Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is one of the best things to happen to HTML since the table tag but, like the table tag, CSS can seem to be a bitch to implement. I said "seem to be" since it is actually just getting started with CSS and learning how to use them that is the problem. Once you know how they work life should become easier. The learning curve is not all that steep and there are several good tools for getting the most from CSS Style Master 1.2 being my current favorite.
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is one of the best things to happen to HTML since the table tag but, like the table tag, CSS can seem to be a bitch to implement. I said "seem to be" since it is actually just getting started with CSS and learning how to use them that is the problem. Once you know how they work life should become easier. The learning curve is not all that steep and there are several good tools for getting the most from CSS Style Master 1.2 being my current favorite.
Style Master by Western Civilisation (US$29) is yet another cool software thing to come from the land of OZ. In case HotDog from sausage software in Melbourne was not enough, clever Aussies came up with yet another Web tool home-run. This is such a useful tool my guess is they'll get bought, licensed, or otherwise gobbled-up and included in one of the major HTML editing programs. Dreamweaver and Homesite both have decent CSS editors built in but they are nothing compared to Style Master.
Initially I struggled trying to get CSS to adapt to the way I like to work. This was frustrating for me and those around me who had to listen to my sometimes obnoxious mutterings while I fought the learning curve. Then I realized the best thing to do would be to simply learn how CSS likes to do things and adapt to that. I finally managed to figure out how to get basic things built using CSS to look OK in both late-model browser versions and now I can't live without using CSS in my HTML pages.
As part of the learning process I accumulated a pile of reference books and bookmarks to explanatory Web pages and absorbed just enough about CSS to get my work done. I had no idea there was so much functionality in CSS until I opened up Style Master and started fooling around with it. Style Master lets you create from scratch or edit existing style sheet CSS files. The user interface is friendly enough to allow you to try out all the weird features and almost instantly see the effect they will have in different browser types. This feature alone makes it worth the price. I got in the habit of keeping both browsers open while I create pages so I can constantly check what sort of crazy problems my latest tweak to the CSS files has caused. Style Master makes it so you only need to do such checks occasionally - if ever.
The other big plus about Style Master is that you can easily try out some of the more obscure CSS effects without taking too much time to see what happens when actually used in live pages. I am more or less comfortable with the basics of CSS so don't really need this tool - it's not that hard to run up CSS files from scratch. But Style Master would be just the thing for anyone unfamiliar with the syntax and rules of CSS. Using this tool you not only don't have to remember all the possible properties for a particular selector but you don't have to worry about spelling and typing errors. As we all know, one simple misplaced character can cause untold headaches, gnashing of teeth and rending of clothes. Style Master should reduce all that sort of activity in your life.
Style Master is published by an Australian company called Western Civilisation in Bondi Beach (Sydney). Although it is easy to download the software from their site http://www.westciv.com, they do not seem to want anyone to find out where they actually do the work. The contact information on their site is quite cunningly hidden.
5/121 Curlewis St.
Bondi Beach
NSW 2026
Australia
phone/fax
[+61 2] 9130 1731
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is one of the best things to happen to HTML since the table tag but, like the table tag, CSS can seem to be a bitch to implement. I said "seem to be" since it is actually just getting started with CSS and learning how to use them that is the problem. Once you know how they work life should become easier. The learning curve is not all that steep and there are several good tools for getting the most from CSS Style Master 1.2 being my current favorite.
