Step-by-step Publishing a CSS Spec

Note! There have been changes to the module template since it was written! Check the meta-update list.

1. Summarize Changes - Make a Changes section summarizing the major changes since the last publication. (“Major” is relative—for a CR, it's any non-editorial change, but for an early-stage WD it would be sections that got an overhaul, major syntactic changes, or major behavioral changes, not every minor detail that got fixed.) This will help reviewers focus their review.
2. CSSWG Resolution - Get an official CSSWG Resolution to publish. Make any changes requested.
   1. For LCWD, establish with the WG a deadline (3 weeks minimum, 4 is typical) and a list of other WGs to ask for comments. Let a chair or staff contact inform those WGs, and all other WGs (via [email protected]) of the upcoming last call and give them a few days to ask for a different deadline.
3. Prepare Draft -
   1. Update the Previous Version link at the top to the latest dated URL on /TR (Omit or write “none” if there is none)
   2. Validate Overview.html
   3. WebIDL check Overview.html
   4. Link-check your spec.
   5. run a spellchecker on your spec
   6. Optional: If you feel so inclined, you can use pubrules checker (if it's working), review its results, and correct any errors. (Some errors are expected/harmless if you check an editor's draft, so read carefully!) (There's a new pubrules checker in alpha status, if you feel brave and are willing to submit feedback to spec[email protected].)
4. Request Publication - Send a message (See Template Below) to Bert and webreq, CCing w3c-css-wg, asking them to put your spec in the publication pipeline. Include a link to your draft and to the minutes with the resolution to publish. (If Bert is on vacation, ask fantasai or Chris.) Put [Publish] in the subject line.
   1. For FPWD, you also need a resolution on the shortname of the spec, and need to as the W3C domain leader (plh, in our case) to the FPWD publication and the choice of URL.
5. Wait for Publication - Wait for the spec to be published. W3C publishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Assume Bert needs 2 days notice before the publication date unless he tells you otherwise.)
6. Announce Your Spec - Post an announcement of your new spec to www-style (and cross-post to public-review-announce and any other relevant mailing lists]] and the CSSWG Blog (See Templates Below) and link the blog post from @csswg. If you need help with this, ask fantasai. A good announcement includes:
   • A link to the spec
   • An explanation of what's new, what's cool, what's changed, maybe what to expect going forward, but most importantly what you would especially like feedback on.
   • Instructions for sending feedback

The CSSWG blog is your communication channel to people who aren't technical enough or devoted enough to follow www-style. Take advantage of it, and engage your audience.

Note: The above combines steps specific to the CSS WG and general W3C-wide publication rules. See the latter also for steps to publishing a Note, CR, PR, etc.

Replace »marked« items:

To

bert@, webreq@

CC

w3c-css-wg@

Subject

[Publish]»[css3-foo]« Publish »CSS Foo« Working Draft

Body

Hello Bert & Webreq
The CSS Working Group would like to publish an updated Working Draft of:
  >>CSS Foo<<.
The resolution to publish is recorded here:
  >>http://lists.w3.org/...<<
The editor's draft is here:
  >>http://dev.w3.org/...<<
Can you please set this up for publication? Is >>future date<< an acceptable publishing date?
Thanks,
>>your signature<<

Where »future date« is a Tuesday or Thursday giving the Webmaster enough time to check and correct the draft.

The www-style message is your chance to update WG and www-style members who haven't been reading all of your module's deeply involved threads as to what's happening with your module.

Replace !!!!marked!!!! items. Here's an example WD announcement and here's an example LCWD announcement:

To

www-style@ and public-review-announce@

Subject

[CSSWG][!!!!css-foo!!!!] Updated WD of !!!!CSS Foo L#!!!!

Body

The CSS WG has published an updated Working Draft of the !!!!CSS Foo Module Level #!!!!:

    !!!!http://www.w3.org/TR/css-foo-#/!!!!

!!!!one-sentence summary of module!!!!

!!!!What's new, what's cool, what you'd like feedback on, and what to expect
going forward!!!!

Significant changes are listed at:

  !!!!http://www.w3.org/TR/2012/WD-css3-foo-20120501/#changes  **note dated URL!** !!!!

Please send any comments to this mailing list, <[email protected]>, and 
please, prefix the subject line with

    [!!!!css-foo!!!!]

(as I did on this message).

For the CSS WG,
!!!!your signature!!!!

The www-style message is your chance to update WG and www-style members who haven't been reading all of your module's deeply involved threads as to what's happening with your module, as well as put out an explicit call for implementations.

Replace !!!!marked!!!! items. Here's an example CR announcement:

To

www-style@ and public-review-announce@

Subject

[CSSWG][!!!!css-foo!!!!] CR of !!!!CSS Foo L#!!!!

Body

The CSS WG has published a Candidate Recommendation and invites implementations of the !!!!CSS Foo Module Level #!!!!:

    !!!!http://www.w3.org/TR/css-foo-#/!!!!

!!!!one-sentence summary of module!!!!

!!!!What's new, what's cool, what you'd like feedback on, and what to expect
going forward!!!!

Significant changes are listed at:

  !!!!http://www.w3.org/TR/2012/WD-css3-foo-20120501/#changes  **note dated URL!** !!!!

Disposition of comments:
  
  !!!http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css-foo/issues-YYYY-YYYY.html !!!!

Please send any comments to this mailing list, <[email protected]>, and 
please, prefix the subject line with

    [!!!!css-foo!!!!]

(as I did on this message).

For the CSS WG,
!!!!your signature!!!!

The CSSWG blog is your communication channel to people who aren't technical enough or devoted enough to follow www-style. Take advantage of it, and engage your audience. Log in to CSSWG Blog

Replaced the »marked« items. Here's a standard example . Here's a more customized example.

Subject

»CSS Foo« Draft Updated

Category

Publications

Contents :

The CSS Working Group has published an updated Working Draft of <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-foo">CSS Foo</a>. >>one-sentence summary of module<<

>>What's new, what's cool, what you'd like feedback on, what to expect going forward<<
Changes since the last Working Draft are listed in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2012/WD-css3-foo-20120501/#changes">Changes section</a>.

As always, please send feedback to the (<a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/">archived</a>) public mailing list 
<a href="mailto:[email protected]?Subject=%5Bcss-foo%5D%20PUT%20SUBJECT%20HERE">[email protected]</a> 
with the spec code (<code>&#x5b;css-foo&#x5d;</code>) 
and your comment topic in the subject line. 
(Alternatively, you can email one of the editors and ask them to forward your comment.)

CSS Foo Module Updated: >>link to blog permalink<<

To publish directly with the Webmaster, leave out the staff contact from the publication request, and inform webreq that you will be the contact person for the publication. Then send a reply only to webreq with a zipfile of the publication. (This way we're all on the thread, but only webreq gets the attachment.)

To prepare the zipfile, regenerate the spec for /TR publication and ensure that the files validate and pass pubrules (to the extent that you can check this). Also make sure that all files necessary for the publication <em>including default.css</em> are inside the same folder (and they continue to link up correctly). Zip that folder and send it to webreq as an attachment begging them to set it up for you.