Eskymo

Hey So I want to embed flash into my XHTML [Transitional] site. I don't want to rely on Javascript and I want to be able to provide alternative content. I also want the code to work in all major browsers cross platform. Am I asking too much? What's the best way to do it? I've searched online and just got confused with all the options out there and so hoping to find out what other WDF folk use. E

I would simply advise him that going down the CSS route is better in the long run - he can't carry on with tables and say his site meets current legislation regarding accessibility if he has major validation issues and doesn't pass simple accessibility tests. If he is offering a service online, it has to be accessible to everyone and therefore CSS is better, not only for accessiblity but also the code for the site will be reduced so much that it will load faster too. I recently had to do a newsletter template for a client, which meant using tables and inline styles...I couldn't believe how bulky the code got! As for CSS being replaced - he's talking nonsense...it isn't replaced, it is just updated as a previous poster rightly commented. Tables have been replaced...tables have been used for the WRONG reason for too long. I would take a page of his site and go through the code with him and point out all that is wrong with it - i.e. no doctype etc and explain that tables should not be used for layout purposes but to display data and then explain why CSS is better. But...saying all that, I had to add updates to a site that I had done a few years ago with tables and the client asked whether it was necessary to re-do the site with CSS as from his point of view it would work the same and look the same but cost him a fair bit to get re-coded. As I was just getting into accessibilty at the time I designed the site, I took this into consideration during the build and made sure that when the site was linearised, the content was still accessible and that it passed W3C standards up to Level 1 - you can still get away with using tables for layout if you do it correctly. It's not brilliant, but it's better than a lot of table based websites I've seen. So I told the client the benefits of coding the site with CSS, but said that he could still get away with what he had and a CSS revamp could be done if they wanted a complete redesign in the future, thereby making it more cost affective. Maybe check your clients site as it is for accessibility and see how it scores. I personally would walk away if the client is so stuck in their ways and thinks CSS is the worng way to go and wants to carry on having a table-based, un-accessible site. I may be out of pocket, but I would have peace of mind.

I can't see any problems - have you fixed it?

I like it...especially the colours - the red goes really well with those borwns and I especially like the logo. The layout looks fine on my screen which is set to 1280x1024. I think that once you get some content in there it will stop looking like a blog and more like a portfolio. Adding a little bit of white to the design would help to lift it but you could just add a border to any images that you add to help them stand out...hard to comment until there's content.

Basically in Contribute you can't see any HTML code you just see an editable version of your web page. You can select text or image and then apply a style to them and so I was hoping that I could create a style called 'sold' and for he client to select the image and apply the 'sold' style to it. As the image hasn't got a style associated with it already the new style should apply. Fingers crossed anyway. I'm sure I can adapt what you done to suit that. I'll download your style sheet later and have a go. Cheers E

That's exactly what I'm after! It looks great - not sure my client will be able to add a span tag using Contribute though which is a pain as this is the simplest option! I can't find your style sheet to have a proper look. can you post a link? Thanks for all your help on this!

I won't be using a database to store the images I'm afraid so a CSS option is the best solution.

That sounds like exactly what I'm after, I just couldn't get my head round it at all and how it could be done. Would this kind of thing work cross platform in all the major browsers?

Hi All I've not seen any examples of this, but I'm designing a site at the moment for an Antiques Dealer, which the client is going to be updating himself with Contribute and I'd like an easy way of labelling items as sold. Anybody got any ideas? I was thinking that the easiest thing would be if the client could apply a style to an image and for it to display as sold. I don't want the client to have to go and create another image with a sold sign on it and then have to export that into the correct place and then upload it and then replace the existing image as I think that would be too complicated and and I could see him running into problems. Any ideas? E

Well I got my tip from a Catholic Irish Nun...so it must be a fix! I never saw that horse on the list either!

Fab link - thanks for that!

