Sams Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours (Includes New HTML 5 Coverage) (8th Edition) [Paperback]

Julie Meloni (Author), Michael Morrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 20, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0672330970 | ISBN-13: 978-0672330971 | Edition: 8

In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, you can learn how to use HTML and CSS to design, create, and maintain world-class web sites. Using a clear, down-to-earth approach, each lesson builds upon the previous one, allowing even complete beginners to learn the essentials from the ground up.

 

Full-color figures and clear step-by-step instructions help you learn quickly.

 

Practical, hands-on examples show you how to apply what you learn.

 

Quizzes and Exercises help you test your knowledge and stretch your skills.

 

Learn how to…

  Build your own web page and get it online in an instant

  Format text for maximum clarity and readability

  Create links to other pages and to other sites

  Add graphics, color, and visual pizazz to your web pages

  Work with transparent images and background graphics

  Design your site’s layout and typography using CSS

  Get user input with web-based forms

  Publicize your site and make it search-engine friendly

  Test a web site for compatibility with different browsers

  Make your site easy to maintain and update as it grows

 

Free Access to Online Learning Lab

Register your book at informit.com/register for free, exclusive access to the Online Learning Lab to supplement this book’s lessons:

  Video walkthroughs to show you how to complete the step-by-step examples in the book

  Fast and fun online quizzes to test your understanding of each lesson

  Updates or corrections as they become available

 

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Julie C. Meloni is both the technical director for i2i Interactive, a multimedia company located in Los Altos, CA, and a scholar working in the field of Digital Humanities. She has written several books and articles on Web-based programming languages and database topics, including the bestselling Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL, and Apache All in One.

 

Michael Morrison is a writer, developer, toy inventor, and author of a variety of computer technology books and interactive web-based courses. In addition to his primary profession as a writer and freelance nerd for hire, Michael is the creative lead at Stalefish Labs, an entertainment company he co-founded with his wife, Masheed.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Put Your HTML Page Online Today

In 2005, it is estimated that approximately 900 million people will have accessed the Internet, including 188 million in the U.S. alone. Throw in 58 million Japanese users, 45 million German users, 35 million British users, 18 million Russian users, and 17 million Canadians, and you can see the meaning of the word "world" in "World Wide Web." Along with all of these people who use the Internet, there are also quite a few people cranking out new content for the Web. Although accurate measurements of the total number of web pages are difficult to come by, the popular search engine Google reports having indexed more than 4 billion web pages as of late 2005.

In the next 24 hours, tens of thousands of new web pages will be posted in publicly accessible areas of the Internet. At least as many pages will be placed on private intranets, where they will be viewed by businesspeople connected to local networks. Every one of those pages—like the 4 billion pages already online—will use Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML.

If you read on, your web pages will be among those that appear on the Internet in the next 24 hours. This will also be the day that you acquire one of the most valuable skills in the world today: mastery of HTML.

Can you really learn to create top-quality web pages yourself, without any specialized software, in less time than it takes to schedule and wait for an appointment with a highly paid HTML wizard? Can this thin, easy-to-read book really enable you to teach yourself state-of-the-art web page publishing?

Yes. In fact, within two hours of starting this book, someone with no previous HTML experience at all can have a web page ready to place on the Internet's World Wide Web.

How can you learn the language of the Web so fast? By example. This book breaks HTML down into simple steps that anyone can learn quickly, and shows you exactly how to tackle each step. Every HTML example is pictured directly above the web page it will produce. You see it done, you read a brief, plain-English explanation of how it works, and you immediately do the same thing with your own page. Ten minutes later, you're on to the next step.

The next day, you're marveling at your own impressive pages on the Internet.

Beyond HTML

This book isn't just about HTML because HTML isn't the only thing you need to know to create web pages today. My goal is to give you all the skills you need in order to create a stunning, state-of-the-art web site in just 24 short, easy lessons. I've received literally thousands of email messages from readers telling me that the earlier editions of this book achieved that goal better than any other book available.

Go ahead and scan the bookstore shelves. You'll discover that the book you're holding now is the only one on the market that covers all the following key skills and technologies in plain English that even beginners will understand:

• XHTML (Extended Hypertext Markup Language) and XML (eXtensible Markup Language) are the new standards for web page creation. Every example in this book (and on the accompanying web site) is fully XHTML and XML compatible, so you won't have to relearn anything as XHTML and XML replace old-fashioned HTML.

