ianhinnz said
As a novice web designer I thought I was in for a tough time but I bought the book anyway because it was the only book focusing on using css with dreamweaver cs4. I have been pleasantly surprised. I have had little trouble working through the tutorial oriented chapters, stopping now and then to check my code against the authors. The book suits people who like to work with split view and gives plenty of practice flipping back and forth. I am now on my second pass through the book. Its the sort of book where you gain deeper understanding of CSS on subsequent passes.
I must admit I swore at it a few times but later appreciated the small "gaps" as opportunities to learn rather than fall into rote learning habits. When you don't fully understand the CSS you can just complete the code and move on then come back later to develop your knowledge.
I still find CSS a little torturous and it will take me a while to get used to the "trial and error" design process. This book is a difficult but good experience. You will need the patience of Buddha. I find myself highlighting paragraphs which I know will be important when I'm on my own developing my site. I can't imagine any books on "just" CSS that would do the job better and all the books on Dreamweaver simply do not train you in using CSS.
You could actually develop a professional website with lean code using only this book and to get the best out of it you should do that even if it is your own fictitious creation.
If you have to buy only one book on Dreamweaver and one on CSS get this book and save yourself getting two books.
charleslindauer said
Stephanie and Greg have taken their vast knowledge of both CSS and Dreamweaver, particularly CS4 in this case, and created a cogent, clearly written book for all of us interested in web development using Dreamweaver.
I struggled to understand CSS for some time, even though I was using it. I just didn't "grok" the concept fully. This book has been an eye-opener for me. I get it now!
The authors use the CSS layouts that come with Dreamweaver to explain how and why they use CSS to create a specific result, and show us how to customize the layouts as needed. They impart an understanding of CSS that allows a developer to begin from scratch to achieve their own results.
I particularly applaud the emphasis on usability for those who have visual difficulties, and the techniques to make a web page easy for them to work with. Usability in general is something not always thought of, and the concepts within this book promote usability on every page. It becomes an unconscious practice, which is good for us all.
I highly recommend this book for those new to CSS and to Dreamweaver CS4, but also to anyone who feels that they don't know it all. There will be something for almost everyone to learn within the covers.
sibie said
For anyone to say this book is great for beginners tells me they are clearly not one. As proficient as I am (or, I guess, was) on Adobe GoLive, being forced to make this transition to Dreamweaver has proven to be difficult, to say the least. I am sorry to say that this book only increased that frustration. By page 150 I am having visions of sugarplum fairies and smoke coming out of my brain. I have had to repeat the lessons a few times as the authors assume we are keeping up with the array of overwhelming coding and what seems like Algebra 201. If you are a fan of coding, no problem. If, however, you happen to function intuitively (as GoLive used to let us), you are in for a culture shock. Welcome to code inferno.
To be fair, it is not really the author's fault, as Dreamweaver seems to almost be designed to kiss your artistic abilities goodbye in exchange for endless codes and numbers. Sadly, most of us artists flunked math.
I give this book four stars because the authors, at least, try to make an creative venture out of an otherwise Pythagorean pursuit.
said
After watching Greg Rewis's training videos on Adobe TV, I decided to give this book a try, hoping for more of the same style and training and I was not disappointed. Both Stephanie and Greg have done a great job with this book. They will teach you the basics of CSS as well as advanced techniques and present them in a manner that is easy even for the beginner to understand and implement. The lessons are interesting and worthwhile with projects that actually can be used ( these are not simple projects that you usually find in most books ) in the real world. I would recommend this book to beginners as well as advanced users.
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