CSS Tips for Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver allows users to create web sites quickly and easily. Dreamweaver training introduces the many features the software has to offer faster than self-study could. One of the most powerful features, yet one that some budding web designers have trouble mastering, is the use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

Inline, Embedded or External?

Per Dreamweaver training, CSS is a collection of design specifications telling the browser how a page should look. These instructions can be designated in one of three places.

Inline CSS is a one-time style designation. Let's say you have one word on the page you want in a particular font or color to make it really stand out. You might be tempted to make a single CSS definition around the word figuring you'll never use it again but there is no advantage in doing so. And if you do decide to use it on another page, you have to hunt down the style.

Embedded CSS is listed at the beginning of the page to be used one or more times on the page. Again this is commonly used for elements used only on a single page, yet there is always the possibility some or all of the elements will be used elsewhere requiring duplication.

The best method discussed in Dreamweaver training for CSS implementation is an external document. All your design elements are in one place and can easily be changed as the look of the site changes. It makes the site faster to load since the CSS code is loaded only once rather than over and over for each page.

Supporting Multiple Browsers

Using CSS as detailed in Dreamweaver training does not guarantee your page will look the same on every browser. Each browser has its own way of interpreting CSS styles so it is important to view your page on as many browsers as possible.

This does not mean just IE vs. Firefox. There are a wide variety of browsers for unique uses. Vision impaired visitors might be using text readers. Other people might be looking at your site on BlackBerrys or iPhones. Some users access the web through their televisions. The more general and less browser-specific you make your CSS, the more users your site can serve.

Dreamweaver Support of CSS

Depending on which version of Dreamweaver training you received, you may have learned about the standard CSS styles included in the software. Starting with CS3 Dreamweaver included some common layouts for users who don't want to create their layouts from scratch.

Dreamweaver improved their support of CSS further in CS4 by the introduction of standard terminology. Dreamweaver training on CSS used to be a bit confusing because the software used its own designations. For example what CSS calls font-family Dreamweaver called just font. The latest versions of the software use standard CSS terminology.

Mastering the complexities of CSS takes time but is well worth the effort. It leads to versatile web sites that can effortlessly change their looks to fit the browser, content or user preference.