accessibility

  Generally speaking by taking the correct approach to building websites the more accessible the site is likely to be. By keeping the layers seperate we can enhance the accessibility of the site by offering different styles or scripts to cater for different end users. For example, different styles can be served for mobile users.

• Backwards compatibility

  By adopting the 3 layer approach theoretically a website should become backwards compatible. That is, in simplistic terms by removing or part removing either the style or behaviour, the content should still be readable. This also helps with accessibility.

• Easier to maintain and manage

  Sites are far easier to manage and maintain by adopting the layered process. In fact a whole new style can be developed without even touching the content layer!