I put a fiver on Mcelvey to win and the slow coach came second - I was gutted!!!!

yeah IE6 doesn't support png transparency - I had the same rpoblem recently - try the javascript solution posted above. There is a PHP workaround as well, but I can't remember where I found that. I like the design - the muted colours work really well, but I was confused as I thought the text under your logo were individual links - also you've spelt 'GRAPICS' wrong - you've missed the 'H' out - shoudl be 'GRAPHICS'. Once I clicked through to the next page, I sat and waiting for something to load, but I guess you've not started work on that bit. I'd suggest you get you repeating graphic on the left sorted so that you don't see the joins and make it more seemless. There's a photoshop tutorial on how to do this using the offset filter that I used ages ago...I did a quick google search and found these links that might help: http://www.moesrealm.com/photoshop/tiled.html http://www.3drender.com/light/EqTutorial/tiling.htm http://graphicssoft.about.com/library/weekly/aa080499p2.htm http://www.2dvalley.com/tutorials/cow-texture.shtml

I don't use my mac enough to enjoy the experience. plus it's an old G4 so it's getting on a bit.

I'll be signing the petition too! After further reading I've come to the conclusion that the guy is totally innocent - such a miscarraige of justice!!! I'll be adding a banner onto my website when I'll be updating it next week.

Well it's a good job I'd put the telly on at 10.30 and left it on as the program started at 10.40...despite the paper saying 11.05! I thought it was a good program, although I thought the young female student lawyers were a little too giggly. I've read through quite a bit of the website and can't believe that a jury convicted the guy! I'm still reading the website now in shock. I did a stint with Police Scenes of Crime department when I was younger, so I've always been interested in forensic science and that kind of thing [always wanted to be in the FBI since the series Twin Peaks was screened on the TV]. I don't think the program went into enough detail of the case, but I guess it was focusing on the Innocents' Brief project...shame as I thought they could've fosused a little more on the actaul case and the trail.

bloomin regional variations - it's not on until 11.05 up here is Scotland...I'll have a look at your site in the meantime...

not got it and going to avoid getting it for quite a while. I expect it will have a tons of bugs and loopholes in it and will require several service packs to get to the final stable version...cynical old me eh!

Good timing - I just got in and about to switch on the TV to see if there is anything good on - will be tuning into BBC1!

I know what you mean - working with other people's code is weird. I often have to take on projects that someone else has started and I find that really difficult as everyone codes CSS so differently. But when starting out, it's good to be able to use someone else layout as a starting point, instead of going round in circles and not being able to get things to work and ripping most of your hair out in the process.

I agree. You've set yourself some guidelines and if the designers websites don't adhere then inform them of what the issue is and give them a chance to rectify the issues and if they don't then don't list them. You made me aware of problems I had on my site with regards to CSS errors and I went off and fixed them so that my code was better and so I could get listed. The Guild of Accessible Web Designers [ http://www.gawds.org/ ] are quite strict and if you don't fit their criteria, you can't join. Why not have a look at their site for reference. It's great that customer references are positive, but that doesn't mean that the websites are valid or accessible so treat these as just an additional plus point. If however the sites fail, but are brilliant for accessibility, I would get them to fix what is causing them to fail beofer considering to list them. It's a toughie, but you've got to stick to your principles on this one I think.

I've always wanted to submit a design to CSS Zen Garden and have added the task of 'things to definitely do this year'...so fingers crossed I get round to it. Make sure you post a link to yours when it's done! The CSS Garden book is a really good read.

The sitepoint book looks really good - it wasn't around when I was first learning CSS. There weren't any good books around at the time for that matter and so I had to resort to figuring things out myself most of the time.

Hey Steve - just got my email to say I'm on the list - yippee! Thanks for your lovely comments about my site! I'll have time later today to add a reciprochal 'banner' thing later on today...I started on it earlier, but got sidetracked with having to do estimates for a client. I much prefer the new design - it looks a lot better than what you had before - definitely moving in the right direction.

The reason I loaded up the link is becuase when I started out using CSS I couldn't find any sites out there that allowed you to download a simple two column or three column layout and work with that - you had to find a site that used a layout you liked or wanted to recreate and download the style sheet and strip it down to it's bare necesities and struggle through it to see how to achieve a similar layout. It was a huge learning curve from tabular based sites to CSS and when you're under the pressure of a project manager at work to up your skill set in a hurry to get a job done for a client - it was really hard work and stressful to get done. I wish I'd had a site like this one when I started out with CSS it would have made the transition from tables to CSS a lot easier and quicker and I would've understood a lot of CSS principles better from the start rather than guessing and making things up and hoping they would work. It would have taken a lot of the stress away too. I thought CSS newbie's might find it useful.