Web-coders: CSS help...?

The Coffee Shop
1

I’m doing a new website for a client. It’s quite obvious to me that my “old way” of designing and coding is far passe’. I don’t even do CSS at the moment.

Problem: to look current, I’ve got to be up-to-speed on using and working with CSS - not only in text, but in ‘layers’ of images. Tables just don’t cut it anymore for looking modern.

2nd problem: software doesn’t give how-to-books anymore, and the online help doesn’t help. Getting a 3rd party book starts getting expensive at $50-75/book. (I just paid $400 for Dreamweaver CS3 + $300 for new RAM to run 3 graphics programs at once).

Any advice? I’ve been trying to look up online help from other sources, plus figure things out ‘intuitively’. Ha.

Thanks in advance,
Lauren
(spending my week and weekend indoors working)

2

Lauren,

As usual, I am no help whatsoever in this arena. I’ll throw some good lucks out your way though.

2nd problem: software doesn’t give how-to-books anymore, and the online help doesn’t help. Getting a 3rd party book starts getting expensive at $50-75/book. (I just paid $400 for Dreamweaver CS3 + $300 for new RAM to run 3 graphics programs at once).

Isn’t this annoying? I would kill for a user guide just once in awhile. Some things I don’t need them for, and I am just as glad not have them. But when I need a book, I need one. I can’t stand trying to go through those online tutorials. Although, I did learn Excel that way.** **I think that it is because I may only need to know one thing or reference one aspect, and it is hard to do with those tutorials.

Best wishes!

Bernie

3

Thanks Bernie, I appreciate the compassion.

I am simply frustrated with the process. I’m aware that software manufacturers don’t want to take extra time to “explain every little thing” --so they write a few lines of ‘documentation’ and then call it finished. That being said, other publishers are charging so much for their books. What’s wrong with $25 books? To me, that’s already an expensive book.

This is where I feel like an ‘accidental Luddite’ : I’ve been coding since the web got graphical (1993 or so). I could code by hand. I’ve had a website since 1994, done by myself. I was one of the first ‘public’ to see non-linear video editing (with an Avid!). Now, this stuff has far exceeded me, although I’d been doing active websites for 13 years.

Thanks again. I’ve been really frustrated in the past several days, and embarrassed to spend so much money on apps which I can’t even use.

Back to my research…
Lauren

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This is where I feel like an ‘accidental Luddite’

Sounds like material for a t-shirt slogan.

If I am hearing you correctly, it seems as though you have maybe not stayed up to date with software trends, probably because what you were doing was functional. Now you want to give an updated/modern edge to your work, but found that those sneaky incremental changes that happen with technology have passed you by. Now rather than learning one or two small things, it is like an entirely new thing altogether. That blows.

At my fire department, we are going through similar growing pains (sort of). Our radios and computers are in dire need of updating. We have been repairing and garbage diving for parts for about 5 years and we now are unable to repair anything because the parts aren’t available anymore. Some of our equipment is 15 years old. Of course, it is impossible to get funding for these things. We finally did. Now of course, anything new we get won’t be able to run the old software, so we have to switch over to a whole new system for reports and dispatching and blah, blah, blah. Who knows how they are going to make it work?

**What’s wrong with $25 books? **

Is there any chance they would have something at the library to get you through your crisis?

Bernie

5

“If I am hearing you correctly, it seems as though you have maybe not stayed up to date with software trends, probably because what you were doing was functional. Now you want to give an updated/modern edge to your work, but found that those sneaky incremental changes that happen with technology have passed you by. Now rather than learning one or two small things, it is like an entirely new thing altogether. That blows.”

----YES. Exactly. Smart man. This is also why I won’t apply to design studios, despite my degree in design plus years designing and doing marketing.

“At my fire department, we are going through similar growing pains (sort of). Our radios and computers are in dire need of updating. We have been repairing and garbage diving for parts for about 5 years and we now are unable to repair anything because the parts aren’t available anymore. Some of our equipment is 15 years old. Of course, it is impossible to get funding for these things. We finally did. Now of course, anything new we get won’t be able to run the old software, so we have to switch over to a whole new system for reports and dispatching and blah, blah, blah. Who knows how they are going to make it work?”

----YES, sounds similar…

“Is there any chance they would have at the library to get you through your crisis?”

----Not where I live: it’s an armpit county :slight_smile: I’m actually thinking of buying a book and returning it later…

To be honest, I REALLY want someone to show me hands-on using my own Photoshop designs (which my client approved), and I’m a fast learner that way - plus I understand creating an editable template, which is a new system too.

Next week I’ll be visiting a friend who may do this in GoLive (not Dreamweaver), but if he shows me some creation-techniques in HIS program, maybe I can ‘translate’ to Dreamweaver. I’m good at understanding a concept then seeking the translation. I just need permission from my client to delay… trying NOT to ask for extensions. Extensions are rather unprofessional, but then again, so is not completing the good work :slight_smile:

Thanks again for the compassion and understanding. It helps a little :slight_smile:

lauren

6

Lauren,

If you join the ACM for $99 a year you get access to over 1000 online books via safari and 2000 online courses. If you are not familiar how that works it is a virtual technical library of most of the popular IT books. It’s pretty cool. http://pd.acm.org/

Here is some more info on safari (but it’s more expensive going direct than through ACM: http://safari.oreilly.com/

There are also a lot of online resources:
http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp
http://htmlhelp.com/reference/css/

Finally you can get a jump start by downloading free css templates. Some are better than others in terms of simplicity…
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=css+templates

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In this interim, I also just went to the bookstore to burchase “Dreamweaver CS3 for Dummies”. Thankfully it actually reviewed the entire CSS and explains even the layering of CSS divs: that’s more than Adobe would do.

Meanwhile I’ll bookmark what you just sent me!

Thanks. Hoping to get some things done before my client meeting tomorrow (yes, a 3pm Sunday client meeting).

Thanks again!
Lauren