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Note - Do you have existing web pages that you need to bring up-to-date so that they're compatible with the new standards? If so, Appendix D, "Migrating from HTML to XHTML," gives you complete, easy-to-follow instructions for converting HTML pages into XHTML.

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• At the same time, all the examples you'll learn here have been tested for compatibility with the latest version of every major web browser. That includes Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Safari. You'll learn from the start to be compatible with the past, yet ready for the future.

• There is extensive coverage of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which allow you to carefully control the layout, fonts, colors, and formatting of every aspect of your web pages, including both text and images. When it comes to creating eye-popping web pages, CSS goes far beyond what traditional HTML pages could do by themselves. For example, did you know that CSS allows you to specifically tailor the information on a page just for printing, in addition to normal web viewing?

• Hours 7 through 10 teach you to design and create your own web page graphics (including animations) using industry-standard software you can download and try free. Creating graphics is the single most important part of producing a great-looking site—and one that most HTML books leave out.

• Along with HTML and CSS, you'll learn how to use JavaScript, Dynamic HTML (DHTML), and embedded multimedia in Hours 17 through 19. Your web pages will be interactive and enchanting, not static and unresponsive.

• Have you ever wished you could create a really slick item listing on eBay using HTML? Hour 20 shows you how to use your newfound HTML and CSS knowledge to create visually stunning eBay auction listings that will help you get maximum dollars for your auction sales.

• You've probably heard about the blogging craze that has hit the Internet by storm. Hour 21 teaches you how to create your own blog and connect it to your personal web site. You'll be a bona fide blogger in no time!

• The technical stuff is not enough, so I also include the advice you need when setting up a web site to achieve your real-world goals. Key details—designing an effective page layout, posting your page to the Internet with FTP software, organizing and managing multiple pages, and getting your pages to appear high on the query lists at all the major Internet search sites—are all covered in enough depth to get you beyond the snags that often trip people up.

• You may be aware that graphical web site editors such as Microsoft FrontPage and Macromedia DreamWeaver make web design accessible to people who don't know anything about HTML—but these tools also make it more necessary than ever to understand HTML yourself so you can create pages that do exactly what you want and are easy to read and maintain. Throughout the book, I include notes telling you when the what-you-see-is-what-you-get editors are helpful and when you're better off coding the HTML yourself.

Many of these essentials are what made the first six editions of this book nonstop bestsellers. For this edition, I've continued to incorporate the email feedback of thousands of readers to make every lesson easy, fast, and foolproof. I've also revised and updated the hands-on examples for you to experience online and modify to suit your own purposes—nearly 300 sample pages in all. The color quick-reference sheets and updated reference appendixes are sure to keep this volume at your side long after you've become an experienced webmaster.

How to Use This Book

There are several ways to go through this book, and the best way for you depends on your situation. Here are five recommended options. Pick the one that matches your needs:

1. "I need to get some text on the Internet today. Then I can worry about making it look pretty later."

   Read Hour 1, "Understanding HTML and XHTML."

   Read Hour 2, "Create a Web Page Right Now."

   Read Hour 4, "Publishing Your HTML Pages."

   Put your first page on the Internet!

   (Total work time: 2–4 hours)

   Read the rest of the book, and update your pages as you learn more HTML.

2. "I need a basic web page with text and graphics on the Internet as soon as possible. Then I can work on improving it and adding more pages."

Read Hour 1, "Understanding HTML and XHTML."

Read Hour 2, "Create a Web Page Right Now."

Read Hour 7, "Creating Your Own Web Page Graphics."

Read Hour 8, "Putting Graphics on a Web Page."

... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Sams Publishing; 8 edition (December 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672330970
• ISBN-13: 978-0672330971
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > XHTML
  • #35 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > CSS

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book improved my skill level, are you ready to improve yours? March 22, 2007

By L. T. Beasimer TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As an IT professional that has built and maintained personal web sites for several years, I decided I needed to better understand what I was doing. I have used Front page for years to build the basic structure of my web pages, then venturing into the HTML to modify and add functionality. I never have taken a class or read any other books on HTML, if I got stuck, I would do a search and find a solution. Before purchasing this book I would not say I was a beginner, but I also knew my skill level was not that of an expert.

