unhelpful format and poor editing
There is some useful information in this book, but the author's rigid adherence to the format works against the presentation of it. I find that Andy Budd's book (CSS Mastery ...) is a much better book. They seem very different but I think that many developers will read them needing the same information.
Further, as is becoming more and more the case with new apress titles, the copy editing is substandard. It's a pity, as apress had such a good reputation for quality books, and this kind of thing is hurting them.
Takes CSS to the next level
I often rely on readers reviews before making a purchase so I thought it appropriate to give feedback on this book.
I am a self-taught programmer who needed to take my CSS knowledge to the next level. This book clearly sets the bar high and helps me get over it almost daily. The models depicted are extremely accurate and on point, and foster a wealth of ideas that extend to some really nice models. Mr. Bowers research and implementation on cross-compatability between browsers is nothing short of excellent (a big learn for me). The style in which the book is written makes it easy to follow and learn from, as well as reference. As a new programmer, I am extremely pleased with this book as it has taken me to the next level of CSS.
I would recommend this book to anyone who, like me, has a general knowledge of CSS and wants to fine tune and hone their skills in CSS.
What you need for a CSS/HTML Desk Reference!
This book is a nuts and bolts CSS/HTML reference book, that you'll be pulling off the shelf frequently, when editing stylesheets and web pages.
Each entry is presented in this clear, practical and timely format, that allows skimming straight down to the section you want (borderless table format, not inline paragraphs):
Problem
Solution
Pattern
Location
Limitations
Advantages - (Some entries)
Disadvantages - (Some entries)
Example - (Some entries)
Tips
Related to - (Some entries)
See also
It doesn't waste your time with 1001 details of each tag, yet does give you the essentials you need to know about each tag (some entries have screenshots of the examples, mostly in Firefox, but some in IE7), so you can get to work quickly -- and not get bogged down by the hyped cheerleading, that fills many of these CSS/XHTML books these days.
Would've given this book 5 stars if the author spent more time with cross-browser support other than a few tip suggestions, especially with IE 7, as it uses conditionals instead of hacks to get around the box model SNAFUs. Cross-browser troubleshooting is essential, and not an after thought to be addressed with about 20 words -- more time is spent debugging than actually writing code, and it needs to be addressed accordingly.
Overall, this is the best CSS/(X)HTML reference book I've found to date. It's due to the presentation format above, that doesn't have you trying to find some remote reference in microprint, in a sea of 500+ pages!
Changing thought process
This book is an excellent work. Its content is flowed logically and thoroughly. That said, I would recommend it for relative newcomers to CSS in that it really is a new way to think about CSS programming. People who have been using CSS for some time might find it requires their "unlearning" some coding procedures in order to "relearn" some new methodologies. Even so, I find the book an excellent addition to my ever-expanding CSS library what with CSS being such a fluid technology.
An end to your browser-compatibility woes
I purchased this book in an attempt to fill in some gaps in my knowledge mainly pertaining to browser compatibility issues with CSS. I often create template for web pages using CSS and XHTML based on Photoshop designs. In my experience, creating sites for Firefox has been pretty smooth but getting things to look right in IE, especially IE6 has proved to be quite a challenge at times. This book is great in that it clearly specifies what is and what is not supported in various browsers.
All of the code was written for and tested in all browsers which is exactly what I needed. I also learned quite a bit about positioning with the box model. I was doing a lot of things wrong...for instance, I was using a lot of relative and absolute CSS positioning instead of working within the boxes and using margins for positioning. This method is MUCH more reliable!
After reading this book, I've been able to successfully create robust templates that are expandable, highly compatible and display properly among all major browsers, including Opera and Safari.
It's kind of a tough read at time simply because it is so technical but I definitely recommend this book!
(25 reviews)
