CSS Cookbook

by Christopher Schmitt

Overview

Learn how to solve the real problems you face with CSS. This cookbook offers hundreds of practical examples for using CSS to format your web pages, and includes code samples you can use right away. You'll find exactly what you need, from the basics to complex hacks and workarounds.

Each recipe explains how to customize a solution to meet your needs, and each chapter features a sample design that showcases the topics discussed. You'll learn about the behavior of the latest browsers-including IE 8, Firefox 3, Safari 4, and Google Chrome—and how you can resolve differences in the ways they display your web pages. Arranged in a convenient format for quick reference, this third edition is a valuable companion for anyone working with CSS.

• Learn the basics, such as the CSS rule structure
• Work with web typography and page layout
• Create effects for images and other page elements
• Learn techniques for configuring lists, forms, and tables
• Design effective web navigation and create custom links
• Get creative by combining CSS with JavaScript
• Learn useful troubleshooting techniques
• Explore features of HTML5 and CSS3

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596155933
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	01/10/2010
Series:	Animal Guide
Edition description:	Third Edition,New edition
Pages:	702
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Christopher Schmitt has been working with the Web since 1993. He is the author of several books on web design and digital imaging, including earlier editions of CSS Cookbook, and is a contributing writer to many web development magazines.

Table of Contents

Foreword; Preface; Audience; Assumptions This Book Makes; Contents of This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; We’d Like to Hear from You; Safari® Books Online; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Using HTML Basics; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 Picking a Text Editor; 1.3 Coding a Basic HTML Page; 1.4 Understanding DOCTYPEs and Effects on Browser Layout; 1.5 Marking Up Headers; 1.6 Making Appropriate Quotations; 1.7 Adding an Image; 1.8 Adding Audio with HTML5; 1.9 Incorporating Video with HTML5; 1.10 Using strong and em Effectively; 1.11 Creating Lists; 1.12 Making a Link to a Web Page; 1.13 Coding Tables; 1.14 Creating an HTML vCard (hCard); 1.15 Marking Up an Event (hCalendar); 1.16 Validating HTML; Chapter 2: CSS Basics; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Applying CSS Rules to a Web Page; 2.3 Using Basic Selectors to Apply Styles; 2.4 Applying Child Selectors; 2.5 Applying Adjacent Selectors; 2.6 Applying Attribute Selectors; 2.7 Using Pseudo-Classes; 2.8 Using Pseudo-Elements; 2.9 Determining When to Use Class and ID Selectors; 2.10 Understanding CSS Properties; 2.11 Understanding the Box Model; 2.12 Associating Styles to a Web Page; 2.13 Understanding the Origin; 2.14 Understanding the Sort Order Within CSS; 2.15 Using !important to Override Certain CSS Rules; 2.16 Clarifying Specificity; 2.17 Setting Up Different Types of Stylesheets; 2.18 Adding Comments Within Stylesheets; 2.19 Organizing the Contents of a Stylesheet; 2.20 Working with Shorthand Properties; 2.21 Setting Up an Alternate Stylesheet; 2.22 Using Floats; 2.23 Using Self-Clearing Floated Elements; 2.24 Using Absolute Positioning; 2.25 Using Relative Positioning; 2.26 Using Shackling Positioning; 2.27 Stacking Elements with z-index; 2.28 Validating CSS Rules; Chapter 3: Web Typography; 3.1 Introduction; 3.2 Specifying Fonts; 3.3 Using Web-Safe Fonts; 3.4 Setting an Ampersand Flourish; 3.5 Embedding Font Files; 3.6 