Sams Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours (Includes New HTML 5 Coverage)

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.

Contents

PART I: Getting Started on the Web

HOUR 1: Understanding How the Web Works

A Brief History of HTML and the

World Wide Web ..............................................1

Creating Web Content ......................................2

Understanding Web Content Delivery ................3

Selecting a Web Hosting Provider ......................6

Testing with Multiple Web Browsers ..................8

HOUR 2: Publishing Web Content

Creating the Sample File for this Hour ............13

Using FTP to Transfer Files..............................14

Understanding Where to Place

Files on the Web Server ................................18

Distributing Content without a Web Server ......22

Testing Web Content ....................................24

HOUR 3: Understanding HTML and XHTML

Connections

Getting Started with a Simple Web Page..........28

HTML Tags Every XHTML Web

Page Must Have ............................................32

Organizing a Page with Paragraphs

and Line Breaks ............................................34

Organizing Your Content with Headings ............36

Validating Your Web Content ..........................39

The Scoop on HTML, XML, XHTML,

and HTML 5 ..................................................41

HOUR 4: Understanding Cascading Style Sheets

How CSS Works ............................................48

A Basic Style Sheet........................................49

A CSS Style Primer ........................................54

Using Style Classes ......................................58

Using Style IDs ..............................................61

Internal Style Sheets and Inline Styles ............62

PART II: Building Blocks of Practical

Web Design

HOUR 5: Working with Text Blocks and Lists

Aligning Text on a Page ..................................68

The Three Types of HTML Lists ......................71

Placing Lists Within Lists................................73

HOUR 6: Working with Fonts

Boldface, Italics, and Special Text Formatting......82

Tweaking the Font ..........................................85

Working with Special Characters ....................89

HOUR 7: Using Tables to Display Information

Creating a Simple Table..................................96

Controlling Table Sizes ..................................99

Alignment and Spanning Within Tables ..........102

Page Layout with Tables................................105

HOUR 8: Using External and Internal Links

Using Web Addresses ..................................111

Linking Within a Page Using Anchors ............114

Linking Between Your Own Web Content ........117

Linking to External Web Content....................120

Linking to an Email Address ........................120

Opening a Link in a New Browser Window......122

Using CSS to Style Hyperlinks ......................123

HOUR 9: Working with Colors

Best Practices for Choosing Colors ..............131

Understanding Web Colors............................133

Using Hexadecimal Values for Colors ............135

Using CSS to Set Background,

Text, and Border Colors ................................136

HOUR 10: Creating Images for Use on the Web

Choosing Graphics Software ........................143

The Least You Need to Know About Graphics ....144

Preparing Photographic Images ....................145

Creating Banners and Buttons ......................151

Reducing the Number of Colors in an Image ....153

Working with Transparent Images ..................154

Creating Tiled Backgrounds ..........................154

Creating Animated Web Graphics ..................156

HOUR 11: Using Images in Your Web Site

Placing Images on a Web Page ....................162

Describing Images with Text..........................163

Specifying Image Height and Width................165

Aligning Images............................................165

Turning Images into Links ............................169

Using Background Images ............................172

Using Imagemaps ........................................173

HOUR 12: Using Multimedia in Your Web Site

Linking to Multimedia Files ..........................184

Embedding Multimedia Files ........................187

Additional Tips for Using Multimedia..............190

HOUR 13: Working with Frames

What Are Frames?........................................197

Building a Frameset ....................................199

Linking Between Frames and Windows ..........202

Using Inline Frames ....................................204

PART III: Advanced Web Page Design

with CSS

HOUR 14: Working with Margins, Padding,

Alignment, and Floating

Using Margins..............................................212

Padding Elements ........................................219

Keeping Everything Aligned ..........................223

Understanding the Float Property ..................224

HOUR 15: Understanding the CSS Box Model

and Positioning

The CSS Box Model ....................................231

The Whole Scoop on Positioning ..................235

Controlling the Way Things Stack Up..............239

Managing the Flow of Text ............................242

HOUR 16: Using CSS to Do More with Lists

HTML List Refresher ....................................245

How the CSS Box Model Affects Lists ..........246

Placing List Item Indicators ..........................249

Creating Image Maps with List

Items and CSS ..........................................251

HOUR 17: Using CSS to Design Navigation

How Navigation Lists Differ

from Regular Lists........................................259

Creating Vertical Navigation with CSS ............260

Creating Horizontal Navigation with CSS ........270

HOUR 18: Using Mouse Actions to Modify

Text Display

Creating a Tool Tip with CSS ........................277

Displaying Additional Rollover Text with CSS ....281

Accessing Events ........................................283

Using onclick to Change Appearance....284

HOUR 19: Creating Fixed or Liquid Layouts

Understanding Fixed Layouts ........................294

Understanding Liquid Layouts ......................295

Creating a Fixed/Liquid Hybrid Layout............298

PART IV: Advanced Web Site

Functionality and Management

HOUR 20: Creating Print-Friendly Web Pages

What Makes a Page Print-Friendly? ................312

Applying a Media-Specific Style Sheet............315

Designing a Style Sheet for Print Pages ........317

Viewing a Web Page in Print Preview..............320

HOUR 21: Understanding Dynamic Web Sites

Understanding the Different

Types of Scripting ........................................325

Including JavaScript in HTML ........................326

Displaying Random Content ..........................328

Understanding the Document Object Model ......332

Changing Images Based on User Interaction ....333

HOUR 22: Working with Web-Based Forms

How HTML Forms Work ................................339

Creating a Form ..........................................340

Accepting Text Input ....................................344

Naming Each Piece of Form Data ..................345

Including Hidden Data in Forms ....................345

Exploring Form Input Controls ......................346

Submitting Form Data ..................................349

HOUR 23: Organizing and Managing a Web Site

When One Page Is Enough............................356

Organizing a Simple Site ..............................357

Organizing a Larger Site................................360

Writing Maintainable HTML Code ..................364

HOUR 24: Helping People Find Your Web Pages

Publicizing Your Web Site ..............................371

Listing Your Pages with the

Major Search Sites ......................................373

Providing Hints for Search Engines ................374

Additional Tips for Search

Engine Optimization......................................379

PART V: Appendixes

APPENDIX A: HTML and CSS Resources on

the Internet

General HTML, XHTML, and CSS Information ....385

Web Browsers..............................................386

Web Page Design ........................................386

Software......................................................386

Colors and Graphics ....................................387

Multimedia ..................................................388

Advanced Developer Resources ....................388

Web Site Hosting ........................................389

Web Site Services........................................389

APPENDIX B: HTML and CSS Quick Reference

HTML Structure............................................392

HTML Text Phrases and Paragraphs ..............395

XHTML Text Formatting Elements ..................398

XHTML Lists ................................................399

XHTML Links................................................400

XHTML Tables ..............................................402

XHTML Embedded Content ..........................407

XHTML Style ................................................410

XHTML Forms ..............................................410

XHTML Scripts ............................................413

XHTML Common Attributes ..........................414

CSS Dimension Style Properties ..................415

CSS Text and Font Style Properties ..............416

CSS Background Style Properties..................419

CSS Border Style Properties ........................420

CSS Margin Style Properties ........................423

CSS Padding Style Properties ......................424

CSS Layout and Display Style Properties ......424

CSS List and Marker Style Properties ............427

CSS Table Style Properties ..........................428