Authors of how to books must decided who they are writing for. In this case the authors chose to write to beginners, a category I don't personally fit neatly into. Each chapter is about twenty pages long and includes Q&A, quiz, and exercise sections. Each hour is intended to take an hour to read and complete the quizzes and exercises. However since I am not a beginner I find many sections require much less time. I don't feed the need to practice inserting an image onto a page when I already can accomplish the task.

But if I can already do the task, why read the hour? Well for starters, I'm not skillful enough to assume I know anything beyond the basics. Not only that, this book is teaching XHTML when and where it can. I may know how to insert an image, but making the code XHTML compliant is not something I was previously aware of. Not only can I add an image, but now I can easily explain the whys and hows to others if they should ask.

As I progressed through the hours, the subjects got more complex. Even so the chapters where presented and the subjects explained in an easy to understand manner. Each progressive hour builds on the previous ones, however if I wanted to, I could skip ahead to a different chapter and still be able to understand the lesson.

If you are a total beginner to HTML and CSS, this is the book to get. If you are not quite a beginner like I was, this book will take you to the next level. If you are an expert looking to brush up on your skills, look elsewhere. An expert may learn a thing or two from this book, but it is clearly not written for experts. As for me, I have no doubt this book has helped be become a better web master.

PROS:

Very well written and structured in a way that promotes learning

In-depth discussions of CSS

Thorough list of subject matter

Worth every cent I paid and then some

Improved my skill level

CONS:

I didn't get this book sooner

97 of 105 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Way To Learn HTML & CSS QUICK!! January 29, 2006

By Dan McKinnon VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Unlike many other topics in the computer world, there are a lot of options out there on the real-life and virtual bookshelfs for learning HTML. So instead of talking about what this book HAS, I think the better approach to explain why THIS book is a great option for learning both of these topics.

#1 Price - At this low retail price, you won't find many books that contain this much information (over 550 pages) for so little money. Many books out there will provide lots of the same information, but not for the bargain basement deal you will get with this text.

#2 Writing - SAMS has always been known for a great writing style. Splitting up sections into logical parts that make reading and learning easier for the reader, this book is structured in a great way for any person to learn from.

#3 Content - Most books will cover HTML and touch upon CSS, but few focus on it like this one does. Relating to bang for the buck, this book goes above and beyond what others do, going into great detail.

#4 Proven - With this being the 7th Edition, there is a reason why this book is around after so many years. They don't print a 2nd or even a 3rd edition unless sales are brisk enough to warrant it, so this alone should tell you that you aren't the first person to decide to try and learn HTML and CSS from SAMS Publishing.

The only downside? to this book is it's not aimed at experienced developers. If you already know HTML and CSS, you should pick up a more advanced book that covers things outside of the basics that this book does. Aimed at newcomers and amateurs, this book does what it says it does, and you WILL learn these topics in no time at all!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Bart C January 24, 2010

By BRC

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I gave the book two stars not to slam it but because, as others have stated, it does not build an example page and then develop it in the manner that a reader intends to do. I have been working with html, in a non professional way, for 10 years and CSS for nearly as many. As an explanation, the book's example of using float was, in my opinion, insufficient. I had read the chapter and was attempting to apply what I had read to a web page for my business. I recreated what was in the book in one set of pages, a linked style sheet and an html page. I used my editor to generate the page for my own site. This was to help with the more involved page I was writing for my business. The basic structure of both was the same, though my business page had much more content. The results were dramatically different, my page was a mess. After moving back from the keyboard and mentally confirming that the structure concept was the same, I compared the DOCTYPE statements of the two pages. The DOCTYPE statements were different. When I used the same DOCTYPE for each set of pages they render the same way
The relationship between the DOCTYPE and how each browser, even within the same browser, renders the page is very different. The "discussion" of DOCTYPE is a note on the side of page 234. This topic deserves a clear explanation. This type of information is the type of insight I was looking for and clears up a lot of coding problems. I believe that almost everyone, after seeing how just a few tags are used quickly gets the idea of how to use many of them.

The chapter on forms starts by stating that without the knowledge of server side scripting, forms won't work. I'd be willing to bet everyone that can handle server side coding can easily write the html forms. So the point of that chapter was certainly lost on me.

I have set the book aside and have relied on [...] for answers. No, I have no relation with them what so ever.
I would still like to find a better book.
I purchased Sam's after being disappointed with CSS, the Missing manual.
Good luck