Web Design
CSS: Making Stuff Work Together
by damobius on Feb.03, 2009, under General, Web Design
Isn’t it great when stuff works well together? When gears mesh…when water and oil mix…when dogs and cats can play without tearing each other’s throats out?
Anyone who has been involved in web publishing or design beyond writing email or creating an anonymous blog has heard of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). I’d heard of them, and I know what they are, mostly. I knew they were the “wave of the future”, and a whole lot better way of doing things than the lazy hack-ish way that web documents were being created prior to their rise. However, while I used to think that they were just a good way of organizing your web pages, I’m finding out a whole bunch of stuff about how they can make things truly work together.
It’s all about separating the content of your site or page from the way that the content is presented. Content is words and sometimes pictures or videos, with the occasional Flash app or similar. Presentation is how that content is put in front of you…the bun and ketchup to the content’s burger patty.
Separating the content (words, pictures, etc.) from the presentation opens up a load of possibilities in information sharing. It means that you can share your content with anybody, regardless of how they present content to their audience, and it will be easily and seamlessly integrated into their presentation. It means you can give a burger to a friend, and they won’t have to scrape off your ketchup…they can just pour on the mustard and it’s ready to eat!
If you haven’t really explored CSS, do so. In the world of exportable and customizable learning content, and other content for that matter, it’s invaluable. I’m only getting started with it and I’m seeing the advantages of its use. If you need more convincing, check these out:
(Thanks to Kim Foreman and Andrew Roderick for revealing these little gems to me)
