I have just finished a online course learning dreamweaver 8 where i was taught to make web pages making div tags and then creating css rules and applying them to the page

However following a link on this site i came accross a video tutorial where you create a page by drawing your div on the page and applying the rules in the panel on the right of dreamweaver wich method is the right way to go as i am new to this and there seems a awful lot to learn and i would like to be pointed in the right direction

to be honest, the right way is not to use wysiwyg programmes in the first place

 

but if you are going to use dreamweaver, then it does not matter what method you use

 

there are several different 'types' of 'div' that you can use depending on the type of thing you are using it for

 

for example, the divs that dreamweaver draws are called absolute divs

 

but there are others... a few more of the most popular used would be 'fixed', 'relative' and 'floating', each have their own uses and each has a unique way to display in a browser, in other words, the css for a relative div would be different from lets say a floating div ( in positioning )... there are also other things to consider, like if you use an absolute div it means that div will always stay in the same position, but as soon as someone comes along with a different screen size to you, it could be in the wrong position to them.

 

best advice I can offer is practice makes perfect, see what you are most comfortable with and what works best for you to give you the best results

I know what you're saying Fuzzy Logic, but I think you mean that there are different ways to manipulate the divs. A div is a div, but what css does with a div can completely change it, so that it appears as though it's a new kind of element altogether!

 

Anyway, to answer your question, I'd have to say not to do this. It's always much better to hand code things then to have them automaticaly created for you by a wysiwyg editor! That's one reason not to. Another, even more important issue is that the css now only applies to that page! If you want to change your whole website color scheme, you'll then have to go to every webpage and edit the individual css style sheets.

 

In the end, it depends upon the project and your needs for the website (liquid or fixed layout?), but I'd say that it's good to get in the habit of hand-coding your divs in an external style sheet.

 

P.S. Something I just thought of is that you could draw a div and edit it until it looks good, then look at the css dreamweaver created and base your css upon that information! Let me know what you think

 

Brendan

. Another, even more important issue is that the css now only applies to that page!

 

then you separate it into a css sheet rofl... easy ( dreamweaver can do this ), the issue with wysiwyg is not with the css not being separate, the issue is that the code is usually allot cleaner if done by hand, and the supplied div type in dreamweaver is not good for full web creation for example

huh ?? you lost me with that remark... you seriously don't mean that you have been setting different css sheets for every page you make do you ??...

 

if you have, then you are doing it wrong

 

maybe I mis-understood that part of your reply, but if I am right, I suggest you do a bit more learning

 

lol, you certainly misunderstood what I was saying. I was trying to say that if you do draw the divs in dreamweaver, dreamweaver can only put that created css code in a css style sheet for that page, so do not do that! Does that make sense now?

 

Brendan

Ahh, I apologise lol

 

but I there is a way around that, you just copy and paste the page you made including the css and adjust it without removing css elements

 

then once you have finished all your pages, you will end up with 1 sheet complete with all your elements in it

Ahh, I apologise lol

 

but I there is a way around that, you just copy and paste the page you made including the css and adjust it without removing css elements

 

then once you have finished all your pages, you will end up with 1 sheet complete with all your elements in it

 

That's true, but it will end up making you have more work, as you will have to edit the html so that it now links to the external style sheet, and get rid of all of the css within your html.... easier to just do it the right way from the start!

That's true, but it will end up making you have more work, as you will have to edit the html so that it now links to the external style sheet, and get rid of all of the css within your html.... easier to just do it the right way from the start!

 

rofl... nice one lol ( I admit defeat when its due rofl )

rofl... nice one lol ( I admit defeat when its due rofl )

 

are you admitting defeat now, or am i mistaken?

nah... never, just yielding lol