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These documents relate specifically to the APLAWS+ component of the LAWs national project. There is very useful documentation about the other workstrands available on the LAWs project website
APLAWS+ is a series of applications, content types, metadata standards and accessible templates built on top of the Red Hat CMS (content management system). This CMS uses the Red Hat web application framework (WAF). The best way to understand the system architecture is to look at the underlying WAF framework architecture described in the following documents:
Complete: 31 March 2004
(These files
are in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, please click on the icon below to go the Adobe website to download the software. Acrobat Reader software is free to download)
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This document highlights the process and issues around how the new APLAWS+ back-end was improved from the APLAWS system, based on the input of the APLAWS user Group, which formed the Quality Assurance Panel.
Complete: 31 March 2004
(This file
is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, please click on the icon below to go the Adobe website to download the software. Acrobat Reader software is free to download)
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Work was undertaken as part of the APLAWS Pathfinder to examine a standard local authority information architecture. As part of LAWs work was completed which has focused on implementation and explains how the improved APLAWS+ information architecture was built onto front facing generic XSLT templates, and about the presentation of the information architecture on the web pages.
Complete: 31 March 2004
(This file
is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, please click on the icon below to go the Adobe website to download the software. Acrobat Reader software is free to download)
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Work was undertaken to provide into developing the accessibility elements of the APLAWS+ system’s generic XSLT templates. The approach used to maximise accessibility in APLAWS+ is documented. This document doubles as a guide to how local authorities who adopt APLAWS+ should approach the design integration, customisation and content creation processes to ensure their website is not only user-centered and usable at the outset but maintains that level of accessibility and usability throughout its existence.
The APLAWS+ templates make full use of CSS technology and incorporate the Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines into the HTML and XSLT code. The primary benefit of using CSS to underpin the templates is that it separates the HTML document structure from the presentation of information. The CSS style sheets allow precise control, independent of the HTML, of all the layout, look-and-feel and textual characteristics of the system. Another advantage in this separation is that the templates use simpler and cleaner HTML making APLAWS+ pages both smaller, and therefore faster to download, as well as more accessible. This approach ensures APLAWS+ websites are both accessible and usable to audiences whether they are using visual web-browsers, text-only browsers or screen readers.
Complete: 31 March 2004
(This file
is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, please click on the icon below to go the Adobe website to download the software. Acrobat Reader software is free to download)
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The CMS work strand of the LAWs national project started with a working CMS. Quality processes were an important part of the project to ensure that it ended with an improved, working CMS. The heart of the approach taken to quality assurance was to ensure that certain key parts of quality control were undertaken by parties other than the lead developer. This included independent oversight of early development work, independent testing of deliverables and testing through third party usage of the deliverables. The final packaging was also independently verified and tested before being made publicly available.
The following report gives a brief overview of some of these processes and highlights some of the quality issues that APLAWS+ still faces.
Download (PDF 43 kb)
Complete: May 7 2004
(This file
is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, please click on the icon below to go the Adobe website to download the software. Acrobat Reader software is free to download)
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This useful document was prepared for the project by Runtime Collective and serves as an online user guide. It details authoring tasks, describes the content types, and details the Publish, Editor and Trusted user roles.
Open User Guide (opens in new window)
Download (714 kb)
(This file
is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, please click on the icon below to go the Adobe website to download the software. Acrobat Reader software is free to download)
Complete: April 2004
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Final APLAWS Pathfinder report to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Complete: August 2002
Download (218 kb: Microsoft Word format)
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Desktop review of Accessibility and Usability research available with recommendations for improved usability of LA websites. The APLAWS Usability report collated much of what has been written on the subject, with some guiding principles, to help local authorities avoid some of the more common mistakes.
Complete: March 2002
Download (234 kb)
(This file is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, please click on the icon below to go the Adobe website to download the software. Acrobat Reader software is free to download)
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The ability to publish content in languages other than English was identified as an essential component of the APLAWS project, and the technical standards employed by the content management system provide for this. This guide also aims to assist local authorities publish multilingual content on the web by raising awareness of related issues, tasks, processes and examples of good practice
Complete: March 2002
Download (693 kb)
(This file is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not have the software installed on your computer, please click on the icon below to go the Adobe website to download the software. Acrobat Reader software is free to download)
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