Complete Guide to WebDesign: Contents This book focuses on the front-end aspects of Web design—HTML authoring, graphics production, and media development. It is not a resource for programming,
scripting, or server functions; however, whenever possible, I have tried to
provide enough background information on these topics to give designers a level
of familiarity with the terminology and technologies. The content in this book is
appropriate for all levels of expertise—from professionals who need to look up a
particular detail, to beginners who may require full explanations of new concepts
and individual tags.
The book Complete Guide to WebDesign is divided into six parts, each covering a general subject area.
Part I, The Web Environment
Part I introduces some broad concepts about the way the Web works, which
should orient designers to the peculiarities of the medium. It ends with an introduction
to the server and basic Unix concepts.
Chapter 1, Designing for a Variety of Browsers, looks at how differing browser
capabilities affect design decisions.
Chapter 2, Designing for a Variety of Displays, discusses varying monitor resolutions
and accessibility issues and their effects on the design process.
Chapter 3, Web Design Principles for Print Designers, introduces how the Web
deals with color, graphics, and fonts. This is particularly useful for those accustomed
to print; however, it is also essential background information for any new
web designer.
Chapter 4, A Beginner’s Guide to the Server, provides a primer on basic server
functions, Unix commands, uploading files, and file types.
Part II, HTML
This part focuses on HTML tags and their use. Most chapters begin with a listing of
available tags with short descriptions (for easy access), followed by more detailed
explanations and practical advice for their use.
Chapter 5, HTML Overview, gives a detailed introduction to HTML syntax,
including how to specify color and special characters.
Chapter 6, Structural HTML Tags, lists the tags used to establish an HTML document
and structure its contents, including settings that control or pertain to the
whole document.
Chapter 7, Formatting Text, lists all tags related to the formatting of text elements
in an HTML document.
Chapter 8, Creating Links, lists HTML tags related to linking one document to
another, including image maps.
Chapter 9, Adding Images and Other Page Elements, focuses on the tags used for
placing objects such as images, rules, or multimedia objects on a web page.
Chapter 10, Tables, provides everything you’d ever want to know about tables,
including a list of table-related HTML tags, troubleshooting tips, and templates for
popular table structures.
Chapter 11, Frames, covers the structure and creation of framed documents,
including explanations of frame-related HTML tags, as well as tips and tricks.
Chapter 12, Forms, lists all tags related to form creation and provides an introduction
to working with CGI scripts.
Chapter 13, Server Side Includes, provides an overview of Server Side Includes,
including their capabilities and listings of the available elements and variables.
Part III, Graphics
The chapters , provide background information on web graphics file
formats as well as overviews of available tools and practical tips for graphic
production and optimization.
Chapter 14, GIF Format, describes the popular GIF format and provides tricks for
working with transparency and minimizing file sizes.
Chapter 15, JPEG Format, describes the JPEG format and provides tips on minimizing
file sizes.
Chapter 16, PNG Format, introduces this new and powerful graphic file format,
discussing its strengths and limitations.
Chapter 17, Designing Graphics with the Web Palette, discusses the tools and techniques
used in creating graphics with colors from the Web Palette.
Part IV, Multimedia and Interactivity
The chapters in this Complete Guide to WebDesign part focus on the animation, audio, and interactive capabilities
of the Web.
Chapter 18, Animated GIFs, looks at the creation and optimization of animated
GIFs.
Chapter 19, Audio on the Web, provides an overview of nonstreaming and
streaming audio file formats for web delivery.
Chapter 20, Video on the Web, provides an overview of nonstreaming and
streaming video file formats.
Chapter 21, Interactivity, looks at Macromedia’s Flash and Director Shockwave
formats as well as Java applets and interactive buttons created with JavaScript.
Chapter 22, Introduction to JavaScript, provides a general introduction to Java-
Script as well as a number of templates for creating popular effects such as pop-up
windows, browser detection, and status-bar messages.
Part V, Emerging Technologies
This part introduces exciting new technologies that are destined to have an impact
on the Web’s future but are currently in varying stages of development and are not
well supported by current browsers.
Chapter 23, Cascading Style Sheets, describes how to use Cascading Style Sheets to
control the presentation of HTML documents, including detailed explanations of available
selectors, properties, and values. It also introduces CSS Level 2 features and
provides tips for style sheet use.
Chapter 24, Introduction to DHTML, provides a basic overview of Dynamic HTML
and related concepts.
Complete Guide to WebDesign
Chapter 25, Introduction to XML, briefly introduces XML (eXtended Markup
Language) and explains why it is significant. This chapter also includes a description
of XML-based applications for multimedia and vector graphics.
Chapter 26, Embedded Font Technology, introduces two competing technologies,
TrueDoc and OpenType, for embedding fonts in web pages.
Chapter 27, Internationalization, looks at measures being taken by the World
Wide Web Consortium to make the Web multilingual.
Part VI, Appendixes
This section provides lots of useful look-up tables for HTML tags and CSS
elements.
Appendix A, HTML Tags and Elements, lists all HTML tags as listed in the HTML 4.0
Specification of April 1998. This list also serves as an index to finding full tag
explanations throughout the book.
Appendix B, List of Attributes, lists all attributes and their respective tags and
values.
Appendix C, Deprecated Tags, lists all tags that have been “deprecated” (discouraged
from use) by the HTML 4.0 Specification.
Appendix D, Proprietary Tags, lists tags that work only with Netscape Navigator or
Internet Explorer.
Appendix E, CSS Compatibility, lists all CSS properties and the browsers that
support them, including a handy “safe list.”
The Glossary defines many of the terms used in the book.