Book Description
Proving once and for all that standards-compliant design does not equal dull design, this inspiring tome uses examples from the landmark CSS Zen Garden site as the foundation for discussions on how to create beautiful, progressive CSS-based Web sites. By using the Zen Garden sites as examples of how CSS design techniques and approaches can be applied to specific Web challenges, authors Dave Shea and Molly Holzschlag provide an eye-opening look at the range of design methods made possible by CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). By the time you've finished perusing the volume, you'll have a new understanding of the graphically rich, fully accessible sites that CSS design facilitates. In sections on design, layout, imagery, typography, effects, and themes, Dave and Molly take you through every phase of the design process--from striking a sensible balance between text and graphics to creating eye-popping special effects (no scripting required).
Customer Reviews:
I haven't read the book yet.......2007-09-15
.. but I fully expect to. Having followed the csszengarden site from nearly the beginning, I wouldn't miss it. I was learning css on my own when I came across the site.. being a visual artist, and unabashedly a "web DESIGNER" - I finally FINALLY felt that I had found my calling, my mecca on the pages of the site with all of the talented designers.
I learned SO MUCH downloading the css and trying my own stuff -- I actually credit the site for helping me to finally understand css and how it could be stretched - how it could be made to do the things I had always wanted to do. My kudos to everyone involved!
Perfect!!!.......2007-09-13
I recieved my order fast, the book was in great shape, and wouldn't hesitate to order from amazon! Great service!
The Zen of CSS Design.......2007-07-15
I'm not a "graphics" person. I struggle to understand creative design and how to build it in code. This book brought these elements together and really explained the process.
This is not a beginner's book on coding and design. It is more of an applications manual for someone who has worked with CSS. I was frequently looking at some area of a design and asking myself how, or why, did he do that? I don't think there was ever an example that left that question unanswered. If it wasn't explicit, there was always enough information and discussion to be able to figure it out. Including the code with the illustrations and explanations really tied the processes together.
This book will be kept on my 'A' references shelf. There is a detailed index and the example home pages were grouped in sections: Design, Layout, Imagery, Typography, Special Effects, and Reconstruction. Therefore, it will be easy to come back and locate relevant information.
Zen of CSS Design.......2007-05-14
A great book with excellent examples and descriptions on how to implement a CSS web solution.
Wonderful Layouts.......2007-05-09
This book is fantastic for layouts and suggestions. While it is not the simplist thing for the beginner it is very good for layouts and suggestions on ways to make your own CSS better and HTML lighter.
Amazon.com
It's important for anyone who creates Web sites--even those who rely on powerful editors like Dreamweaver or GoLive--to know HTML. The World Wide Web Consortium rewrote HTML as a subset of XML (dubbing it "XHTML 1.0") and the allowable code will eventually be stricter. Tags that are being phased out are labeled "deprecated"--current browsers can still handle them, but if you want your site to keep up with future browsers, not to mention conform to accessibility requirements, you will want to get on top of XHTML.
Of course, Elizabeth Castro manages to write books that not only speak to those who are already fluent in HTML, but are good for newbies too. She makes it a breeze to create sites that are visually stylish and technically sophisticated without the expense of buying an editor.
Among the topics covered in her new book, HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS: using the (relatively newer) structural tags (like doctype and div); correctly using older tags (like p and img) that have been modified in XHTML; writing XHTML so that formatting is done by the style sheets; writing those style sheets (cascading style sheets, a.k.a. "CSS"); creating a variety of layouts; and dealing with tables, frames, forms, multimedia, a bit of JavaScript (including mouseovers), WML (for mobile device displays), debugging, publishing, and publicizing your site.
As with all Visual QuickStart Guides, this one features clear and concise instructions side by side with well-captioned illustrations and screen shots that show both the source code and the resulting effect on the Web page. The index is extremely detailed, making this a great reference.
Also great for reference are the outstanding appendices. The first is an extensive list of tags and attributes, indicating which are deprecated and/or proprietary and on which page they are discussed. A similar appendix shows CSS properties and values; given the future of Web coding, this chart alone is worth the price of the book. Other handy charts cover intrinsic events, symbols and character Unicodes, and an expanded color chart that goes way beyond the virtually archaic Web-safe palette. All of which makes this a definite must-have for every Web designer's bookshelf. --Angelynn Grant
Book Description
Need to learn HTML fast? This best-selling reference's visual format and step-by-step, task-based instructions will have you up and running with HTML in no time. In this completely updated edition of our best-selling guide to HTML, Web expert and best-selling author Elizabeth Castro uses crystal-clear instructions and friendly prose to introduce you to all of today's HTML and XHTML essentials. You’ll learn how to design, structure, and format your Web site. You'll create and use images, links, styles, lists, tables, frames, and forms, and you'll add sound and movies to your site. Finally, you will test and debug your site, and publish it to the Web. Along the way, you'll find extensive coverage of CSS techniques, current browsers (Opera, Safari, Firefox), creating pages for the mobile Web, and more.
Visual QuickStart Guide--the quick and easy way to learn!
- Easy visual approach uses pictures to guide you through HTML and show you what to do.
- Concise steps and explanations get you up and running in no time.
- Page for page, the best content and value around.
- Companion Web site at www.cookwood.com/html offers examples, a lively question-and-answer area, updates, and more.
