Intermediate Web Development

Course Description:

In this training you will learn how to use CSS for more complex page layouts. You’ll learn about best practices as you gain a deeper understanding of CSS selectors and the various CSS properties available.

You will create multi-column layouts using floats and inline-block. Gain a deeper understanding of how block and inline elements work. Master the positioning of elements (relative, absolute, fixed) and target elements with advanced CSS selectors.

Learn about newer CSS3 transitions, transforms, and animations as well as create parallax scrolling effects using only CSS.

The course workbook can be completed in any code editor. In class, you can use either Sublime Text or Dreamweaver in Code View.

Who Needs to Attend

Anyone who wants to take their webpages to the next level. This course can be taken on either a Windows or Mac computer using multiple browsers.

You will also need to download the MAMP server on a Mac computer or the WAMP server on a Windows based computer. However, the setup will be guided in class.

Course Book

• Noble Desktop Web Development

Prerequisites

• Fundamentals of Web Development course or an equivalent knowledge

Course Outline

Section 1

Minimalist Blog: The Box Model

• Using normalize.css

• Setting page defaults with CSS

• Scaling down hi-res images to fit the browser width

• Constraining the width of content

• The box model: adding padding, margins, and borders

• Visualizing the box model in Chrome’s DevTools

• Fixing spacing issues around images

Minimalist Blog: Streamlined CSS

• Setting a scalable default line-height using a ratio

• Grouping selectors using a comma separator

• Numeric font-weight: beyond normal and bold

• Adding a background image to the h1

• Using shorthand with three values

Creating Columns with Float

• Creating a 2-column layout with float

• Solution #1: using the clear property

• Adding a border between the columns

• Solution #2: setting the overflow property to hidden

Introduction to Media Queries

• Finding an appropriate breakpoint

• Anatomy of a media query

• Using a media query to create an alternate layout

• Max-width media queries

• Sizing down the headings on smaller screens

Section 2

The Display Property: A Deep Dive

• Display types: block, inline, and inline-block

• Styling the header and footer navigation the DRY way

• Changing the display property to increase tappable area

• Displaying the navigation side-by-side on wider screens

• Using inline-block as an alternative to float

The Position Property: The Key to Complex Layouts

• The static value and the normal document flow

• A nostalgic wanderer: the relative value

• The absolute value

• The dynamic duo: relative parent, absolute child

• The fixed value

Creating a Fixed Header

• Moving the Contact list item to the navbar’s far right

• Creating a fixed header on wider screens

• Positioning a background image next to the FAQ

Image Replacement

• Replacing HTML text with CSS background images

• Removing text with negative text-indent value

• Using overflow: hidden;

• Removing text with a zero height

• Creating a fluid image container by using proportional top padding

Section 3

CSS Sprites

• What are Sprites?

• Creating Sprites

• Image Replacement

Background Gradients and Transparent Colors

• Specifying colors are RGB

• Adding transparency (alpha) to colored backgrounds with RGBA

• CSS background gradients

• Multi-Column Layout

• Topics

• 3-column layout using inline-block

• Nested CSS Selectors

CSS Selectors

• adjacent

• first-of-type

• first-child

• last-child

• last-of-type

• nth-child

• child selector

• :before and :after

Section 4

Attribute Selectors

• Attribute selector syntax

• Caret (^) Operator

• Dollar ($) Operator

• Asterisk (*) Operator

Form Styling

• Using an attribute selector to target inputs

• Overriding default form element styling

Clearing Floats

• The CSS Clearfix class

Sizing Typography

• Working with REM

• REM vs. EM

Section 5

CSS3 Shadows

• Box shadow

• Text shadow

• z-index

Hiding and Showing Elements

• display: none;

• Visibility

• Opacity

CSS Transitions

• Transition-Property

• Transition-Duration

• Transition Shorthand & the Transition Stack

CSS Transforms

• The Scale Transform

• The Rotation Transform

• Transitioning Transforms

Section 6

You are Here Indicator

• Navigation page marker

• CSS Shapes

CSS Responsive Scrolling Techniques Part 1

• Initial Page Styling

CSS Responsive Scrolling Techniques Part 2

• Creating an animated CSS transition for a YouTube video

CSS Responsive Scrolling Techniques Part 3

• Animating the panorama

• Making the layout responsive