How to become a css pro?
I’m not much of a UI designer. I’m a good web developer. I’m good at java and started developing things on ruby on rails as well. I love jquery and love javascripting in jquery. The prob is i don’t know css much. At work, we have a UI guy who can do this. So there is no problem at work. But when it comes to things i want to develop personally i find it extremely difficult to get a nice UI. Any suggestions?
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Personally, I didn’t have time or patience to take a course in CSS, What helped me the most was using Firefox with Firebug, and Google to look for solutions to challenges. With Firebug installed in Firefox, you can right click on any element in a Web page, click Inspect element, and get a split panel at the bottom of the screen. To the left is the HTML source code. To the right is the CSS for the element in the HTML source selected to the left. You can click from HTML element to element to see exactly how the CSS controls it and how the cascade flows.
Hovering the mouse over any element in the source code highlights that element in the actual Web view at the top of the page, and even shows Padding and Margin in a separate highlight color. It is a terrific tool to see what’s actually going on.
@ETpro yeah, firebug is a great tool. I have used it. I’ve copied css from sites as well. Still i don’t find firebug as a learning tool though.
CSS is just a tool to design, but the creativity you need for making a good UI doesn’t come with it. CSS is easy enough to learn, designing not so much. You could try using some Creative Commons licensed stock designs, or you could try teaming up with people on the internet.
I am an HTML / CSS developer. I found one site that really showed me what is possible with CSS: CSS Zen Garden and from there I found books that helped.
CSS is more powerful than I ever realized, and JQuery uses it for object identification and execution of neat functions. Also, it is so much easier to style and change than HTML tables. Once you start learning it, you will be hooked.
Try Lynda.com for some hands-on training. It’s cheap and easy and you can do it at your own pace. Buy used CSS books on Amazon.com and just start digging in. The more you use it, the better you will be at it. Good luck!
Checkout www.sitepoint.com. For less than $10, you can purchase a CSS course and learn at your own pace. The course is setup in such a way that you can complete it in 2weeks or less. There several CSS courses at www.sitepoint.com. However, the one I am referring to is: CSS LIVE INTERACTIVE ONLINE COURSE taught by Russ Weakley.
There are also articles and books at www.sitepoint.com and other sources on the Internet (i.e. Amazon).
Also, checkout www.w3schools.com.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Best regards,
Felix
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