Customer Reviews:
One of the most productive book!.......2007-10-04
The sixth edition has continued to live up to its name. It is indeed a 'Visual Quickstart Guide.' Unlike other books, it presents clear and concise instructions, and no lengthy text. Everything is delivered in point forms. Useful tips are sprinkled over the text here and there as well.
It can also serve as a quick reference tool that is easy to look up to. The appendices consists of the following: some commonly used (X)HTML elements and attributes, CSS properties and values, and some javascipt events. It is definitely worth it to own a copy of it.
It is a beginner's book and it offers more than enough to get you a decent layout for your web pages. Ideal for any novice designer to wants get productive fast.
Great book - bad binding!.......2007-10-04
This updated edition is welcomed as it was written with standards in mind. Very well done.
The binding on this book is horrible. Most of the pages in my copy have come out of the binding!
Good beginner's book!.......2007-09-23
Anyone who picks up this book will be extremely pleased! This introduction to xhtml/css by Castro delivers concise and clear step by step instructions on how to make webpages work. She also has a cool color chart on the back that you can check out for style sheets and the book is in color for easier reading!
Sixth edition best one yet.......2007-09-08
Liz Castro makes it as easy as it can be to learn how to code and control your own web site. You don't need expensive WYSIWYG design applications. In fact, you probably own text editors that will do the job nicely. Purchasing this book in tandem with "Creating a Web Page with HTML" by Liz Castro will have you up and running in, literally, a few hours.
HTML 4 for the world wide web.......2007-09-05
Very good book. A little heavy on the deprecated tags good intro material for JavaScript and CSS.
Book Description
Tired of reading HTML books that only make sense after you're an expert? Then it's about time you picked up Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML and really learned HTML. You want to learn HTML so you can finally create those web pages you've always wanted, so you can communicate more effectively with friends, family, fans, and fanatic customers. You also want to do it right so you can actually maintain and expand your Web pages over time, and so your web pages work in all the browsers and mobile devices out there. Oh, and if you've never heard of CSS, that's okay - we won't tell anyone you're still partying like it's 1999 - but if you're going to create Web pages in the 21st century then you'll want to know and understand CSS.
Learn the real secrets of creating Web pages, and why everything your boss told you about HTML tables is probably wrong (and what to do instead). Most importantly, hold your own with your co-worker (and impress cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions how his HTML is now strict, and his CSS is in an external style sheet.
With Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML, you'll avoid the embarrassment of thinking web-safe colors still matter, and the foolishness of slipping a font tag into your pages. Best of all, you'll learn HTML and CSS in a way that won't put you to sleep. If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect: a visually-rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, this book will load HTML, CSS, and XHTML into your brain in a way that sticks.
So what are you waiting for? Leave those other dusty books behind and come join us in Webville. Your tour is about to begin.
"Elegant design is at the core of every chapter here, each concept conveyed with equal doses of pragmatism and wit." --Ken Goldstein, Executive Vice President, Disney Online
"This book is a thoroughly modern introduction to forward-looking practices in web page markup and presentation." --Danny Goodman, author of Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Guide
"What used to be a long trial and error learning process has now been reduced neatly into an engaging paperback." --Mike Davidson, CEO, Newsvine, Inc.
"I love Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML--it teaches you everything you need to learn in a 'fun coated' format!" --Sally Applin, UI Designer and Artist
"I haven't had as much fun reading a book (other than Harry Potter) in years. And your book finally helped me break out of my hapless so-last-century way of creating web pages." --Professor David M. Arnow, Department of Computer and Information Science, Brooklyn College
"If you've ever had a family member who wanted you to design a website for them, buy them Head First HTML with CSS and XHTML. If you've ever asked a family member to design you a web site, buy this book. If you've ever bought an HTML book and ended up using it to level your desk, or for kindling on a cold winter day, buy this book. This is the book you've been waiting for. This is the learning system you've been waiting for." --Warren Kelly, Blogcritics.org
Customer Reviews:
The Complete Book ........2007-10-04
If you are newbie, then this book is a MUST !! Excellent,Funny and definitely not a boring one !!
A Book that Really Delivers.......2007-10-03
Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML is well crafted to give you full insight into how and why these technologies work. In addition it holds your attention with interesting and useful tutorials. I have recommended this book to a number of other people. The Head First & Head Rush series really integrate all of the learning styles into their books to create a better learning experience than most of the classes that I have attended thru high school, college and grad school. GREAT JOB!!!
Get it, you WON'T be sorry!.......2007-10-01
This book was (1) of (3) recommended for an online class in CSS & XHTML. I bought (2) of the (3).
This one is the BEST out of the ones I bought!
Not just a tech manual, it's DEFINITELY made for those of us who learned HTML and need to upgrade our skills (like me!).
This book is informative, interesting, intelligent, and FUN! There are crossword puzzles, color pictures, diagrams, and EXCELLENT examples!! There are also online files for the exercises, and resource links from the "parent" site.
Wonderful work! I highly recommend this over all other manuals!
A useful and excelllent guide.......2007-09-25
Get an account on a LINUX server, create public_html, and learn some vi. Then get this book and learn the right way to get onto the web. Pay especial attention to XHTML and learn to use the validators to impose discipline on your HTML. You will have fast-loading pages. You will quickly learn the vagaries of CSS and have fully modern pages. Buy this book.
