Best of
Web-Design

2006

CSS: The Missing Manual


David Sawyer McFarland - 2006
    You can tap into the real power of this tool with CSS: The Missing Manual. This second edition combines crystal-clear explanations, real-world examples, and dozens of step-by-step tutorials to show you how to design sites with CSS that work consistently across browsers. Witty and entertaining, this second edition gives you up-to-the-minute pro techniques. You'll learn how to: - Create HTML that's simpler, uses less code, is search-engine friendly, and works well with CSS- Style text by changing fonts, colors, font sizes, and adding borders- Turn simple HTML links into complex and attractive navigation bars -- complete with rollover effects- Create effective photo galleries and special effects, including drop shadows- Get up to speed on CSS 3 properties that work in the latest browser versions- Build complex layouts using CSS, including multi-column designs Style web pages for printing With CSS: The Missing Manual, Second Edition, you'll find all-new online tutorial pages, expanded CSS 3 coverage, and broad support for Firebox, Safari, and other major web browsers, including Internet Explorer 8. Learn how to use CSS effectively to build new websites, or refurbish old sites that are due for an upgrade.

CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions


Andy Budd - 2006
    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 themWhile 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

Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web Design


Andy Clarke - 2006
    Few Web designers are experiences 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. 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

Advanced ActionScript 3 with Design Patterns


Joey Lott - 2006
    ActionsScript provides the capability of developing patterns, and this handbook starts with the basics but moves beyond class syntax to help developers determine what should be part of a class and explains the relatio

CSS for Web Designers Only


Donna L. Baker - 2006
    CSS can make your Web sites flawless You're a designer first. So is Donna Baker. She knows your questions about CSS because she's asked them too. How do I apply a CSS rule to specific instances? What key concepts should govern font styles? How do I keep the background image from disappearing in Internet Explorer? Why can't I control which cells display hover color? By answering these and a hundred other questions, Donna gives you new power to keep the style in your sites with CSS. * Learn how to construct and organize a style sheet that meets all your needs * Be able to write CSS syntax and define properties and values for fonts, images, and other page elements * Use background images to their full potential * Customize the appearance of your pages with pseudo-elements and pseudo-styles * Learn when to use static, elastic, and fluid layouts using CSS positioning methods * Make lists and tables behave consistently and effectively * Resolve the problems that make forms display incorrectly in different browsers * Design style sheets that make your Web pages friendly to printers, handheld devices, and other media

HTML Mastery: Semantics, Standards, and Styling


Paul Haine - 2006
    HTML Mastery discusses and demonstrates all available HTML tags, including less common ones, explains where and how to use them, and offers styling and scripting techniques that can be employed on sophisticated web sites. The book also explores advanced semantic tools that further improve the usability and semantic value of sites. HTML Mastery devotes an entire chapter to Microformats, and gives the reader a preview of XHTML 2.0 and Web Applications 1.0 -- web standards of the future.

Object-Oriented ActionScript for Flash 8


Peter Elst - 2006
    Nowhere is this truer than in education. Our role as teachers, by definition, is to simplify subjects so that they can be easily understood. A good teacher dispels trepidation with anecdote, abstraction with analogy, superstition and magic with knowledge. Simplicity, however, is not easily attained. In order to simplify, you must first gain an enc- passing understanding of the complex. It is a rare person who can simultaneously exist in both the simple and complex plains of a problem domain and communicate effectively at both levels. It is, however, these rare people who make the best teachers. Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a subject that many Flash developers do not approach due to a widespread erroneous perception of its enormous scope and complexity. Nothing could be further from the truth. The core concepts behind OOP are simple enough for a primary school student with a p- ticularly nasty case of Hynerian flu to understand in a single sitting.

Foundation Flash Applications for Mobile Devices


Richard Leggett - 2006
    The reaction is usually, "Wow!" Even something that would appear trivial when viewed on a web site somehow looks wholly impressive when running on that little color screen in your hand. By picking up this book, you're guaranteed to experience this moment for yourself. The aims of this book are to build on your current skill level--whether you're a beginner with no experience with Flash or an advanced coder with years of web programming prowess--and to give you the skills you need to create great content for mobile devices. At first, mobile Flash development might seem like a no brainer; you may have heard that you can just throw your Flash at the phone, and it just works--that's only half true. Creating content for devices carries with it a world of new limitations and possibilities, and it may require you to change how you think about users. On top of that, you are given new functionality to play with that can enrich the experience and give users what they really need, wherever they may be at the time.

Sams Teach Yourself HTML in 10 Minutes


Deidre Hayes - 2006
    The 10-minute lessons provide everything needed to quickly and easily create Web pages with HTML.

Web Site Cookbook


Doug Addison - 2006
    Not surprisingly, there is tremendous pressure on web developers and designers to remain current with the latest technologies.The Web Site Cookbook from O'Reilly covers all the essential skills that you need to create engaging, visitor-friendly websites. It helps you with the practical issues surrounding their inception, design, and maintenance. With recipes that teach both routine and advanced setup tasks, the book includes clear and professional instruction on a host of topics, including:registering domainsensuring that hostnames workmanaging the directorymaintaining and troubleshooting a websitesite promotionvisitor trackingimplementing e-commerce systemslinking with sales sitesThis handy guide also tackles the various elements of page design. It explains how to control a reader's eye flow, how to choose a template system, how to set up a color scheme, and more.Typical of O'Reilly's "Cookbook" series, the Web Site Cookbook is written in a straightforward format, featuring recipes that contain problem statements and solutions. A detailed explanation then follows each recipe to show you how and why the solution works. This question-solution-discussion format is a proven teaching method, as any fan of the "Cookbook" series can attest to.Regardless of your strong suit or your role in the creation and life of a website, you can benefit from the teachings found in the Web Site Cookbook. It's a must-have tool for advancing your skills and making better sites.