This month, started with a few odds and ends before getting into our main topic.
We checked out a site with ten good developer extensions for the Chrome browser as well as a site about jQuery for Mobile. We then looked at two utilities for testing a site to see how it looks for viewers with different types of color blindness, ColorDoctor and Chrometric.
For the main session, we continued on browser resets by focusing on specific items in a reset and how they relate to the rest of your style sheet. We watched two videos from SitePoint: Practical CSS - lesson01: Exercise part 2 on basic styles and Exercise part 4 on styling lists.
February 20, 2011
February 17, 2011
February 2011 Meeting Announcment
The next meeting of the PACS CSS Workshop will be this Saturday, February 19, at our usual 9-10 hour.
We have been working with browser resets for a couple of meetings. It turns out that Eric Meyer has just posted a final version of his influential take on what goes into a reset. We will look at that and finish up the topic by testing different resets and then considering whether and when they are a good idea.
Our next topic is wire frames. Depending on time, we will use a video to get an idea about what they are and how to use them. I also want to touch on an accessibility issue. One way or the other, we will be busy.
We have been working with browser resets for a couple of meetings. It turns out that Eric Meyer has just posted a final version of his influential take on what goes into a reset. We will look at that and finish up the topic by testing different resets and then considering whether and when they are a good idea.
Our next topic is wire frames. Depending on time, we will use a video to get an idea about what they are and how to use them. I also want to touch on an accessibility issue. One way or the other, we will be busy.
January 16, 2011
January 2011 Meeting Report:
More on Resets
At our January meeting, we spent the first half following up on some topics from earlier meetings, including CSS sprites and Google Fonts. We also looked at some recent statistics on browser use, noting the decline of Internet Explorer in percentage terms and the rise of Chrome and Safari. Check these sites for the stats:We then did some more work with CSS browser resets. In addition to material from Sitepoint, we looked at two other resets and tried them on a sample page. Those two resets are Eric Meyer's latest version and the Yahoo YUI2 Reset CSS.
January 11, 2011
January 2011 Meeting Announcement
The next meeting of the PACS CSS Workshop will be this Saturday, January 15, at our usual 9-10 hour.
In December, we started looking at what are known as "browser resets," a subject that lately has generated some active commentary in the blogosphere. We watched a couple of videos last month, and this month, we will look at some different resets and try them out on sample web pages.
If we have time, we may get into our next topic, wire frames, but if not, we will hold that for February.
In December, we started looking at what are known as "browser resets," a subject that lately has generated some active commentary in the blogosphere. We watched a couple of videos last month, and this month, we will look at some different resets and try them out on sample web pages.
If we have time, we may get into our next topic, wire frames, but if not, we will hold that for February.
December 28, 2010
New Typefaces
Following on our meetings about using Google Fonts, I have changed the typefaces on the workshop blog. The top-level heading (h1) now uses the font called JustMeAgainDownHere. Second level headings (h2) use JustAnotherHand. More information on these are at the Google Font Directory.
December 19, 2010
December 2010 Meeting Report:
Browser Resets
At the December meeting, we started on the topic of browser resets. We watched two videos from Sitepoint that are part of an online course called Practical CSS. The videos are Practical CSS - lesson01: CSS resets and Practical CSS - lesson01: Exercise part 1. The specific reset file used in the videos is available at A Comprehensive Guide to CSS Resets. Scroll down to the heading Simple Reset. Russ Weakley, the creator of that reset, is the person who did the videos.
We will continue on this topic next month.
We will continue on this topic next month.
December 15, 2010
December 2010 Meeting Announcement
Following our theme this year of website makeovers, we finished with the @font attribute in November. This month, we will look at what are known as "browser resets," a topic that we did not get to last month.
Many times, the first step in starting or revising a site is to replace the default styles that browsers use and load some basic style declarations to give you a blank slate to work with. We will show some videos on resets and look at some examples, and then consider whether resets are a good idea.
For a little background on this topic, check these articles from Six Revisions that just happened to come out this month.
Many times, the first step in starting or revising a site is to replace the default styles that browsers use and load some basic style declarations to give you a blank slate to work with. We will show some videos on resets and look at some examples, and then consider whether resets are a good idea.
For a little background on this topic, check these articles from Six Revisions that just happened to come out this month.
November 21, 2010
November 2010 Meeting Report:
Font Makeover
At our November meeting, we updated the headings of this workshop's website by using Google Fonts. This new technology combines cloud computing with the @font-face attribute to let us use fonts that are not available on most computers. The top level heading on the site (H1) now renders with Reenie Beanie, and secondary headings (H2) render with Philosopher. The H1 font deploys properly across browsers, but H2 does not render properly on the iPad. Google's documentation states, "The Google Font API is not currently supported on iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Android."
For more on Google Fonts, check the Google Font Directory, and follow developments at the Google Web Font Blog.
In line with our theme this year of website makeovers, we also looked at Giving Your Older Web Designs a Refresh, an article with suggestions on what to look for when giving your site a new design.
For more on Google Fonts, check the Google Font Directory, and follow developments at the Google Web Font Blog.
In line with our theme this year of website makeovers, we also looked at Giving Your Older Web Designs a Refresh, an article with suggestions on what to look for when giving your site a new design.
November 17, 2010
November 2010 Meeting Announcement
This month, we will finish up briefly with Google Fonts. In line with this year's theme of makeovers, we will use Google Fonts to change the headings on the workshop's website.
We will then move on to CSS resets. We have touched on this topic before, in both the workshop and at Web Design, but we have not looked closely at what goes into a reset. This month, I will use a video and some actual examples to show how a reset might be the first place to start if you are doing a website makeover.
If time permits, we can also look at some new sources of CSS information on the web.
And as usual, there is a full lineup of meetings this month, starting at 8 am with the Social Media SIG. Be sure to check the first project of that SIG, the new PACS Facebook page.
We will then move on to CSS resets. We have touched on this topic before, in both the workshop and at Web Design, but we have not looked closely at what goes into a reset. This month, I will use a video and some actual examples to show how a reset might be the first place to start if you are doing a website makeover.
If time permits, we can also look at some new sources of CSS information on the web.
And as usual, there is a full lineup of meetings this month, starting at 8 am with the Social Media SIG. Be sure to check the first project of that SIG, the new PACS Facebook page.
October 16, 2010
October 2010 Meeting Report:
Google Fonts
At our October meeting, we finished up on the @fonts selector by doing a live demonstration of how to incorporate a font into your page and then serve the font to your reader. We highlighted Font Squirrel, a site that is a source for fonts in multiple formats plus the style sheets to load the fonts into your pages.
We then looked at Google Fonts, a new technique for serving up fonts. Google Labs has an introduction to this technology at Google Font API. Another good introduction is A Guide to Google Font API at Six Revisions. To see the fonts available, go to the Google Font Directory.
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