Excellent: effective and enjoyable way to learn.......2007-09-23
I am about 1/3 of the way through the book. It takes you step by step through the process and is actually fun. I have started a couple of other HTML books and failed to learn HTML. After a few hours with this book, I can definitely knock out simple web pages and I still have 2/3 of the book to go.
Book Description
This book is your indispensable guide to cutting-edge CSS developmentall you need to work your way up to CSS professional. You'll learn how to:
- Plan, organize, and maintain your stylesheets more effectively
- Apply the secrets of liquid, elastic, and hybrid layouts
- Create flickr-style image maps, remote rollovers, and other advanced CSS features
- Lay out forms using pure CSS
- Recognize common browser bugs, and how to fix them
While CSS is a relatively simple technology to learn, it is a difficult one to master. When you first start developing sites using CSS, you will come across all kinds of infuriating browser bugs and inconsistencies. It sometimes feels like there are a million and one different techniques to master, spread across a bewildering array of websites. The range of possibilities seems endless and makes for a steep and daunting learning curve. By bringing all of the latest tips, tricks, and techniques together in one handy reference, this book demystifies the secrets of CSS and makes the journey to CSS mastery as simple and painless as possible. While most books concentrate on basic skills, this one is different, assuming that you already know the basics and why you should be using CSS in your work, and concentrating mainly on advanced techniques. It begins with a brief recap of CSS fundamentals such as the importance of meaningful markup, how to structure and maintain your code, and how the CSS layout model really works. With the basics out of the way, each subsequent chapter details a particular aspect of CSS-based design. Through a series of easy-to-follow tutorials, you will learn practical CSS techniques you can immediately start using in your daily work. Browser inconsistencies are the thorn in most CSS developers' sides, so we have dedicated two whole chapters to CSS hacks, filters, and bug fixing, as well as looking at image replacement; professional link, form, and list styling; pure CSS layouts; and much more. All of these techniques are then put into practice in two beautifully designed case studies, written by two of the world's best CSS designers, Simon Collison and Cameron Moll. Summary of Contents:
- Chapter 1: Setting the Foundations
- Chapter 2: Visual Formatting Model Recap
- Chapter 3: Background Images and Image Replacement
- Chapter 4: Styling Links
- Chapter 5: Styling Lists and Creating Nav Bars
- Chapter 6: Styling Forms and Data Tables
- Chapter 7: Layout
- Chapter 8: Hacks and Filters
- Chapter 9: Bugs and Bug Fixing
- Case Study 1: More Than Doodles
- Case Study 2: Tuscany Luxury Resorts
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic real-world solutions.......2007-10-03
I had originally thumbed through this book, subtitled "Advanced Web Standard Solutions" in my local bookstore and shrugged it off as covering pretty much most of what I'd already digested from other popular CSS books. It wasn't until a friend showed me some cool techniques from the book that I properly read though it and regretted not buying it sooner!
Though it's aimed at the intermediate web designer, it is well written and I would certainly recommend this as an essential buy for all web designers. The book begins with Clear:Left's Andy Budd provides most of the content starting with a chapter about well-structured and meaningful mark-up. It's these best practices that will help catapult you into the realms of CSS Master! It then recaps on the box model, positioning and floats, making it easy for a beginner to pick up this book and run with it, before moving into the techniques, with clear and concise examples, including a couple of good chapters on bugs and hacks.
The final two chapters are where Simon Collison & Cameron Moll step in to demonstrate these examples in two real-world showcase websites. This book is absolutely the best book currently on offer for CSS web design.
Andy's Professional Perspective: Priceless.......2007-09-29
I am a quick-fix guy. If I run into a problem with my website I look for the 1st script, code, or hack that best fits my problem, then customize it accordingly. Andy is a professional. He is less concerned about the quick-fix than he is about proper code usage and browser compatiblity on a long-term scale. If you are very concerned about the latter, browser compatibility, then this book is for you.
However, be aware, this book was published prior to the release of Internet Explorer 7. So although Andy goes indepth about the compatibility quirks of IE 6 he fails to cover IE 7. The good news is that IE 7 seems to have patched up some of those IE 6 quirks, so if you take Andy's advice and use the standards compliant CSS then you should have no problem adapting your website to more and more standards compliant browsers.
This book also gives some previews of yet-to-be-released CSS 3 as well as proper HTML and XHTML use.
Finally, as an amateur CSS programmer, I felt, before I read this book, that I was not utilizing CSS to its max. My stylesheets were limited to simple layout and typography tags. This book fully explained professional techniques that truly harness the power of CSS.
CSS Takes Practice.......2007-09-28
I found this book to be really helpful, mainly because of its clarity and simplicity. I've yet to do the 2 Case Studies included, but I intend to because reading this book has shown me that you can only master this information by doing it. Andy Budd, Simon Collison, et al, do a great job of giving you good examples to implement.
While this book has not (nor any other source, so far) answered all of my questions in one fell swoop, it has given me a much clearer overall understanding of what I'm dealing with, allowing me to come up with better questions and strategies for solving problems that come up in making a web page work across popular browsers. I highly recommend it.
Gives you control and keeps you standards-compliant.......2007-09-12
Ever tried to tame a 'stubborn' page; Where an element seems to have a mind of its own? If yes, then, Welcome to CSS Mastery.