Forcing a Break on Really Long Words; 3.7 Specifying Font Measurements and Sizes; 3.8 Gaining More Cross-Browser Consistency with Font Sizes; 3.9 Setting Hyphens, Em Dashes, and En Dashes; 3.10 Centering Text; 3.11 Setting Text to Be Justified; 3.12 Indicating an Overflow of Text with an Ellipsis; 3.13 Removing Space Between Headings and Paragraphs; 3.14 Setting a Simple Initial Cap; 3.15 Setting a Larger, Centered Initial Cap; 3.16 Setting an Initial Cap with Decoration (Imagery); 3.17 Creating a Heading with Stylized Text; 3.18 Creating a Heading with Stylized Text and Borders; 3.19 Stylizing a Heading with Text and an Image; 3.20 Creating a Pull Quote with HTML Text; 3.21 Placing a Pull Quote to the Side of a Column; 3.22 Creating a Pull Quote with Borders; 3.23 Creating a Pull Quote with Images; 3.24 Setting the Indent in the First Line of a Paragraph; 3.25 Setting the Indent of Entire Paragraphs; 3.26 Creating a Hanging Indent; 3.27 Styling the First Line of a Paragraph; 3.28 Styling the First Line of a Paragraph with an Image; 3.29 Creating a Highlighted Text Effect; 3.30 Changing the Text Selection Color; 3.31 Changing Line Spacing; 3.32 Adding a Graphic Treatment to HTML Text; 3.33 Placing a Shadow Behind Text; 3.34 Adjusting the Space Between Letters and Words; 3.35 Applying Baseline Rhythm on Web Typography; 3.36 Styling Superscripts and Subscripts Without Messing the Text Baseline; 3.37 Setting Up Multiple Columns of Text; Chapter 4: Images; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Transforming Color Images to Black and White in IE with CSS; 4.3 Setting a Border Around an Image; 4.4 Setting a Rounded Border Around an Image; 4.5 Removing Borders Set on Images by Default in Some Browsers; 4.6 Setting a Background Image; 4.7 Creating a Line of Background Images; 4.8 Positioning a Background Image; 4.9 Using Multiple Background Images on One HTML Element; 4.10 Setting Images on a Border; 4.11 Creating a Stationary Background Image; 4.12 Stretching Images As the Browser Resizes; 4.13 Stretching an Image Across the Entire Browser Window; 4.14 Making Images Scalable; 4.15 Setting How a Browser Renders an Image; 4.16 Rotating Images with CSS; 4.17 Setting Gradients with CSS; 4.18 Creating Transparent PNG Images for IE6 and Later; 4.19 Using Transparent PNG Images with JavaScript; 4.20 Overlaying HTML Text on an Image; 4.21 Replacing HTML Text with an Image; 4.22 Building a Panoramic Image Presentation; 4.23 Combining Different Image Formats; 4.24 Rounding Corners with Fixed-Width Columns; 4.25 Rounding Corners (Sliding Doors Technique); 4.26 Rounding Corners (Mountaintop Technique); 4.27 Rounding Corners with JavaScript; 4.28 Setting a Shadow on an Element with CSS; 4.29 Placing a Drop Shadow Behind an Image; 4.30 Placing a Smooth Drop Shadow Behind an Image; 4.31 Making Word Balloons; 4.32 Hindering People from Stealing Your Images; 4.33 Inserting Reflections on Images Automatically; 4.34 Using Image Sprites; 4.35 Clipping Background Images; 4.36 Applying Masks to Images and Borders; Chapter 5: Page Elements; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Eliminating Page Margins; 5.3 Resetting Browser-Style Defaults for Elements; 5.4 Coloring the Scroll Bar in IE; 5.5 Techniques for Centering Elements on a Web Page; 5.6 Placing a Page Border; 5.7 Placing a Border Around the Browser’s Viewport; 5.8 Customizing a Horizontal Rule; 5.9 Adding a Lightbox; 5.10 Changing the Opacity on Elements; 5.11 Adjusting the Opacity of Background Colors; Chapter 6: Lists; 6.1 Introduction; 6.2 Changing the Format of a List; 6.3 Changing the Color of a List Bullet; 6.4 Writing Cross-Browser Indentation in Lists; 6.5 Placing Dividers