At the November meeting, we covered the new structural elements in HTML5. There are five of them, and we compared two versions of the same three-column page to see how these new tags compare to the div's that we are used to using for things like headers and footers. The new tags are listed in this article from IBM where their use on a blog page is demonstrated.
Some other places to read about HTML5 are below.
We will continue next month on how to use HTML5's structural semantics across browsers.
November 20, 2011
November 15, 2011
November 2011 Meeting Announcement -- New Web, New Foundation
The next meeting of the PACS CSS Workshop will be Saturday, November 19, at our usual 9-10 hour.
Our topic this month is New Web - New Foundation. We will be looking at new tags introduced in HTML5 to define the structure of a webpage. They will make styling easier and cut down on "div-itis." But will they work across browsers? We'll see.
Be sure to check the PACS website for the full schedule of sessions this month. Google+, website analytics, and WordPress are features at three of our web-related SIG's.
Our topic this month is New Web - New Foundation. We will be looking at new tags introduced in HTML5 to define the structure of a webpage. They will make styling easier and cut down on "div-itis." But will they work across browsers? We'll see.
Be sure to check the PACS website for the full schedule of sessions this month. Google+, website analytics, and WordPress are features at three of our web-related SIG's.
October 16, 2011
October 2011 Meeting Report
At the October meeting of the PACS CSS Workshop, we started looking closely at the new elements for web development that are now coming into play.
We started with a demo page of a display of the planets, and noted that it did not work in Internet Explorer. We then worked with the demo page from SitePoint that accompanies their book on HTML5 and CSS3. Among the interesting items are the new video tag, drag and drop interactivity, geolocation, columns for text, and CSS3 animations.
Next month we will get more basic and look at the new HTML5 structural tags that we can use now.
We started with a demo page of a display of the planets, and noted that it did not work in Internet Explorer. We then worked with the demo page from SitePoint that accompanies their book on HTML5 and CSS3. Among the interesting items are the new video tag, drag and drop interactivity, geolocation, columns for text, and CSS3 animations.
Next month we will get more basic and look at the new HTML5 structural tags that we can use now.
October 10, 2011
October 2011 Meeting Announcement -- New Web, New Tags
The next meeting of the PACS CSS Workshop will be Saturday, October 15, at our usual 9-10 hour.
Last month we introduced this season's topic -- HTML5 and CSS3. That may sound like two topics, but they are intertwined enough that we will be going back and forth between them, looking at the two as a combined set of technologies.
In September, we saw some examples of HTML5 already in use. This month, we will look at specific examples of the new HTML tags and CSS styles that are available. Time permitting, we will start on how to put these new options into effect now, even as they are still being developed by the standards-making bodies.
The rest of the day at PACS will be busy as well. Check the website for the schedule of web-related groups. Make a special note that Frank Stepanski will be returning this month to demo Drupal at the Web Design SIG meeting.
See you Saturday.
Last month we introduced this season's topic -- HTML5 and CSS3. That may sound like two topics, but they are intertwined enough that we will be going back and forth between them, looking at the two as a combined set of technologies.
In September, we saw some examples of HTML5 already in use. This month, we will look at specific examples of the new HTML tags and CSS styles that are available. Time permitting, we will start on how to put these new options into effect now, even as they are still being developed by the standards-making bodies.
The rest of the day at PACS will be busy as well. Check the website for the schedule of web-related groups. Make a special note that Frank Stepanski will be returning this month to demo Drupal at the Web Design SIG meeting.
See you Saturday.
September 18, 2011
September 2011 Meeting Report
At the September meeting of the PACS CSS Workshop, we started on our topic for this season, The New Web. We did an initial overview of the technologies that are going to change the way we make websites -- HTML5, CSS3, and the new browser API's which open up the creation of web apps. We looked at some examples such as Google's offline apps and Netflix's new user interface.
The book I have been using to prepare for these sessions is HTML5 & CSS3 for the Real World from Sitepoint. You can download sample chapters from their website. They have a demo page with examples of the new technologies that are discussed in the book. We looked at that page briefly in September, and we will be referring back to it in future meetings as a good reference point. Open that demo in different browsers to get an idea of the various levels of support that are out there now.
The book I have been using to prepare for these sessions is HTML5 & CSS3 for the Real World from Sitepoint. You can download sample chapters from their website. They have a demo page with examples of the new technologies that are discussed in the book. We looked at that page briefly in September, and we will be referring back to it in future meetings as a good reference point. Open that demo in different browsers to get an idea of the various levels of support that are out there now.
September 11, 2011
September 2011 Meeting Announcement -- The New Web
The next meeting of PACS will be Saturday, September 17, and we are happy to say that the CSS Workshop will convene again this year at our usual 9-10 hour.
