Customer Reviews

Mastering CSS with Dreamweaver CS3

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Dreamweaver is the software that eases the construction of websites by providing for "what you see is what you get (almost)" construction. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a web building tool for separating content and format in web site design, making the updating of sites easier and taking up less memory space on the host computer.

This book attempts to teach the reader how to use Dreamweaver to create sites that use CSS. After a chapter laying out the fundamental rules for CSS, the authors provide a number of tutorials including building a new style sheet (the repository of the CSS rules), migrating a table-based layout to CSS, using liquid and then elastic CSS layouts, and finishing using a combination of Dreamweaver and Spry, another web design tool, to create a site.

The book says it's aimed at the Intermediate/Advanced level and based on my experience, I guess that I'm at the Beginner level. I've constructed table-based websites with Dreamweaver that work well and look good. I understand the fundamentals of CSS. But this book left me in the dust. In the first tutorial, the authors took me step by step through the process of using Dreamweaver, telling me exactly which menus to use and which submenus to fill in, and though I had to refresh my memory from time to time by looking at (X)HTML and CSS texts, I was able to complete the tutorial. But as the authors moved to later chapters, the instructions on using Dreamweaver became less and less specific, so that by the half-way mark, the reader was being told what code was desired without any handholding through the menus. For an occasional user like myself, it was just too much and I soon found myself flipping back and forth, and using menus even though I had no idea why I was making the selection. My problems were compounded by the fact that these are long tutorials, and I sometimes had to look back hundreds of steps to find a place where I had made an error that had an effect on the present step.

I don't want to suggest that I got nothing from the book. I got enough from the first tutorial and the early sections of subsequent tutorials to edit my main site to incorporate some CSS rules. I'm not certain it was worth the effort for me. I've spent months working my way through this book.

If you are experienced with coding and understand CSS and all of Dreamweaver's menus, and you want to use Dreamweaver to speed up the construction of CSS, this book may be just for you. For the less experienced user like me, a beginner's guide to CSS and Dreamweaver is needed.

This book really does a great job explaining how to build websites using CSS and Dreamweaver CS3. I've bought a couple of other books and this one is by far my favorite. The layout of the book provides step-by-step instructions snd includes many "color" screen shots so you can easily see that you are keeping-up with the instructions. I highly recommend this book if you want to learn how to design websites using Dreamweaver CS3. Here's the Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 - Laying the CSS Groundwork
Chapter 2 - Using the Fixed, Centered Starter Pages
Chapter 3 - Migrating a Table-based layout to CSS
Chapter 4 - Using the Liquid CSS Layouts
Chapter 5 - Creating a More Cocmplex Design with Elastic Layouts
Chapter 6 - Building a Gallery Site with CSS and Spry

I highly recommend this book!

I've been a GoLive user since the early days, I think version 2 or 3. I've also owned and upgraded Dreamweaver since version 3. I've attempted to master DW countless times over the years. It is a different program from GoLive. On top of the difference between the two programs, those of us who operate from the right brain have additional challenges when it comes to code.

I've got quite a large collection of Dreamweaver books. This is the first one that has actually gripped me and started to make sense of it all. I love the learning style, not to mention the layout and design is appealing. Lots of white space. This not only helps me stay focused but allows room for notes.

I'm not saying the challenge is over. I'm still facing a challenge with advanced or complex divs. But this book is making sense of it. I particularly like the way concepts are broken down and explained. I also find the insight on learning The Natural Flow of the Document to be helpful.

Greg Rewis and Stephanie Sullivan both have a love and appreciation for GoLive, which I think helps break down the communication barrier than we GoLive users often seem to face with Dreamweaver users. Matter of fact, Stephanie started with GoLive and Greg was one of the founders of it.

I've been in touch with Stephanie by email as I've had a couple of roadblocks I needed to overcome. Stephanie has been very responsive, friendly, and helpful.

I'm still working my way through the book, but I can say already that it is worth the investment for me.

This is by far the best CSS & Dreamweaver book that I have ever read. I am an advanced user, very comfortable with CSS code and the Dreamweaver interface, but I still learned so many great tips and techniques.

Where this book shines is in teaching someone how to build standards compliant, accessible, search engine optimized, visually appealing, and cleanly coded websites using the Dreamweaver interface. I am not aware of any other book on the market that does that. Other Dreamweaver books seem to focus solely on the features of Dreamweaver without regards to standards, work flow, or the kind of code that the Dreamweaver will create if left to its own devices. It does not make sense, in my mind, to learn the product in a way that can't be used in the real world. Any reputable web designer uses the techniques discussed in this book, not all the built in options that make learning web design easy.

In regards to work flow, this book takes a case study approach. Each chapter is a project with a comp and an end goal. The reader gets to walk through all the pitfalls and browser issues that they would normally see when coding up their own sites. I think this makes the techniques easier to learn and makes the book an enjoyable read.

This book is not for beginners, if you aren't fairly comfortable with HTML and CSS, I would recommend Head First HTML, XHTML, and CSS. For advanced users, this book is really a fantastic teaching tool and reference.

The book begins with some background information on the (X)HTML Document, CSS and the concept of laying out HTML pages with CSS. Three of the seven chapters give a step-by-step examples (with downloadable sample files) for a Fixed Layout, Liquid Layout, and Elastic Layout Web sites. In Chapter 4, the authors demonstrates how to use Dreamweaver CS3 to migrate a Table-based Layout to CSS Layout. In Chapter 6, Stephanie and Greg show how to build a Gallery Site with CSS and Spry.

