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Sausage Sizzler - Learning CSS |
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| Editorial August 8th, 2003 |
G'Day Sizzlers!
I have been doing some studying and learning in the past week or
two to brush up on my CSS skills. Long time HotDog user and
friend, Eric Bass was kind enough to loan me his copy of
SitePoint's HTML Utopia: Designing Without Tables Using CSS, and
I read it with great interest.
CSS or Cascading Style Sheets can be used to control a sites
layout as well as content appearance. This becomes a very
powerful tool, giving you the ability to alter the your sites
appearance and layout easily with alterations only to one
document!
I was so intrigued and impressed by the abilities and benefits
CSS gives you, that I have started altering my own site to use
CSS for the layout (it is already used them for the content). In no
time at all I was able to get the site underway. It is not
complete and I am working on it daily so take a look at my work
in progress (albeit I made it live last night) at:
http://www.netbloke.com/
If you have a few minutes to spare today download FlashPoint and
have a play with it. Until you do you really won't see how easy
and quick it is to create presentations.
Download and have fun:
ftp://ftp.sausage.com/pub/tools/flashpoint/fp_install.exe
Read, learn and implement!
Keep on sizzling!
Nathan Allan
Sausage Sizzler Editor
editor@sausage.com
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Reading Others' Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
Did you know you could easily examine the cascading style sheets
of the websites you visit? This tip is useful for anyone
interested in cascading style sheets. So whether you are a
beginner or an experienced coder you could find a nugget or two
for your next website project.
Simply open up Windows Explorer and take a look at the
Windows\Temporary Internet Files folder on the drive where you
have windows installed (usually c:). You can sort the folder by
'Type' and the css files will then appear towards the top. You
can tell which website the css file came from by looking at the
adjacent 'Internet Address' column.
I prefer to copy and paste any css files I want to look at to my
desktop, although you could choose any folder that is convenient
for you. I then open the file with a suitable program such as
HotDog or Notepad. You could, of course, open the files directly
from HotDog (remember to select 'all files' in the 'files of
type' box to see the css files).
How are you doing with css? Whether you are a beginner or an
experienced web-coder why not take a look at the CSS Forum in
Sizzler Forums and see how the experience of our forum members
might help you further?
Look at the code and comment here:
http://www.sizzlerforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1948
Tip by Kevin Hannan
How do you use CSS?
I would be interested to hear how and if you use CSS.
Are you using it to control the text content?
Are you using it to control the layout?
Have you found any good resources for learning and fine tuning
your CSS skills?
Do you think it is the next big thing for site design?
Anyway regardless of your experience post your thoughts, comments
and findings here, so others can also benefit:
http://www.sizzlerforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1939
Thoughts by Nathan Allan
Quick Custom Colors In HotDog
A considered approach to the use of color in your website will
help to create and promote its ambience and encourage visitors to
return. A quick look at some popular websites will show you just
how few colors are needed to create a professional image. You can
use these principles to great effect in your websites with
HotDog.
Some points to bear in mind are that these websites use color in
an imaginative, sympathetic and consistent way. A 'modern'
website might use 'cool' colors whilst an 'historical' website
might use 'sepia' tones. The color scheme chosen will be
complementary, so the colors will be aesthetically pleasing. For
example, cream looks good with green but pink with brown does
not. A look at a color-wheel will help you here. Finally,
successful websites use colors consistently across their websites
so you are given a professional presentation.
When you start HotDog the 'Custom Colors' tab will appear by
default to the right of the tab menu. If it's switched off you
can show it again by right-clicking your mouse anywhere in the
grey menu area and selecting 'Custom Colors' from the sub-menu
(or View | Toolbars from the main menu). Sixteen boxes of color
will appear when the tab is selected. You can drag the color box
bar anywhere you want, although it's probably best where it is
for now.
To change the color of any of those boxes, right-click your mouse
inside the box you want to change and select 'edit color' from
the sub-menu. You can then select your color from the HotDog's
Color Picker. When you are done your new color will replace the
old one. You can repeat this process as necessary with the other
boxes. When you double-click any of these color boxes the
relevant hexadecimal code will appear at the cursor in the
editing window.
I use this toolbar in my work every day because I find it saves
me a lot of time. It also gives me the precision and control I
need because only my colors are on show. I don't have to remember
or search for the code anymore nor do I have to scribble notes
down. It's another example of how HotDog's flexible interface
works exactly the way you do, increasing your productivity and
reducing your costs.
So when you need to consider color in your website why not take a
look at some of the popular and big-budget websites and see how
they use color in their schemes? If you've just done a website
with HotDog let us know in our Sizzler Forums!
Comment on this article here:
http://www.sizzlerforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1947
Tip by Kevin Hannan
To read the Sizzler Forums you do not need to be a member.
However to take full advantage of this resource it will only take
you a few seconds to sign up!
- Go to: http://www.sizzlerforums.com/
- Read the information and click on the REGISTER button
- Fill out the form
- You will receive an email that you simply reply to
- Hey presto! Your a fully fledged Sizzler Forums member!
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