Do you depend on Javascript to do routine formatting and menu mapping stuff? You need CSS Mastery
Need an effective common set of css methods that work on most browsers? Buy this book and you won't regret it.
Think you still need tables to help with page layouts? Read this book and think again.
Of all the good stuff I see in this book, the most intriguing for me is that HTML can actually be elegant and clean. This is mainly because Andy hand-holds you along a path of logical brevity to 'HTML-reborn': A place where HTML is allowed to do just its originally intended work of semantic markup; Where CSS controls layout and style in an inherently factorable, inheritable and maintainable way.
And hey! Make sure you read Chapters 4,5 and 7, especially.
A 7 stars book :).......2007-08-27
I have read a few css books, not all but few. For now I can only say this is the best book I've read about CSS and generaly computers. Now I'm reading pro css techniques and that book is not nearly good as css mastery even though some people say that this books are almost same.
If you want to learn modern and advanced css on easy way this should be your first choice.
Average customer rating:
- Good reference
- Excellent as a Second Volume and Definitive Reference
- Definitive? Yeah, I'd agree with that.
- slightly better than ok
- excellent tutorial, not so much a definitive guide
|
CSS: The Definitive Guide
Eric Meyer
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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ASIN: 0596527330 |
Book Description
Simply put, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a way to separate a document's structure from its presentation. The benefits of this can be quite profound: CSS allows a much richer document appearance than HTML and also saves time -- you can create or change the appearance of an entire document in just one place; and its compact file size makes web pages load quickly.
CSS: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition, provides you with a comprehensive guide to CSS implementation, along with a thorough review of all aspects of CSS 2.1. Updated to cover Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft's vastly improved browser, this new edition includes content on positioning, lists and generated content, table layout, user interface, paged media, and more. Author Eric Meyer tackles the subject with passion, exploring in detail each individual CSS property and how it interacts with other properties. You'll not only learn how to avoid common mistakes in interpretation, you also will benefit from the depth and breadth of his experience and his clear and honest style. This is the complete sourcebook on CSS.
Customer Reviews:
Good reference.......2007-10-04
This book could be organized a little more intuitively, but all-in-all it has the stipulations and definitions you need from the CSS standards in a printed form. I would recommend the pocket guide as well.
Excellent as a Second Volume and Definitive Reference.......2007-09-03
I've managed development efforts for several years and, although I'm an advanced developer in ASP.Net and numerous server-side technologies, felt I was too much at the mercy of "the web guys" on my project teams when it came to making decisions on content design. So, a couple years ago I purchased Richard York's "Beginning CSS" (Wrox Press) and found it to be an excellent primer on CSS. Having designed my own style-sheets for the couple years since, I realized I still had some questions as to the finer points of CSS design techniques.
I purchased Eric Meyer's "CSS: The Definitive Guide" and consider it an excellent second volume on the subject. If you are brand new to the topic of CSS, I'd recommend one of this author's other more introductory titles before attempting to read this title. Both Meyer's and York's more introductory texts focus more on building block examples and levels of support offered by the various browsers. "CSS: The Definitive Guide" assumes this foundation is in place and, instead, focuses on the more advanced and, as the title says, definitive discussions of topics Meyer has found to represent points of confusion among content developers.
I have had great luck with numerous volumes in O'Reilly's line of "Topic: The Definitive Guide", and this book continues this string of good luck. While it is not the ideal introductory text on CSS, for reasons cited above, it represents a great second volume - or even first volume for the content developer who already understands the basic principles and does not need building block examples. Numerous sections, especially the very succinct discussions of the CSS Box Model, are by themselves worth the price of the book.
--Doug Hettinger
Definitive? Yeah, I'd agree with that........2007-08-08
In a way I'm glad this book contains everything you need to know about CSS.
But in a way I'm sad that everything you need to know about CSS seems to be growing at a phenomenal rate - along with just about everything else tech-related.
Sigh. Job security, I guess.
Anyway, this book, coupled with O'Reilly's "CSS Cookbook", should enable you to do anything you want to your website.
Color would've been nice (ditto for the "CSS Cookbook") but probably would have jacked the price up too high.
slightly better than ok.......2007-07-03
I purchased this book with the expectation of being able to implement CSS for a website. The book felt very much textbook-ish, focusing too much on the theory and not enough on practical implementation. I had hoped for more best practices and more on layouts. This book is a great CSS reference but if you're looking for one-stop-shopping for building a CSS web site, you might be better off with something else.
excellent tutorial, not so much a definitive guide.......2007-06-27
This is an excellent tutorial, and the discussion of the box model in Chapter 7 is alone worth the price of the book. If you think you understand CSS, but you don't understand the box model fully, then you don't really understand CSS. And Eric Meyer does a very good job of walking you slowly through that model. The chapters after chapter 7 fill in that model more completely with additional details that are also indispensable.
However, I think this book should have been called "CSS: A Complete Tutorial," rather than "CSS: The Definitive Guide." This is not laid out in a way that would make it ideal as a reference book.