The book has a very pleasant style and layout with color images and side notes. Even with its technical context, the examples were very easy to read and follow, even if you're not doing the examples online. Stephanie and Greg also presented a few great tips and tricks for using Dreamweaver CS3 and CSS, eg, the faux column technique which gives the illusion of two equal height columns.

I've been a Dreamweaver user for a few years. Late last year I learned about Dreamweaver CS3 (through Adobe's eSeminar series) and learned CSS from another great book by O'Reilly called "Learning Web Design ". It was a good, but rough, background to start designing websites with Dreamweaver CS3 and CSS. I've been waiting for this book for a long time. I read three chapters in the first week and was able to learn a lot of new techniques and tips I already used on my next design project.

However, a few things can be added to this book to make it even better. Definition and explanation of CSS best practices and Web standards would be helpful, specially in understanding some design decisions in the examples. Also, Dreamweaver CS3 has many many choices for HTML layout. This book only covers three of them. It would be useful to give an overview of these layout and some pros and cons of each to help in deciding on the layout when working on a project. Another useful information to include in this book would be a Resources and References section.

Overall, this is a great book for anyone serious about designing professional websites with Dreamweaver CS3 and CSS.

I know a little about web development and have a working knowledge of DW. DW comes with many layouts, which are excellent, but very professional, and thus somewhat complex. The DW layouts were constructed by Stephanie Sullivan, one of the authors. This book emphasizes these layouts, and explains them clearly, and in detail, a huge step in learning CSS and DW re layouts. Much more about CSS is also included in this book.

I gave this book a 5-star, for many reasons. The text is very thoughtfully, and clearly written, excellent syntax, and easy to follow. It is exceptionally well-illustrated with clear titles, lots of space to separate concepts, lists, instructions, and examples, etc.

I have several DW books; but this is still the most well-organized, and clearly written. At my stage no book can make CSS/DW easy, but this book does a fabulous job.

This book is very good at what it does - it is an advanced css book that shows you how to build Standards compliant sites using Dreamweaver in the design view. It is a slightly funny thing, because people who build css sites in general do not use the design view - they use the code view. Dreamweaver's code view has easy-to-use code hints and the great find and replace tool - those are the reasons I use Dreamweaver. However, it is hard to find a reference for doing css related tasks from the design view, and that is exactly what this book does so well. I can't think of any other book that has taken this particular angle on css. Back in the MX days there was a book Dreamweaver MX Templates that was as unique and ambitious as this, covering proprietary Dreamweaver skills at an advanced level, but that book is far out of date, while this book is incredibly timely. I recommend this book, but would say that it may be worth trying to learn how to write code in the code view. When you are coding from the design view, you have one more level of abstraction between you and the matter at hand than is necessary. It may be EASIER to code from the design view, and the skills you gain will not need to be updated when a new version of the software comes out. If you are set on using the design view, this book will be a great find, if you are interested in writing code directly, CSS Web Site Design Hands on Training (Hands-On Training) is very easy to follow and teaches some great techniques.

I knew I needed to do some serious study to upgrade my piecemeal, muddle-through skills on CSS with the advent of newer tableless techniques, and Mastering CSS has been perfect for me. It's a beautifully crafted blend of concept and tutorial that will not just suit, but really deliver, for all but the newest newbies or code-hardened cavemen. (And even some cavemen could learn a thing or two.)

It's a tough subject to get the mix right, what with the tangle that the browser war has gotten us into... too much attention to IE hacks and the concept is overwhelmed; too little and you're not really prepared for battle. I particularly liked the detailed coverage of page flow logic, and notes throughout on the precise tool or technique that gets a job done in the fewest actions. Yes, sometimes it's working under the hood, but make no mistake, DW has tools that for some tasks no ASCII fingertips can touch... and Sullivan and Rewis tell you where and when.

With great, readable editing, detailed and painstaking supporting graphics right in place, and a great flow of content, it's hard to imagine covering the topic better.

I couldn't wait to get this book and it exceeded all my expectations. The authors take you through the basics of CSS and then it's on to the fun part of what you can really do with the knowledge you've just learned.

Since I use Dreamweaver CS3, this book really helped me integrate the intricacies of that program with the power of CSS.

I've had a peek at Dreamweaver CS4 beta and this is the way that the web is going, so by getting the understanding of CSS from this book, all of these skills will be transferable to the new program and to building beautiful web pages.

Thank you Stephanie and Greg!

Mastering CSS with Dreamweaver CS3 (Voices That Matter)

The new book just arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm not a CSS expert but have played with it some. Couldn't wait to get into the book. I immediately read the first chapter and that alone made the book worth it. Given the credentials of authors like Sullivan and RewisMastering CSS with Dreamweaver CS3 (Voices That Matter) it's a *must have* book. (Sullivan - on Adobe Task Force, Comunity MX partner WebWeavers list mom, in-demand speaker, Rewis - Early user of what became the internet, Macromedia Dreamweaver product manager, Adobe Group Manager, conference/trade show speaker world wide.) Who else knows more about CSS and Dreamweaver than this duo? Book is HIGHLY recommended.