The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks | Rachel Andrew

The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks | Rachel Andrew | Stuck? Get your answers here

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The CSS Anthology:...

	The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks Rachel Andrew SitePoint, 2007 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 52 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Fine Intro to CSS Solutions

My guess is that there are many hundreds, if not thousands, of web designers who continue to build sites and web applications using "old-fashioned" tables and HTML layout formatting instead of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). I'm one of them. The problem is that the modern trend is away from HTML table and layout formatting and towards newer standards-compliant means. The protocols and standards of the World Wide Web are evolving towards "cleaner" code, more standardized code, and more capable code, generally guided by principles and standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium, known as W3C.

In the book, "The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks, and Hacks", author Rachel Andrew provides an easy way for hold-outs to ease into CSS design. This is not a treatise or concept-minded book, but a practical introduction and guide to putting CSS to immediate use in real-world contexts that every web designer is already familiar with. The author shows how to use CSS to style text, format headings and images, create navigation, style forms and user interfaces, and work with browser-compatibility issues.

Andrew is a working web designer and applications designer and presents the material in a very straightforward practical manner - almost as if the reader was following along at a workshop. The writing is clear, all examples are illustrated with relevant code samples, and she offers the insights of an experienced professional regarding everyday problems and solutions.

The book is composed of a preface, nine chapters, and an index. Chapter 1 is an introduction to CSS showing why it is replacing HTML table and layout formatting, and the basic concepts of CSS. The other chapters are set up in a "problem/solution" format where various design issues - text styling, image layout, etc. - are presented and solved by adept usage of CSS.

Even readers who have never paid much attention to CSS will quickly get a useful, working sense of how it is used and how to use it immediately themselves. Although CSS is yet another language to learn, Andrew presents it in such a way that it seems like it is an easy learn. And it demonstrably is, as here, easy to use.

The best parts of the book are the designer tips from an experienced code-writer on how to work with code across different browsers and platforms, and how to understand that browsers have two modes of parsing - a compliant mode and a "quirks" mode. Some browsers, she shows, just have "quirks", especially Microsoft's Internet Explorer. (Surprise!). Although all the CSS tags necessary to illustrate the solutions presented here are shown, a list or chart of most commonly used CSS tags would have been helpful here. Downloadable code for all of the book's examples are available at the publisher's website - www.sitepoint.com/books/cssant1.

This is a very nice book to transition to CSS and current web standards-compliant code.

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Stuck? Get your answers here

This book is for CSS haters, people frustrated with CSS, and those making the transition to CSS-based design. Other resources are better served for those who haven't touched an inkling of CSS. Once you have basic grounding in CSS, then come back to this one.

Like the title implies, it's true you don't have to read the book from front to back; however, it flows well so it is possible to read it cover-to-cover. The introduction indicates the book is not a tutorial. The first chapter uses a different format from the rest of the book and provides a CSS refresher. The chapter is also useful for getting your CSS vocabulary straight with its describing CSS selectors, tag selectors, pseudo-class selectors, and class selectors.

Every item in the book begins with "How do I...?" with the solution following. Tips, important notes, and warnings are sprinkled throughout the chapters. The book's layout is friendly for scanning and finding what you need. Screen shots and sample code support the content to help those who appreciate visual aids.

A good way to use the book is while you're working on a site and you get stuck. For instance, you're working on a form. In the old days, many of us used two-column tables to organize the form. You want to do the same thing with CSS. Here you would refer to Chapter 6: Forms and User Interfaces and check out "How do I lay out a two-column form using CSS instead of a table?" Or use the index to look up "forms" and underneath is "two-column forms."

Andrew also helps you create CSS drop-down menus, something I don't encourage because it's problematic in many ways. Even so, I've written articles showing how to do this because it's a foundation for designing with advanced CSS techniques and helps you become more comfortable with CSS.

[...] That's generous considering there are nine chapters in the book. Plus, the site has the codes from the book for downloading. What about the rest? Yes, it's worth it because the later chapters cover forms, CSS positioning (a biggie especially for designers struggling to drop the table habit), and techniques such as creating rounded corners with CSS that works across browsers.

The announcement of IE 7 coming out late this year will have little impact on the book except in the areas covering browser-specific issues. It depends on what Microsoft does with the new version of IE. I suspect Andrew will release a new edition when the time is right. Meanwhile, right now is a great time to get this handy book.

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True to every word of its title

True to every word of its title, the book is a treasure trove for all using or contemplating using CSS. The writing style of the book adjusts itself very nicely to the varying needs of the reader that may be at different levels of engagement with CSS. Beginners will find immense value in experiences the author shares working with a specific problem while the advanced users will find suggested work-around and tips very helpful.

Layout of the book though stated as problem statements or questions, covers all aspects one needs to know in relation to the CSS application in context. Each question is followed by a "solution" and a "discussion" section. While the "solution" provides a quick answer to your problem, the "discussion" section provides all the basics one needs to know in relation to the CSS application being discussed. Author's note that appears as a "note" or a "tip" is reflective of her wide practical experience, offering value that is only gained through experience.

CSS topics have been sufficiently covered providing just right information and working examples. There is also a good introduction on some practices in relation to cross-browser testing. Advanced topics like CSS positioning and layout are presented in an easy to follow tasks. There is no doubt in my mind that some of the sections can also provide good insights in what all is possible with CSS. In summary this is a highly recommended desktop reference if you work with or are contemplating using CSS.

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Extremely Practical

I rarely give reviews, but CSS Anthology is so well written I had to add one. My main background is programming, with only a bit of CSS experience, picked up from studying source code and on-line tutorials.

Ms. Andrew fills the book with practical, usable examples - from designing 2 or 3 column layouts without tables, to formatting data tables and input controls -- all told over 100 pieces of code, fully worked out and not just 2-3 line snippets. She clearly explains all these examples. The 1st 2 chapters begin at an easy level, with basic styling, and she uses these as a basis for the more complex designs that follow.

If you've read of the amount of work developers of web application servers like Plone put into their CSS design and wanted to understand their choices, this book will be a great aid.

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Well thoughtout book--easy to understand

I am a relative newcomer to CSS and have several other books on it. This one is the easiest to understand and follow. The examples are good and I have not found typos in the code as I have in some of the others. The code and examples are all available online for the reader to down load and experiment with.The progress through the book seems well thoughtout and logical. It has clarified numerous questions about CSS that I could not find elsewhere. I can recommend this book to all beginners and middle-level users of CSS. It is probably too basic for truly advanced users. The one criticism that I have is that the book lacks color illustrations which sometimes makes it difficult to see the examples clearly. However, with the all of these available online, it is not a big issue.

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