resources

if you haven't heard of css (cascading style sheets) by now you can officially label yourself 'out of the loop!' here's the skinny. since html does such a poor job of formatting web pages for display - hey it's not html's fault, it was never really intended to do that - a dedicated formatting language was needed to help present our pages better and reduce the amount of code and repetition necessary to produce a consistent attractive web site. answer: css!!! now don't get carried away too quickly. css doesn't really do anything on it's own. primarily it doesn't support content so it relies on html for that (hurray for html!) what css does is it enhances the way the browser can interpret and display your html markup. getting the basics of css down is easy (provided you already have a good understanding of html) but it can get more tricky as you get deeper in to it. you can probably learn the basics in a day and then start playing with it and you will find that your skills improve quickly. the syntax for css is simple:

selector { property: value; property: value; property: value; }

the hardest part is choosing appropriate selectors and connecting them to your html markup. once you have that part down, it's a matter of looking up the desired properties and values. here are a few websites and books with references, tutorials and other resources to get you going.

webites:
www.htmldog.com
www.w3schools.com
www.echoecho.com
css help pile - http://artypapers.com/csshelppile/
www.csszengarden.com

books:
CSS: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Eric Meyer. O'Reilly Media, 2006. ISBN 0596527330 - necessary reference guide. this is your dictionary for css. you won't read it cover to cover in order but you will want to highlight, dog-ear and otherwise bookmark the stuff you need. also recommended: anything by eric meyer on css!

HTML, XHTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide, 6th Edition Elizabeth Castro. Peachpit Press, 2006. ISBN 0321430840 - this book is excellent if you are new to css, especially if you are also new to html. walk through the examples chapter by chapter or skip to the sections you really need.

Stylin' with CSS: A Designer's Guide Charles Wyke-Smith. New Riders Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0321305256 - an excellent guide that takes you from the fundamentals of xhtml through the syntax of css and ends up in the realm of building table-less web pages using css and xhtml. this book will rapidly progress your knowledge and understanding of css and how it is implemented in modern page designs.

if you come across any other great books or websites on css, please be sure to comment back to share them with others.

html is the platform from which you will build all of your web pages. a solid understanding of html (better, xhtml) is essential in order to create the structure of your pages and incorporate other technologies such as css, javascript, php and ajax. learning things like javascript and php are hard enough on their own without the additional obstacle of foggy html comprehension. luckily the structure and syntax of html is incredibly simple and repetitive. my recommendation is to get this structure down without a hitch and then set yourself up with a good html reference book and website to 'fill in the blanks'. the basic structure of html looks like this:

<tag attribute1="value" attribute2="value">content</tag>

the individual tags, attributes and values can be easily referenced and 'plugged' into this structure as you build your page. below are links to a number of great websites and books that will help you on you way to 'filling in the blanks.'

websites:
www.htmldog.com
www.w3schools.com
www.echoecho.com
www.htmlhelp.com
www.webmonkey.com

books:
HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition Chuck Musciano, et al. O'Reilly Media, 2006. ISBN 0596527322 - this is 'the' reference guide. your encyclopedia of html, if you will. an invaluable resource!

HTML, XHTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide, 6th Edition Elizabeth Castro. Peachpit Press, 2006. ISBN 0321430840 - this tutorial based guide will walk you step by step through the structure of html, building web pages and formatting them with css. an excellent book for beginners who need some hand-holding to learn the fundamentals.

if you happen across any other good books or websites on html, be sure to comment back here to share them with others.

if you are looking for some good sites for help and info on javascript, look no further. here are a few links that will set you off in the right direction. if you find other sites you really like please comment on this blog and i will add them to the list.

javascriptkit.com - Javascript Kit
www.w3schools.com - References - Javascript
www.javascript.com
msdn.microsoft.com - Javascript
www.echoecho.com
webmonkey