Overall, this is a sort of book where you won't get an answer to your question without rereading a couple of pages first. Second, the index is quite poor. Basic concepts covered throughout the book don't make their way into the index. Third, while the appendix of CSS properties is useful, a glaring omission is the lack of a browser compatibility chart. Certainly creating such a chart would be difficult, but still necessary (I think) for calling something "The Definitive Guide." Browser compatibility is certainly subject to improve over time, but a baseline list of compatibility at the time of publication would be highly useful, considering that such resources on the web are virtually not to be found. After all, O'Reilly's "Javascript: The Definitive Guide" at least manages to list the standard that defines each portion of the language, whereas the appendix in this book doesn't even do that.
That said, this book has revolutionized my own understanding of CSS, since I read it like a tutorial, and it seems I was badly in need of a tutorial. Consequently, for those who don't understand the true mechanics of CSS, I highly recommend buying and reading this book cover to cover. For those who are well-versed in the underlying mechanics and simply want a reference to the nitty-gritty details, however, this is probably not your answer.
Book Description
Available for both the Mac and Windows, Macromedia's Dreamweaver 8 is a professional web design and development program used by millions of Internet professionals to build high-quality static and dynamic database-driven web sites. It offers drag-and-drop simplicity, streamlined HTML coding tools, and powerful database integration features. But Dreamweaver 8 is missing one vital component: a printed manual.
Enter Dreamweaver 8: The Missing Manual, the completely revised fourth edition of this bestselling book by experienced web site trainer, Macromedia Certified instructor, and Dreamweaver Advisory Council member David McFarland. This book enables both first-time and experienced web designers to create visually stunning and highly interactive web sites.
With crystal-clear writing and much welcome humor, this new edition offers features such as:
- Live examples: With McFarland's step-by-step annotated tutorials, you'll learn how to construct a state-of-the-art commercial web site, complete with working forms, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and dynamic databases.
- Tricks of the trade: The book is bursting with undocumented workarounds and shortcuts for easing the process of building, maintaining, and updating professional web sites.
- Design guidance: You'll learn to create virtually every modern web feature, including forms, animations, cascading menus, and more--and you'll find out which browsers you need to provide special coding or do extra testing with.
No matter what your level of expertise is, you'll also learn how to manage your entire web site-whether you've just launched or if it's been around for awhile and takes up thousands of pages. Beginners with no web design experience will appreciate the step-by-step guide to designing, organizing, building, and deploying a web site; long-time Dreamweaver users will appreciate the advanced, real-world techniques for controlling the appearance of their web pages with CSS.
With more than 500 illustrations, a handcrafted index, and the clarity of thought that has made bestsellers of every Missing Manual to date, this is the ultimate atlas for the complex and powerful Dreamweaver 8.
Customer Reviews:
Helping me start my own business.......2007-09-16
This manual has helped me catch up on the entire web design movement with Cascading Style Sheets that I need to brush up on. As an owner of my own graphic design business, I needed to refresh my skills on Dreamweaver 8 and this manual with its easy-to-follow tutorials and sense of humor sprinkled throughout certainly helped me do that. David Sawyer McFarland helps you each step of the way. Definitely recommended.
Dreamweaver-Missing Manual.......2007-09-04
This book works through every aspect of the Dreamweaver program, but is still a bit difficult to understand unless you are an experienced website creator.
This is THE Dreamweaver book.......2007-08-20
I went through every book review, then checked out all the books at the local Book Superstore and ended up getting this, although I wondered why it only had 4.5 stars.
It is the perfect book for DW8 and fully deserves 5 full stars! I had been using DW4 for five years and it is nice that this book is both understandable and not over simplified.
Thank god for this book........2007-07-21
I've never taken the time to review anything on the web before and have always been amazed by the numbers of people who do. That being said, I had to tell people how much I love this book. The last site I designed was a tiny static site back in 2001 using golive and I recently committed to building two database sites. I went though many, many books + tutorials and none are as good as this one. [...].
Definitely a Keeper.......2007-07-10
I very seldom take the time to write reviews, and usually do so to warn people away from an awful book. This is the exception; I loved this book.
To give some perspective to my review, I am a professional programmer but a complete "newbie" to web design and development. I've taken on the task of creating and maintaining a web site for a local summer swim team. I needed help and I needed it quickly.
My first stop was "Macromeda Dreamweaver 8" by Short and Green. This is a good book for beginners to get their feet wet with Dreamweaver 8. However, after doing all the exercises, I did not get the feeling that I actually could design a nice web page and knew for sure that I couldn't create a form with a working submit button.
Then I bought this book, "Dreamweaver 8 The Missing Manual". The first few chapters cover the basic building blocks of using text, images and links. The next section deals with how to design a web page; first using tables and then using CSS. Other sections of the book deal with forms and how to set up Dreamweaver to manage your remote site and a testing site. (I find it much easier to let Dreamweaver figure out what files are out of date rather than use a stand-alone FTP program.) The last section of the book deals with dynamic web pages and was the answer to my quest for a functioning "submit" button on my web forms. This section is what sealed the 5-star rating for me. The book's tutorials use the ASP server model, but you can download equivalent tutorials for PHP/MySQL from the author's web site. I found all the tutorials to work (and I did almost every single one), but do check the author's errata page.
For you programmers out there who are getting into the web, this book mostly stays with the Dreamweaver wizards and does not delve into code view (probably a good thing for the non-programmers). If you are into coding and PHP, a good next step is "PHP for Dreamweaver 8", by David Powers. The Powers book covers a lot of the same dynamic web ground as "The Missing Manual", but is not afraid to dive into code view.
