Since it was introduced in 1996, CSS has been quietly revolutionizing the layout and design of web pages throughout the Internet. It is hard to believe that after ten years, there are still those who use hard code styles in their HTML. CSS: The Missing Manual is now paving the way for those who want to learn how to use CSS.
CSS stands for "cascading style sheets". At its most basic, a cascading style sheet is a file that contains rules on how a web page is formatted and displayed to the user. CSS is a language that works within HTML to consolidate all of these rules into one area. If you want to change your text font from Tahoma 12point to Time New Roman 10point, for example, you can change it in one spot and all of your web pages will be changed if you have put all your formatting commands into a CSS file.
While CSS: The Missing Manual is a great place for a beginner to learn how to work with style sheets and learn the correct method of implementing them, it is by no means just a beginner’s book. The author, as well as covering the basics, leads the user into advanced topics and interesting controversies within the CSS world.
CSS: The Missing Manual is laid out in five sections. Section one, "CSS Basics", deals with how to create style sheets. It also provides an overview of the process for laying out HTML/XHTML to use style sheets.
The second section, "Applied CSS", introduces you to real web design. Here you learn about important CSS properties and how to use them to create navigation tools. You also find out how to enhance the look of your web pages for printing, and how to design tables and forms.
Article comments
1 - Nancy
That was a great review. Sure sounds like I could use this book.
2 - T. Michael Testi
Thanks Nancy for the kind words. I have used CSS my self for a while, but found this book to be the best one I have found on the subject.