HTML, XHTML & CSS For Dummies by Ed Tittel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I can’t recommend this book; there are several that do are better for introductory HTML and CSS. It’s quite broad, covering many Web technologies, but it’s not very deep. It focuses on HTML and CSS, but also touches on scripting and CMSs. It’s easy to read and full of colorful code snippets and examples, and it’s up-to-date (published 2011). My favorite chapters were those on mobile web design, HTML5, and CSS3. I also liked the many recommendations for useful sites, tools, and resources.
A better intro to HTML and CSS is Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML.
HTML5
Use HTML5 Shiv for browsers that don’t support HTML5.
CSS
- Use ems to set font size.
- Read Smashing CSS by Eric Meyer.
- Use the Spoon Browser Sandbox to test multiple browsers.
- CSS3 tutorials: CSS3.info and CSS3.com.
Mobile web design
- Link to Google Maps for Mobile.
- Include links between the mobile and desktop sites.
- Make the site simple.
- Make key information easy to find.
- Make all links big and easy to click.
- Use text and contrasting background colors to make text easy to read.
- Put contact info 1 click away.
- Read Mobile Web Design for Dummies.
- Use the W3C mobileOK Checker to make sure your site is mobile-friendly.
- Use iPhonetester.com to preview your site as it would appear on an iPhone, and iPadPeek.com to preview it on an iPad.
HTML editors
WYSIWYG editors
Helper HTML editors
