HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies [Paperback]

Andy Harris (Author), Chris McCulloh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470186275 | ISBN-13: 978-0470186275 | Publication Date: May 5, 2008 | Edition: 1

Want to build a killer Web site? Want to make it easy to keep your site up to date? You'll need to know how CSS, HTML, and XHTML work together. HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies makes that easy too! These eight minibooks get you started, explain standards, and help you connect all the dots to create sites with pizzazz.

This handy, one-stop guide catches you up on XHTML basics and CSS fundamentals. You'll learn how to work with Positionable CSS to create floating elements, margins, and multi-column layouts, and you'll get up to speed on client-side programming with JavaScript. You'll also get the low-down on server side programming with PHP, creating a database with MySQL, and using Ajax on both client and server sides. You'll find out how to:

• Use templates and validators
• Manage information with lists and tables
• Turn lists of links into button bars
• Add style color and borders
• Create variables for data
• Add motion with basic DOM animation
• Work with arrays
• Add Flash functionality with AFLAX
• Build and manage a multipage site
• Choose and run your own server

You don't need expensive or complicated software or a super-powerful computer to build a Web site that does all sorts of amazing things. All you need is a text editor and the clear, step-by-step guidance you'll find in HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

8 books in 1 — your key to developing powerful Web applications

Your one-stop guide to using CSS with XHTML to create dynamic sites

Things move quickly on the Web, and you want to make it easy to keep yoursite up to date. So you'll want to know how HTML, XHTML, and CSS worktogether, and this book makes that easy! Handy minibooks get you started, explain how to use the most up-to-date standards, and show you how to put it all together for sites with pizazz.

Discover how to:

• Use templates and validators

• Manage information with lists and tables

• Add style, color, and borders

• Create powerful applications with Ajax

• Add interactivity to your Web site

About the Author

Andy Harris began his teaching life as a special education teacher. As he was teaching young adults with severe disabilities, he taught himself enough computer programming to support his teaching habit with freelance programming. Those were the exciting days when computers started to have hard drives, and some computers began communicating with each other over an arcane mechanism some were calling the Internet.
All this time Andy was teaching computer science part time. He joined the faculty of the Indiana University/Purdue University — Indianapolis Computer Science department in 1995. He serves as a Senior Lecturer, teaching the introductory course to Freshmen as well as numerous courses on Web development, general programming, and game programming. As manager of the Streaming Media Laboratory, he developed a number of online video-based courses, and worked on a number of international distance education projects including helping to start a computer science program in Tetevo, Macedonia FYR.
Andy is the author of several other computing books, including Beginning Flash Game Programming For Dummies and Game Programming: The L Line. He invites your comments and questions at [e-mail].

Chris McCulloh has a bachelor’s degree in Media Arts and Science from Indiana University/Purdue University — Indianapolis (IUPUI), a certificate in Applied Computer Science from the Computer and Information Science Department (CSCI) at IUPUI, and is a full-time PHP Developer working at CIK Enterprises. He loves to teach, write, and read, and is currently teaching server-side programming for CSCI at IUPUI. He writes a programming-related blog on his Flash game site at blog.chomperstomp.com, and maintains a popular Firefox extension located at statusbarcalculator.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 960 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (May 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470186275
• ISBN-13: 978-0470186275
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.6 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > XHTML
  • #94 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > CSS
  • #100 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Word Processing

More About the Author

I live near Indianapolis, Indiana.

I am a lecturer in computer science at Indiana University / Purdue University - Indianapolis (Yes, that IS officially the longest university name on the planet... we call it IUPUI)

I was an army brat. I grew up in many parts of the Eastern United States and in Japan.

I've been interested in computing since the early eighties, when my brother and I took the money we were saving for a car and blew it on a TRS-80 model 1 with the built-in Japanese character set. (That machine is still in my garage. Don't tell my wife.)

My first career was as a special education teacher. I taught young adults with severe disabilities for several years. I really enjoyed my job and my students. I learned a lot about teaching through that experience.

While doing special ed, I kept my interest in computing, doing some freelance programming and writing about computer topics. Eventually, I became a lab instructor in the computer science program at IUPUI.

I moved to IUPUI as a full-time gig in 1995. Since then, I have been involved in creating a certificate of applied computer science. I have also worked on building a distributed education program. I especially love designing curricula using emerging and interesting technology and ideas.

I have taught many applied CS topics, but there is always more to learn.
Right now my focus tends to be on applied computing in programming languages, game programming, and mobile computing.

My favorite part about writing is hearing from readers. It's great when somebody sends me a link to a game or project they've written using one of my books. I'd love to get a line from you about one of my books, what you'd like to see me work on next, or just to say hi. I hope my writing feels like a conversation, and I'm looking forward to hearing from your side of the talk.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME, November 20, 2008

By 

Anexa - See all my reviews

This review is from: HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (Paperback)

It is difficult to find one book that takes you from nothing to standards-compliant web sites. It's even more difficult to find books that don't recommend paying insane amounts of money for programs like Dreamweaver. The author provides lots of alternative choices to the big name software and uses this software throughout his examples. I am very grateful that I picked up this book and think that I could probably actually start a web design business after reading it. A million thank-yous to the authors!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners!!, June 19, 2008

By 

Travis Carter "Phatjam" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (Paperback)

I have been out of web design for years. In fact the last time I built a web page I was still using a single html doc and usually some images with hotspots. This book got me back in the saddle and quickly had me building great looking and functional web pages and sites.

This book covers everything from basic html to css to MySQL and PHP. There is really no other book you could get that will help you build a more complete website at this level.

I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to start their own web pages.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars html, xhtml and css all in one desk reference for dummies, July 27, 2008

By 

Margaret J. Rimmler - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (Paperback)

HTML, XHTML, and CSS All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

A Great book! It answers all of my questions relating to all of the several web page languages that I have only partially understood. I now have a solid foundation for going onto more complex programming material and for developing great web applications. The recommendations for free software are terrific. Free works for me. I now have all of the tools I need on my lap top,including my own Apache server running MYSQL. Thank you Andy and Chris.