All in all, I was very happy with "Dreamweaver 8 The Missing Manual". It's a big book packed with information, but easy to read. Based on what I've learned, I was able to create a decently attractive web site, some very useful forms and private areas for team administrators and coaches.
Book Description
Cascading Style Sheets enable you to rapidly create web designs that can be shared by hundreds of web pages, accelerating development times and centralizing text and layout information for easy editing and updates.
Stylin’ with CSS teaches you everything you need to know start using CSS in your web development work, from the basics of markup of your content and styling text, through to creating multi-column page layouts without the use of tables. Learn how to create interface components, such as drop-down menus, navigation links, and animated graphical buttons, using only CSS – no JavaScript required. Discover how to design code that will work on the latest standard-compliant browsers, while working around the quirks of the older browsers. With a mastery of CSS, your web design capabilities will move to a new level, and everything you need to know to get your started and build your skills is right here in this book. You’ll be stylin’ in no time!
Customer Reviews:
An indispensable resource.......2007-10-01
A person can drown in the sheer volume of CSS information available in print and on the web. In my quest to learn the ins and outs of CSS, I found plenty of primers, tutorials, how-to articles and resource sites. I did not find a unifying document that would allow me to assemble all of that information into the knowledge needed to use CSS effectively until I found this book. The author has done a fine job of bringing the underlying tenets of CSS and XHTML together in a way that makes all the other sources make perfect sense. He also writes in a way that shows he is smart and writing to smart people. It may not be perfect, but it is extremely useful, even indispensable. As the 2d edition will be available November 13, this edition is probably best checked from the library. But if you are new to CSS, this book is must-read material.
Great seller.......2007-08-31
Great seller book arrived as fast as amazon 2 day shipping. The book itself was in excellent condition, I will buy something from this seller in the future.
Easy to follow.......2007-07-09
This book is easy to follow and gets into the nitty gritty of css. You'll be coding in no time, and will understand why you're doing what you're doing. I love it. It's so informative, and has given me the confidence to really run with css.
This is a great book!.......2007-06-01
I'm currently taking a CSS class online and often find myself scratching my head witht the 2 books required for the class - this NOT being one of them - I picked this one up on my own and now it's like - "Oh, so that's what those other books meant" - this one is easy to follow and understand - I'm a designer by trade - so any type of code makes my head hurt - this books makes it so much easier!
An Excellent Start to CSS.......2007-03-30
I have bought and read many HTML books over the years in an attempt to write even a simple web page or two, but with little success. HTML always seemed very clumsy and totally illogical. Layout code seemed to be repeated time and time again and could hardly be seen amongst the content (and vise versa). Then along came CSS - this, I thought, must be the way to do it!
A few more books on CSS later (Amazon are making a fortune out of me) but still no headway. The reason, I decided, was that all the books I had read were written by programmers (no disrespect, I do a bit myself). What I needed was a book written by a designer, someone who can tie together the XHTML and CSS from a designer's viewpoint but in a structured and logical way.
Enter Charles Wyke-Smith and Stylin' with CSS.
If any of the above description fits you, then this book is what you're looking for. The treatment is logical, well paced and above all relevant. It is written by someone who understands page design and shows you how to setup a descent web site using CSS. OK there are more typos in the first print than there should be, but they shouldn't throw you off course.
It is not the definitive design manual - it never pretends to be. It is an excellent book to start you on the right path to understanding CSS and using it correctly. I whole heartedly recommend it.
Book Description
As the Web evolves to incorporate new standards and the latest browsers offer new possibilities for creative design, the art of creating Web sites is also changing. Few Web designers are experienced programmers, and as a result, working with semantic markup and CSS can create roadblocks to achieving truly beautiful designs using all the resources available. Add to this the pressures of presenting exceptional design to clients and employers, without compromising efficient workflow, and the challenge deepens for those working in a fast-paced environment. As someone who understands these complexities firsthand, author and designer Andy Clarke offers visual designers a progressive approach to creating artistic, usable, and accessible sites using transcendent CSS.
In this groundbreaking book, you’ll discover how to implement highly original designs through visual demonstrations of the creative possibilities using markup and CSS. You’ll learn to use a new design workflow, build prototypes that work well for designers and all team members, use grids effectively, visualize markup, and discover every phase of the transcendent design process, from working with the latest browsers to incorporating CSS3 to collaborating with team members effectively, and much more.
Written and edited by Web design and CSS luminaries Andy Clarke and Molly E. Holzschlag, Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web Design
• Uses a visual approach to help you learn coding techniques
• Includes numerous examples of world-class Web sites, photography, and other inspirations that give designers ideas for visualizing their code
• Offers early previews of technical advances in new Web browsers and of the emerging CSS3 specification.
Customer Reviews:
I'd Say... this book is wonderfull!.......2007-10-04
I bought this book under an advice I took from a blog... I thought... what the heck... I know CSS, but the plain vanilla... I have read a technical book till the end (took me almost a year) and I need something different.
I was surprised...this one is a blast to read, simply put, a delightful reading, even to take it to bed :) (Depending on the company)
Great visual quality, simple examples, and the usual obnoxious tone I tend to admire in brits, even though they don't really have the need for it ;)
If Andy Clarke is as "direct" in is classes as he is in the book, then his seminars must also be a blast to tend to, the kind of classes you don't take notes...because you don't need to.
