| Cascading
Style Sheets: The Designer's Edge 
Molly E. Holzschlag
 |
Cascading
Style Sheets begins with an in-depth look
at structured markup, both XHTML and CSS. It
then explains how to use CSS to achieve specific
design goals involving typography, colour, layout.
The book concludes by deconstructing some web
sites using CSS. |
Detailed
Description
From the Publisher: Sybex
Synopsis
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) offer web designers
precise control and instantaneous updates of their
sites' layout, fonts, backgrounds, and other effects.
This powerful technology is rapidly gaining widespread
adoption. Cascading Style Sheets: The Designer's
Edge is a full-colour book that combines a
thorough discussion of the technical aspects of
CSS with an in-depth look at CSS' design implications.
From the Back Cover
CSS is finally supported by all modern web browsers,
empowering Web designers to do what they've been
hungering to do for years: control layout more precisely,
use colour more effectively, and expand typographic
options beyond the frustrating limitations of the
past. So where to begin? Where can you get design-focused
instruction on CSS while learning the technical
details?
Cascading Style Sheets: The Designer's Edge
is the resource you've been looking for. Written
by renowned web designer Molly Holzschlag, this
book begins with an in-depth look at structured
markup, both XHTML and CSS. It then explains how
to use CSS to achieve specific design goals involving
typography, colour, layout, and more. Finally, it
deconstructs a series of impressive designs, showing
you how the authors used CSS to maximize their efficiency
and get exactly the right effect.
Key
topics you'll learn about include:
•
Writing
valid XHTML
•
Authoring
effective CSS rules
•
Working
with classes and IDs
•
Validating
your CSS
•
Creating
great typographical designs with CSS
•
Using
CSS for backgrounds, borders, and colour
•
Creating
multiple link styles
•
Using
absolute positioning
•
Working
with relative positioning
•
Positioning
with float
•
Creating
great CSS layouts
About the Author
Molly E. Holzschlag is a popular author, speaker,
and web standards evangelist. She is a steering
committee member of the Web Standards Project (WaSP)
and Education Director for the World Organization
of Webmasters (WOW).
Articles written by Molly Holzschlag at
AbleStable®
True
Colours
The
True Language of Web Design Part 1
The
True Language of Web Design Part 2
Review
Molly Holzschlag has written a very informative
work on an area of web design I have long since
felt intimidated by. Like many, I have kept a certain
distance from developing my knowledge and skills
of Cascading Style Sheets. When AbleStable®
was first developed I'd considered developing the
site using CSS, but at that time browsers didn't
fully recognise CSS, and as a result CSS was dropped
from the equation.
With the consistency of Internet Explorer 6 and
the release of Netscape 7, browsers are now much
more up to the task of supporting CSS fully, but
there remain questions about backward CSS compatibility,
and this has lead to the development of 'transitional
CSS', a kind of hybrid Document Type Definition
(DTD) that takes on the inconsistencies and ensures
correct browser recognition of web pages.
Cascading Style Sheets: The Designer's Edge
brings together the general principles of DTD in
an accessible and very well presented publication.
Molly's writing is at all times clear and accessible
as she guides the reader successfully through a
logical progression of developing the reader's understanding,
and potential implementation of CSS. There are numerous
screenshots and examples throughout the book which
is beautifully produced and very well designed with
additional notes, tips, and sidebars furthering
the reader's understanding.
There's little doubt Cascading Style Sheets:
The Designer's Edge should be on the bookshelf
of every web designer as a very useful reference
on CSS, and although there are now excellent CSS
editors like Top
Style Pro that come with well written online
documentation, there's still a persuasive case for
investing in a good reference book like this to
browse, ponder, and reflect on.
Cascading Style Sheets: The Designer's Edge
is for the serious web designer who has a working
knowledge of HTML. This isn't a work for the faint
hearted as it contains a lot of code examples and
requires a willingness to take on CSS in its full
glory. Don't expect an easy ride from HTML to CSS,
the web designer will have to put some hard work
into developing an understanding and effective implementation
of CSS which has its own idiosyncrasies and operations.
Reading this book will however provide you with
the necessary knowledge and skills to make sound
judgments about possible CSS implementation on your
web site.
I await the next incarnation of CSS (CSS Level 3)
with great interest, and hope that its implementation
will provide software developers the encouragement
to make accessible tools for all to produce clean,
accessible web sites with ease. I found Cascading
Style Sheets: The Designer's Edge an invaluable
read in determining the way forward for AbleStable's®
continuing DTD development.
Review by Mike de Sousa, Director, AbleStable®
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