Between List Items; 6.6 Creating Custom Text Markers for Lists; 6.7 Creating Custom Image Markers for Lists; 6.8 Inserting Larger Custom Image Markers for Lists; 6.9 Making a List Presentation Rich with Imagery; 6.10 Creating Inline Lists; 6.11 Making Hanging Indents in a List; 6.12 Moving the Marker Inside the List; 6.13 Styling a Definition List; 6.14 Styling a Screenplay with the HTML5 dialog Element; 6.15 Turning a List into a Directory Tree; 6.16 Creating a Star Ranking System; Chapter 7: Links and Navigation; 7.1 Introduction; 7.2 Easily Generating Text-Based Menus and Submenus; 7.3 Removing Underlines from Links (and Adding Other Styles); 7.4 Changing Link Colors; 7.5 Removing Dotted Lines When Clicking on a Link in Internet Explorer; 7.6 Changing Link Colors in Different Sections of a Page; 7.7 Placing Icons at the End of Different Kinds of Links; 7.8 Changing Cursors; 7.9 Creating Rollovers Without JavaScript; 7.10 Animating Rollovers on Links with CSS3 Transitions; 7.11 Creating Text Navigation Menus and Rollovers; 7.12 Adding Submenus to Vertical Menus; 7.13 Building Horizontal Navigation Menus; 7.14 Building Horizontal Navigation Menus with Drop-Down Menus; 7.15 Building a Navigation Menu with Access Keys; 7.16 Creating Breadcrumb Navigation; 7.17 Creating Image-Based Rollovers; 7.18 Creating Collapsible Menus; 7.19 Creating Contextual Menus; 7.20 Making Tool Tips with the title Attribute; 7.21 Designing a Dynamic Tabbed Menu; 7.22 Changing Styles on Anchored Links; Chapter 8: Forms; 8.1 Introduction; 8.2 Modifying the Spacing Around a Form; 8.3 Removing the Space Around a Form; 8.4 Setting Styles for Input Elements; 8.5 Changing Styles on Form Elements When a User Clicks on Them; 8.6 Applying Different Styles to Different Input Elements in the Same Form; 8.7 Setting Styles for textarea Elements; 8.8 Setting Styles for select and option Elements; 8.9 Creating a Macintosh-Styled Search Field; 8.10 Styling Form Buttons; 8.11 Creating an Image Submit Button; 8.12 Setting Up a Submit-Once-Only Button; 8.13 Creating a Submit Button That Looks Like HTML Text; 8.14 Making an HTML Text Link Operate Like a Submit Button; 8.15 Designing a Web Form Without Tables; 8.16 Designing a Two-Column Form Without Tables; 8.17 Integrating Form Feedback with a Form; 8.18 Styling Access Keys in Web Forms; 8.19 Grouping Common Form Elements; 8.20 Entering Data into a Form That Is Similar to a Spreadsheet; 8.21 Sample Design: A Login Form; 8.22 Sample Design: A Registration Form; Chapter 9: Tables; 9.1 Introduction; 9.2 Setting the Borders and Cell Padding for Tables; 9.3 Setting the Cell Spacing; 9.4 Setting the Style for Captions; 9.5 Setting the Styles Within Table Cells; 9.6 Setting the Styles for Table Header Elements; 9.7 Removing Gaps from Images Placed in Table Cells; 9.8 Eliminating Gaps Between Table Cells; 9.9 Creating Alternating Background Colors in Table Rows; 9.10 Adding a Highlighting Effect on a Table Row; 9.11 Sample Design: An Elegant Calendar; Chapter 10: Designing Web Pages for Printing; 10.1 Introduction; 10.2 Applying a Stylesheet for Printing to a Web Page; 10.3 Replacing a Color Logo for a Black-and-White Logo When Printing Web Pages; 10.4 Making a Web Form Print-Ready; 10.5 Displaying URIs After Links; 10.6 Inserting Special Characters Before Links; 10.7 Setting Page Breaks for a Printed Document; 10.8 Sample Design: A Printer-Friendly Page with CSS; Chapter 11: Page Layouts; 11.1 Introduction; 11.2 Building a One-Column Layout; 11.3 Building a Two-Column Layout; 11.4 Building a Two-Column Layout with Fixed-Width Columns; 11.5 Creating a Flexible Multicolumn Layout with Floats; 11.6 Creating a Fixed-Width Multicolumn