Finally I understood what meaningful and semantic CSS are... and found out that I was applying all the technicalities correctly, but skipping the basics of its usage (I tend to confuse this word with sausage) all the way!
Attention: Too many pictures of food... in bed they tend to produce some undesired urges to get up and raid the refrigerator with strange results (Depending on the company)
Great Buy --- Best web design book yet.......2007-09-06
I haven't been involved in too many designs as I am more prone to actual development coding (backend scripting). However after taking a new position that has me waist deep in both worlds I knew I needed to start spending more time understanding design aspects, process, progression, concepts, etc. This book saved the proverbial "day" for me.
Andy Clarke's masterpiece gave me an indepth view of so many different areas of web design it was hard to put down and not re-read immediately after finishing it the first time! I constantly refer back to this book for inspiration. It was written in a way that helps trigger your thought processes about how his examples and concepts pertain to your own work or work you might want to do in the future.
Excellent read and I look forward to reading more work from Clarke.
Good book, but frustrating at times........2007-08-24
Altogether this is a great book, especially the design theory, grids, workflow, and css principles, but the part where you jump into the hands on coding is poor, missing files from the download section of the site, plus parts of the coding examples that seem to tell you too input some css rules, then 2 pages later those rules are not there anymore without telling the reader, very confusing, you find yourself searching around the internet for support, but to not much avail, in the end I just gave up on the hands on section on this book, and just read the other parts, but these parts are good enough on there own to stop me from returning this book.. such a shame too, was really enjoying the writing style of Andy Clarke, seems the proof readers let him down :(.
Way more than pretty pictures........2007-08-15
"Transcending CSS" is its own example of the next evolutionary step in writing about web design. Created for designers, by designers, they are not stingy with the code needed to develop the beautiful, functional layouts. I bought this book as a "reward" for launching my first CSS-based design for a client, and it's already paid for itself by showing me how to develop my CSS skill set for current and future clients.
This book isn't really viable in today's world.......2007-08-11
This book I thought was a pretty nice, awesome looking book, and it is...
...Until he starts getting into the new CSS standard, which really doesn't help anyone on today's browsers, therefore isn't a really viable solution for now. This will be a great book in like a year or 2, but for anyone who really wants to be able to design CSS for websites in all browsers (Explorer, Firefox, etc) then this is not your book.
This guy should have stuck to the current standard, he would of been much better off.
Book Description
For readers who want to design Web pages that load quickly, are easy to update, accessible to all, work on all browsers and can be quickly adapted to different media, this comprehensive guide represents the best way to go about it. By focusing on the ways the two languages--XHTML and CSS--complement each other, Web design pro
Patrick
Griffiths provides the fastest, most efficient way of accomplishing specific Web design tasks. With Web standards best practices at its heart, it outlines how to do things the right way from the outset, resulting in highly optimized web pages, in a quicker, easier, less painful way than users could hope for! Split into 10 easy-to-follow chapters such as Text, Images, Layout, Lists, and Forms, and coupled with handy quick-reference XHTML tag and CSS property appendixes,
HTML Dog is the perfect guide and companion for anyone wanting to master these languages. Readers can also see the lessons in action with more than 70 online examples constructed especially for the book.
Customer Reviews:
best CSS book ever written.......2007-06-09
By far the best CSS manual I've ever read and I've read many of them. The writing, style, examples.. everything is lucid, easy to read, easy to understand. Perfect. Thank you Mr. Griffiths.
A Superb Reference.......2007-05-12
Clear, concise, accurate. If I could only keep one CSS/XHTML book on my desk, this would be the one.
The author also provides an excellent website that builds on the topics covered in the book[...]
Amazon.com
Book Description
No matter how visually appealing or content-packed a Web site may be, if it's not adaptable to a variety of situations and reaching the widest possible audience, it isn't really succeeding. In Bulletproof Web Desing, author and Web designer extraordinaire, Dan Cederholm outlines standards-based strategies for building designs that provide flexibility, readability, and user control--key components of every sucessful site. Each chapter starts out with an example of an unbulletproof site one that employs a traditional HTML-based approach which Dan then deconstructs, pointing out its limitations. He then gives the site a make-over using XHTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), so you can see how to replace bloated code with lean markup and CSS for fast-loading sites that are accessible to all users. Finally, he covers several popular fluid and elastic-width layout techniques and pieces together all of the page components discussed in prior chapters into a single-page template.
Guest Reviewer: Jeffrey Zeldman
Modern web design is user-centered, accessible, and standards-based. In other words, it's completely different from the stuff we did in the 1990s. There are two vital aspects to designing with web standards:
(1) understanding why
(2) knowing how
Know-how is what Dan Cederholm has in spades, and in this updated edition of his essential text, he shares that knowledge with humor and clarity.
Dan's is one of the smartest minds in CSS and HTML. He is internationally known as a deep and innovative coder. But his background is in design and production, working on real-world sites for no-nonsense businesses like Google, ESPN, and Fast Company, Inc.
This grounding in practical user interface design and daily production issues makes Dan a great teacher of CSS, because he never loses sight of the things designers want to do (not to mention the things designers' clients and bosses demand of them).
