CSS Hacks and Filters: Making Cascading Stylesheets Work (Paperback)

~ Joseph W. Lowery (Author) "When work was begun in 1995 on the first CSS specification,the Web was one giant kludge..." (more)
Key Phrases: css hacks, backslash hack, head editable region, Internet Explorer, Making Cascading Style Sheets Work, Box Model (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a method of describing how a Web page should look in a Web browser, but a growing number of browsers do not support CSS in the same way, forcing developers to constantly play catch-up to keep their sites consistent
• Bestselling author Joe Lowery eases the pain for those Web developers who aren't feeling the CSS love-he guides readers through real-world workarounds that will help a CSS-based site look and work the way it was meant to
• Readers will grit their teeth, clench their fists, and roll their eyes for the last time once they learn how to craft fluid multi-column layouts, build interactive navigation, fix the Box Model, implement CSS hacks in Dreamweaver, and more cool tricks

From the Back Cover

Here's how to make CSS work the way it should

Cascading Style Sheets, the technology meant to bring order out of chaos by letting you update Web sites effortlessly, just doesn't always work. You recognize that when you discover your graphics, perfectly positioned in Firefox, throw your page out of whack when viewed in Explorer. The solution? This cutting-edge collection of hacks, tweaks, and filters—a one-stop resource for tailoring CSS to solve the problems you face every day. From pacifying those ancient browsers to achieving accessibility, these tools can bring CSS's promise back online—Web sites without worry.

• Filter CSS for older browsers and hide it from newer ones
• Use CSS to enhance graphics and media
• Sample a selection of ways to resolve CSS display issues
• Script your own Document Object Model and JavaScript hacks
• Debug and troubleshoot CSS
• Make the most of CSS and implement CSS hacks in Dreamweaver®
• Create CSS-savvy Dreamweaver templates
• Apply CSS hacks to create accessible sites
• Code server-side solutions with ASP, PHP, or ColdFusion®

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Product Details

• Paperback: 281 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (June 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764579851
• ISBN-13: 978-0764579851
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #571,443 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful for intermediate Web designers, October 25, 2005

By	C. Robin - See all my reviews

As Joseph Lowery states, "The CSS community enjoys a wealth of information. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of information can also be a detriment: finding the right fix often requires significant digging." Enter CSS Hacks and Filters: a book intended to save readers some time googling their CSS/cross-browser compatibility problems by compiling the most common solutions all in one location.

For the beginner, it covers some of the basics, such as why use CSS at all, the notorious box model, the tan hack and the workarounds for floats. For the more advanced user, it covers some familiar ground, but goes into more detailed topics, including advanced layouts, navigation structures and using server-side solutions (ASP, PHP and ColdFusion) to control CSS. For Macromedia users, there are two chapters devoted to using CSS with Dreamweaver MX 2004 and Contribute 3. While now a version old with the release of Dreamweaver 8, most of the information is still relevant.

Lowery also overviews a few topics that can be used in conjunction with CSS, including JavaScript. One that caught my eye in particular was the section on scalable flash replacement, which automatically generates flash headings to replace CSS-styled text for those users with Flash Player 6 or later. As with most of the topics covered in the book, he provides links to the original sources of the information on the Web to supplement the explanations provided in the book.

In such a recent book, I was surprised to find an entire chapter devoted to hacking Netscape 4 (with a section concerning IE 3 and 4), considering that the only thought most designers give to Netscape 4 nowadays is pitying the poor fools still stuck using 9-year-old software.

While probably not the best book for the absolute beginner with no CSS experience or the very advanced Web developer for whom these hacks have become second nature, it's a useful resource for those of us in the middle... particularly for those who prefer checking an index in the back of a book as opposed to sifting through a few thousand Google hits.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, June 30, 2005

By	A. Duszynski "webGrunt" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I know that all of this information is available online, but it is nice to have it collected between two covers. As far as I can tell, Lowery gives full credit to those CSS pioneers who've discovered these hacks, so I tip my hat to him for that. My only complaint is that he doesn't go into more detail about other options available for some of the examples. Links are provided to go straight to the source for most of them though, so you can read more if necessary.

Another great, useful book from Joseph W. Lowery. Not a book for beginners, but a book for those frustrated by the sometimes bizarre implementation of CSS by modern browsers. It came in handy the first day. What greater praise can I give?

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Only Wish I Had It Sooner!!!!, July 28, 2005

By	Jason Wood "Web Developer" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I began using pure CSS to design pages for my clients about a year ago and only wish that I had this book then. I cannot tell you how valuable this book has repeatedly been. The explanations of the hacks are clear and concise. The examples are golden. The appendix of CSS resources is worth the price of the book in and of itself! If you are employing ANY CSS in your pages BUY THIS BOOK! You will definitely save yourself time and headaches!