We have been running this workshop for several years now. As the mission statement on our website states, we "started with the basics of cascading style sheets and will continue as long as there is interest and we have something new to learn." We polled the members last June, and there was sufficient interest to continue again this year.
As to "something new to learn," it looks as though we will have as much to cover this year as in any single year since we began. A major shift is coming in how we structure and design websites, and not just in style sheets. To cover all of it, we will expand our focus a bit this year to talk about HTML as well as CSS.
At the September meeting, we will do an overview of some of the new developments in HTML5 and CSS3. That will set the stage for our sessions this year. We will also hit a couple of topics that were posted on the group website during the summer, for those members who did not do their vacation reading.
The rest of the day at PACS will be busy as well. Check the website for the schedule of web-related groups, all of which are back again this year.
See you on the 17th.
We have been running this workshop for several years now. As the mission statement on our website states, we "started with the basics of cascading style sheets and will continue as long as there is interest and we have something new to learn." We polled the members last June, and there was sufficient interest to continue again this year.
As to "something new to learn," it looks as though we will have as much to cover this year as in any single year since we began. A major shift is coming in how we structure and design websites, and not just in style sheets. To cover all of it, we will expand our focus a bit this year to talk about HTML as well as CSS.
At the September meeting, we will do an overview of some of the new developments in HTML5 and CSS3. That will set the stage for our sessions this year. We will also hit a couple of topics that were posted on the group website during the summer, for those members who did not do their vacation reading.
The rest of the day at PACS will be busy as well. Check the website for the schedule of web-related groups, all of which are back again this year.
See you on the 17th.
August 28, 2011
WebPutty -- Edit style sheets via a browser
This utility looks interesting: If you ever need to access a style sheet and edit it directly on a server, WebPutty lets you do that. It is a beta product and currently free. There is a video on the site showing how it works.
WebPutty also has some advanced styling capabilities, so it might be more than just a way to fix a site when you are away from your own computer.
WebPutty also has some advanced styling capabilities, so it might be more than just a way to fix a site when you are away from your own computer.
August 13, 2011
Cross-Browser Testing
I was going through my notes recently to find a good tool for seeing how sites will look in different browsers, and I came across three online reviews of browser checkers. One article was just published this month. As with many of these blogs, the comments at the end by readers can be as instructive as the articles themselves. Take a look:
- Review Of Cross-Browser Testing Tools – just published at Smashing Magazine
- 15 Highly-Useful Resources for Cross Browser Testing -- from DesignM.ag earlier this year
- 10 Useful Tools For Cross-Browser Compatibility Check – an article at 1WD.CO with some good annotations
July 23, 2011
Summer School
Here's a nice review from the CSS-Tricks website of a few details about CSS that we might forget over time: Little CSS Stuff Newcomers Get Confused About.
July 04, 2011
Google Fonts -- A Teaching Moment
At our October meeting we discussed Google Fonts, fonts that are on the Google server and can be imported into your webpage using @font. And at the June Web Design SIG meeting, Saul Rosenbaum talked about Google Fonts as a way to add new fonts at no charge without worrying if your users have the fonts on their computers.
Since the October meeting, I have been using Google Fonts on this blog for the headings. I usually use Firefox for my browser, so it was not until our June meeting that I looked at the site in IE and discovered that the headings had reverted to Arial, my next font in the stack. The Google font was not loading in IE, though it worked fine in all other browsers I have tried.
I posted a notice at the Google feedback page, and I contacted the creator of the font. She had also filed a notice with Google. But now, three weeks later, there has not been a fix.
So I added Comic Sans as the second font in the stack (sorry) so that headings would not come up in Arial when viewed in IE. Take a look at this site in IE and in another browser and see the difference.
The lesson to be learned is that this cloud stuff is great, and Google Fonts is a nice example of cloud computing, but keep in mind that you lose some control when you take advantage of these things.
And as always, check your sites in all the browsers you can get your hands on.
Since the October meeting, I have been using Google Fonts on this blog for the headings. I usually use Firefox for my browser, so it was not until our June meeting that I looked at the site in IE and discovered that the headings had reverted to Arial, my next font in the stack. The Google font was not loading in IE, though it worked fine in all other browsers I have tried.
I posted a notice at the Google feedback page, and I contacted the creator of the font. She had also filed a notice with Google. But now, three weeks later, there has not been a fix.
So I added Comic Sans as the second font in the stack (sorry) so that headings would not come up in Arial when viewed in IE. Take a look at this site in IE and in another browser and see the difference.
The lesson to be learned is that this cloud stuff is great, and Google Fonts is a nice example of cloud computing, but keep in mind that you lose some control when you take advantage of these things.
And as always, check your sites in all the browsers you can get your hands on.
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