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Web Design Drives Me Nuts
Which One to Use Then?
For the purpose of this book, I will focus on using XHTML STRICT version 1 for the content (one file) and CSS for the style (one file), I have to choose something so this is it. If later on down your designing road you want to use HTML instead, hey no problem, just learn the differences between HTML and XHTML and your away. Now It is ok to combine the CSS with XHTML and embed it into the top of the file treating the mix as one single file, but this breaks my rule of simplicity of structure as well as making the file larger in size. As a rule of thumb, keep them separate, this loads the style once the XHTML has been read by the browser. Doing it this way not only loads up the XHTML page quicker as the style is separate, it also gives you more flexibility to change style at a whim. If you embed the CSS and XHTML, you will have more than one page to alter your entire sites style. By having a single file for XHTML and a single file for CSS, changes to style are only made once and the effect is site wide.
HTML and XHTML can be broken into three types, above I mentioned one of them, strict, the others are transitional and frameset. Strict is the way you should be working for pages without frames, strict gives guidelines for writing conforming, working, sustainable code. For those that have lots of older code and are working with it, transitional would be for them. Transitional is for a hybrid of old code and new code. Think of it as turning a blind eye in the way things are written way back when, as the names suggests it should be used when transitioning from old writing methods to new ones.
Frames are a way of loading separate areas/pages into a single web page. The main drawback with frames is the fact that it breaks the flow of content, and should only be used in the right place. Frames in web sites can be very handy indeed, but people use them incorrectly. Before using frames make sure you fully understand the pro’s and cons.
So off we go, lets get started, as I’m sure you’re a little annoyed with all the reading do far.
