Stylin' With CSS: A Designer's Guide

I am a better coder by following the methodology in this book.A few years ago I was one of the harried site developers embedding all style characteristics in the html. No matter how carefully I preserved indentation and followed protocol the html pages inevitably glutted and became really ugly. When a customer wanted a change, first I had to search through the html to find it and then I often found myself thinking "did I write that mess"? Then came "Stylin' with CSS" the first edition and my monstrosities actually became manageable.The 2nd edition takes it to a new level. The explanations of key concepts have been expanded and enhanced.The down-loadable CSS, html examples and clean javascript code alone would be worth the price of the book. Consider them the best set of templates you will ever buy.The conceptual approach to CSS with liberal illustrations make it clear how CSS is applied throughout the site on every page styled with a given CSS document. Site wide changes for maintenance purposes or simply restyling for visual appeal are magnitudes easier. If you are considering making the transition to standards compliant sites this is your road map. If you are already a CSS advocate, you can hone your skills.If you are an instructor you could not do better than "Stylin' with CSS, 2nd Edition" for a textbook. If you are an employer, you should consider buying a copy for each of your site developers; it will save you money in maintenance and increase productivity.For me personally, I've benefited most from enhanced understanding of selectors and inheritance. I can now selectively style elements based on their hierarchy in the xhtml. I know what's going to happen when I simply declare them and if I need to override the inherited values, it's easy to do.I don't write a lot of reviews, but this is too good not to share. Apply what is taught this book and you will achieve a new level of consistency in your results and greater flexibility in your presentation as well. Cross browser consistency will be the best you can achieve. Did I mention the thought of maintenance will no longer tie knots in your stomach?Definitely recommended; it would be a bargain at twice the price.

After graduation a friend recommended 'Stylin' with CSS' that not only added to my understanding of CSS, but also became a GREAT resource guide for me. While the book is geared toward the novice, the appendices provide a clear, concise, and organized breakdown of CSS properties along with their descriptions, values, and version compatibility, which I find very useful.'Stylin' with CSS' gives the reader a solid understanding of many of the CSS rules that, in the beginning, baffle a designer. IDs and classes are thoroughly reviewed in a fresh style. Collapsing margins are addressed to help designers create sturdy fixed or liquid designs (both types of layouts are discussed in detail). Column length and positioning are given attention as well.Thanks to this book, I am confident that the added insight will improve my future designs and allow me to deliver CSS-generated sites more effectively. To all the novice designers who are reading this review, go on and buy the book...you'll really be glad you did!

I bought this as a textbook for my web design class. I already know a lot about CSS, and so far I've only read the first chapter, but it seems extremely easy to understand. Each concept is explained (in plain English!) and technical terms are defined clearly. And when sample code is supplied, you've already read about each part of it and know WHY it's there. I recently bought a book from a different author and publisher on ActionScript 3.0, and its so abstract, I don't think I know much more about AS than I did at the beginning. Stylin' with CSS, on the other hand, has defined even the basics (that I already mostly knew) so well that I've learned a few things already. I was so impressed that I ordered Charles Wyke-Smith's other book, Codin' for the Web, right away. I haven't gotten the chance to read it yet, but I already know I'm going to learn quite a few things from it.

I was fairly new to CSS, having picked up a few intro books and dabbling a bit, so I was looking for a book that would help me move to the next level. Stylin' with CSS was a perfect choice. I was having trouble with browser incompatibilities, and the book explained some of the workarounds, which saved me a lot of effort. It also does a nice job of explaining the box model.For me, the most useful section was the one on menu systems. I've used the drop-down menus in the Stylib in a number of website projects since reading the book, and it performs well. I like the fact that after following the text, I actually understand how it works, so I can modify it to fit my specific needs.The writing style was easy to follow, and the explanations were very clear. I'd recommend the book to anyone who wants to go beyond the basics and learn some useful CSS techniques.

This book is a great example of well-written and beautifully designed technical reference book. It is an excellent resource for learning CSS. The author writes with clarity, enthusiasm, and humor, and the examples are well illustrated. I found the color highlights in the code examples very helpful.I wanted to learn CSS by myself, so I borrowed from the library the Stylin' with CSS 2nd edition, along with another CSS reference book. While I gave up on the other book after a couple of chapters, I read Stylin' from cover to cover; and decided it was worth buying it. Now I own it and refer to it when writing my own code.

Nice lay out, easy to find tips and tricks to make your web page that much better.I've been a fan of clean code, and fast download speeds when designing web pages ... this does help.I'm not a professional, but like to know how things work, so use this and other books on code mainly as references when designing for myself.

Perfect book for learning css

Super bouquin. Dommage qu'il n'existe pas en français... so, 1 étoile de moins.Quoi qu'il en soit, il est solidement relié, les pages sont bien faites.Et le contenu est tout aussi bon. Les chapitres sont bien expliqués, et au final on va très loin dans les détails.Je recommande vivement.