From multi-column layouts that stay crispy in milk, to maintaining fine control of web fonts and sizes without alienating users: just about every problem a modern web designer faces is examined, with solutions ranging from good to better to best.
This second edition includes everything you need to know about taking Internet Explorer 7 into account. Little else has changed. And that's as it should be, for this book is a classic. It belongs on every web designer's shelf.
-- Jeffrey Zeldman, author, Designing With Web Standards 2nd Edition
About the Author
Dan Cederholm is a Web designer and author living in Massachusetts. He's the founder of SimpleBits, a tiny design studio. A recognized expert in the field of standards-based Web design, Dan has worked with Google, MTV, ESPN, Fast Company, Blogger, Odeo, and others. He embraces flexible, adaptable design using Web standards through his design work, writing, and speaking. Dan is the author of two best-selling books: Bulletproof Web Design (New Riders) and Web Standards Solutions (Friends of ED). Dan also runs the popular weblog SimpleBits, where he writes articles and commentary on the Web, technology, and life. He also plays a mean ukulele and occasionally wears a baseball cap.
Book Description
No matter how visually appealing or packed with content your Web site is, it isn’t succeeding if it’s not reaching the widest possible audience. If you get this guide, you can be assured it will! By deconstructing a series of real-world Web sites, author and Web designer extraordinaire
Dan Cederholm outlines 10 strategies for creating standards-based designs that provide flexibility, readability, and user control—key components of every successful Web site. Each chapter starts out with an example of what Dan refers to as an “unbulletproof” concept—an existing site that employs a traditional approach and its associated pitfalls. Dan then deconstructs that approach, noting its downsides and then making the site over using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). By the end of each chapter, you’ll have replaced traditional, bloated, inaccessible page components with lean markup and CSS. The guide culminates with a chapter that pieces together all of the page components discussed in prior chapters into a single page template.
Customer Reviews:
For web standards professionals to improve their skills........2007-09-23
If you're a frontend engineer who's already skilled in web standards (semantic markup, CSS presentation, unobtrusive javascript), this book may help you to the next level. If you're new to that stuff, then I recommend Head First HTML With CSS and XHTML.
Bulletproof - no bull.......2007-09-07
This book is simply essential for the serious web developer who cares about standards and web sites that just work. It is well presented and thorough. The knowledge it imparts is readily extended to new design challenges. Well done!
No brainer. Definite MUST-HAVE........2007-09-06
I hope knocking down to 4 stars doesnt hinder people from buying this book, it is fantastic and should be in every web designer's library. Its concise, filled with well-explained and well-illustrated CSS strategies. The author's writing is one of the best I've ever seen in a technical book. Fun to follow and a great sense of humor, but very clear about what he's teaching.
I knock it down a star for two reasons, one it does focus a bit too much on people with screen readers. I know this sounds awful to say, but before I get crucified let me explain: as a designer my medium is mainly visual. While I do think it is important to keep your audience in mind for general public sites, I think for a design book the visual should be a bigger focus only because as designers we are trying to "wow" clients visually.
The other knock is that it is fairly small for a list price of $39.99 but price is an issue I have with most computer books. I would've maybe also like to see a chapter or two of random Tips & Tricks. Stuff like making text look weather-beaten by putting a GIF of "splotches" over it that I recently saw online. Maybe that's too gimmicky for this book, but you get the idea.
Despite the knocks this is a must-have CSS book and should be a definite purchase for all web designers out there. One of those you will come back to over and over.
Heads up on quality of the book cover.......2007-08-30
Book content is excellent, but be prepared for disappointment with the paperback cover. It is not glossy and unlikely to hold up to regular handling. Plan on covering it with something reinforcing. In fact, the cover on my book also started curling within hours of unpacking it, before I even did more than flip through it.
New Riders is not the only publisher who seems unable to put a good cover on a paperback, but it mystifies me as to why that is, since so many publishers have no trouble with that aspect of book design.
A must for every serious web designer.......2007-07-24
I don't use to thoroughly read professional books from start to end. I rather browse them for solutions to specific problems I encounter.
Well, in this case I've broken my habits, because from the very moment that "Bulletproof Web Design" reached my hands, I made it my bedside (or better, my "bus-seat") book and I'm about to finish it already.
Dan Cederholm just covers 8 (+1) aspects of designing with web standards, but he does it so well and so easy to read and understand, that you learn much more about the foundations of CSS than what the chapters announce.
Congratulations, Dan. And thanks a lot.
Books:
- Transport Modeling for Environmental Engineers and Scientists
- Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 17: Clone Saga
- Welcome to Oz: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop (VOICES)
- Wi-Fi Toys: 15 Cool Wireless Projects for Home, Office, and Entertainment
- Window Seat: The Art of Digital Photography and Creative Thinking
- Windows 2000 Server for Dummies
- Windows 98 for Dummies
- XML in a Nutshell, Third Edition
- XQuery from the Experts: A Guide to the W3C XML Query Language
- 3D Game Engine Design, Second Edition: A Practical Approach to Real-Time Computer Graphics (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive 3D Technology)
Books Index
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Web Standards Solutions: The Markup and Style Handbook (Pioneering Series)
Bulletproof Web Design: Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS (2nd Edition)
CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions
Stylin' with CSS: A Designer's Guide (VOICES)
