CSS in easy steps, 2nd edition

CSS in easy steps instructs you how to create exciting web pages using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). It contains separate chapters on all features of modern style sheets. This popular title is updated for Web 2.0 and includes examples and browser screenshots that illustrate each aspect of CSS.

CSS in easy steps begins with a brief history of web page design then explains how style sheets can determine the presentation of elements within HTML documents. Examples show how CSS rules control the appearance of text, content boxes, lists, tables, backgrounds, and how they can create dynamic effects. You will learn how to position web page content with absolute precision and how to use relative positioning so web pages can look great in any browser. Each chapter builds your knowledge of style sheets. By the end of this book you will have gained a sound understanding of CSS and be able to create your own exciting interactive web pages.

CSS in easy steps has an easy-to-follow style that will appeal to anyone who wants to begin creating stylish web pages. It will appeal to programmers who want to quickly learn the latest style sheet techniques, and to the student who is studying website design at school or college, and to those seeking a career in web development that need a thorough understanding of CSS.

Mike McGrath now lives in South-east Europe, on the sun-kissed shores of the Aegean Sea. Mike gained his extensive knowledge of computer languages while working as a developer contracting to companies around the world. His interests include coins of ancient Greece, dining-out with friends, and the ongoing evolution of the world wide web.

1. Getting started
   • Introducing CSS
   • Understanding the cascade
   • Creating style rules
   • Applying internal style rules
   • Linking an external style sheet
   • Importing other style sheets
   • Summary
2. Selecting targets
   • Selecting by element type
   • Selecting by class
   • Selecting by identity
   • Selecting descendants
   • Selecting by relationship
   • Selecting by attribute
   • Selecting partial attributes
   • Evaluating importance
   • Summary
3. Styling boxes
   • Recognizing content boxes
   • Changing display formats
   • Sizing the content area
   • Controlling borders
   • Adding padding
   • Setting margins
   • Painting colors
   • Repeating backgrounds
   • Positioning backgrounds
   • Summary
4. Controlling layout
   • Centering content boxes
   • Positioning boxes absolutely
   • Stacking content boxes
   • Positioning boxes relatively
   • Fixing constant positions
   • Floating content boxes
   • Clipping & handling overflow
   • Constructing columns
   • Summary
5. Formatting text
   • Suggesting a font
   • Specifying font size
   • Adjusting font weight
   • Varying font styles
   • Using the font shorthand
   • Aligning text
   • Indenting & spacing text
   • Decorating text
   • Governing space & direction
   • Summary
6. Arranging data
   • Setting table columns
   • Spacing table cells
   • Collapsing table borders
   • Assigning table features
   • Choosing list markers
   • Positioning list markers
   • Summary
7. Generating effects
   • Inserting text enhancements
   • Numbering document sections
   • Highlighting important content
   • Providing special cursors
   • Outlining page components
   • Indicating current focus
   • Displaying hyperlink status
   • Reacting to user events
   • Interacting with CSS buttons
   • Moving CSS tabs
   • Hiding & revealing elements
   • Summary
8. Following guidelines
   • Resetting browser defaults
   • Organizing your code
   • Optimizing style rules
   • Employing multiple classes
   • Validating style sheets
   • Compressing code files
   • Summary
9. Customizing pages
   • Recognizing media
   • Adding page structure
   • Specifying default styles
   • Specifying reverse styles
   • Improving readability
   • Reverting to legacy styles
   • Providing handheld styles
   • Setting printer styles
   • Summary
10. Looking ahead
    • Rounding corners
    • Reducing opacity
    • Adding shadows
    • Creating resizable containers
    • Summary
11. Reference section
    • Properties and values
    • Selectors
    • Pseudo-classes
    • Pseudo-elements

• Download zip archive of all code examples in this book (196 KB)