Layout with Floats; 11.7 Creating a Flexible Multicolumn Layout with Positioning; 11.8 Creating a Fixed-Width Multicolumn Layout with Positioning; 11.9 Using Floats to Display Columns in Any Order; 11.10 Designing an Asymmetric Layout; 11.11 Designing Resolution-Independent Layouts; Chapter 12: Hacks, Workarounds, and Troubleshooting; 12.1 Introduction; 12.2 Overriding Inline Styles; 12.3 Diagnosing CSS Bugs and Browser Issues; 12.4 Using Bookmarklets to Troubleshoot CSS; 12.5 Using Browser Extensions to Troubleshoot CSS; 12.6 Patching Up Internet Explorer 6; 12.7 Patching Up Internet Explorer 6 with JavaScript; 12.8 Using Conditional Comments to Deliver Styles to Different Versions of Internet Explorer; 12.9 Using CSS Filters to Deliver CSS Rules to Almost Any Browser; 12.10 Setting Up an Intelligent CSS Delivery System for Modern Browsers; 12.11 Testing a Site Design on More Than One Platform with Only One Computer; 12.12 Testing a Website with a Text Browser; Chapter 13: Designing with CSS; 13.1 Introduction; 13.2 Enlarging Text Excessively; 13.3 Creating Unexpected Incongruity; 13.4 Combining Unlike Elements to Create Contrast; 13.5 Leading the Eye with Contrast; 13.6 Checking for Enough Color Contrast; 13.7 Emphasizing a Quotation with Smart Quotes; 13.8 Setting a Moving Background Scene When a User Resizes the Window; 13.9 Adding Animation to Elements on a Page; 13.10 Creating a Fireworks Display As a User Scrolls; 13.11 Customizing the View Source Stylesheet for Firefox; 13.12 Designing with Grids (CSS Frameworks); 13.13 Sample Design: A Cohesive Web Design; 13.14 Sample Design: The U.S. Flag; Chapter 14: Interacting with JavaScript; 14.1 Introduction; 14.2 Determining Whether JavaScript Is Available Within a Browser; 14.3 Applying a Different Stylesheet Based on the Time of Day; 14.4 Redirecting to a Mobile Site Based on the Browser’s Screen Width; 14.5 Adding a JavaScript Framework to a Web Page; 14.6 Using CSS3 Selectors in IE6 and IE7; 14.7 Zebra-Striping an HTML Table with JavaScript; 14.8 Highlighting a Table Row with Mouseovers; 14.9 Adding Effects to Simple Image Rollovers; 14.10 Making a Row of Elements with a Variable Amount of Content the Same Height; 14.11 Setting a Link to Open a New Window; 14.12 Making an Entire div Element Clickable; 14.13 Supporting Transparent PNGs in IE6 with JavaScript; 14.14 Delivering HTML5 and CSS3 to Browsers That Can Handle Them; Resources; General HTML and CSS Instruction; Design Resources; Discussion Groups; References; Tools; CSS 2.1 Properties and Proprietary Extensions; CSS 2.1 Selectors, Pseudo-Classes, and Pseudo-Elements; CSS3 Selectors and Pseudo-Classes; Styling of Form Elements; Anatomy of the Appendix; Tested CSS Properties; Colophon;

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
The first CSS “recipe” you steal from CSS Cookbook will pay for the book several times over. After that, it will all be gravy.

So which one would you like to start with? A recipe for setting initial caps or creating pull quotes? For creating rollovers without JavaScript? Placing background images or page borders? Changing list formats? Creating form buttons? Creating printer-friendly pages? Hiding styles from (arrgh!) Netscape 4.x, or CSS rules from (arrgh!) IE5/Mac? Add 75 more recipes, and you’ve got the drift.

Each chapter includes a complete sample design. You’ll find them for typography, controlling page elements, links/navigation, lists, forms, tables, page layouts, printing, and more. If you want to do CSS right, but you’re on a deadline, this can’t be beat. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2003 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

bn.com