Archives
February 6, 2006
INTRODUCTION
Following the Web Standards makes perfect sense when it allows you to build easy to mantain websites that work with the major browsers. It doesn’t make sense when using Web Standards forces you to use hacks, prevents you from taking advantage of a great technology/feature or makes your job as a web designer or developer more difficult.
Let’s take a look at 3 very useful technologies that are not in the Web Standards, but do not have any of the negative consequences associated with browser specific code:
- IE conditional comments: for cross-browser CSS layouts.
- AJAX – using the XMLHTTPobject: for behind the scenes browser to server communication.
- The innerHTML property: for quick and easy DOM manipulation.
Though each of the above are not part of the Web Standards, they provide terrifically useful functionality without any hangups.
IE CONDITIONAL COMMENTS
Though IE conditional comments only work in IE, it makes great sense to use them when you want to isolate code. Since all other browsers will see IE conditional comments as being only HTML comments, there can never be a down side to IE conditional comments. It is the proper way of dealing with IE 6’s problems with CSS code.
Example:
<head>
<link href="standardStyle.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media=screen>
<!–[if IE 6]>
<link href="ie_style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media=screen>
<![endif]–>
</head>
In the above example, we use IE conditional comments to hide IE specific CSS from all other browsers. Spefically, the IE conditional comments:
(<!–[if IE 6]> and <![endif]–>)
is loading the ‘ie_style.css’ style sheet only if the browser reading the page is IE6.
IE conditional comments are a replacement for dangerous CSS hacks that are commonly used to deal with IE’s occasional problems with standard CSS.
AJAX
The heart of AJAX is in the XMLHTTPObject – a JavaScript function built into every major browser but is NOT part of the Web Standards. Given how powerful AJAX is, and given how popular it has become, you can be sure that every major browser will continue to support it.
So as a Web Standards zealot, you have to ask yourself whether blind adhereance to the Web standards is worth missing out on this important tool? That is to say, if you’re a web standards zealot, you couldn’t/shouldn’t use AJAX since it is not part of the official Web standards … it’s your choice.
INNER HTML PROPERTY
InnerHTML is an easy to use property supported by all the major browsers that allows you to dynamically update/change web pages without having to do a page refresh.
Example using innerHTML:
var targetDiv = document.getElementById("targetDiv");
targetDiv.innerHTML = "<p>innerHTML is fast and easy!</p>"
Example using DOM methods:
var para = document.createElement("p");
var targetDiv = document.getElementById("targetDiv");
targetDiv.appendChild(para);
var txt = document.createTextNode("Dom methods are much longer than innerHTML");
para.appendChild(txt);
As you can see with the above examples, to insert text with DOM methods takes a lot more code than innerHTML. So, should you use innerHTML?
The answer: Browser makers typically don’t remove functionality, and given that innerHTML is supported by all the browsers and is easy to use, this is yet another example where I will break from the standards and feel comfortable about it.
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February 5, 2006
I recently was surfing the web and found myself on a popular web standards zealot website. The featured article referred to 3 column CSS based page layout as being the ‘Holy Grail’! My first reaction to this was: geez, how silly this is!
…
Indeed, a simple thing like a 3 column layout is a challenge – when you don’t use tables. As such, you can find many articles on many web standards zealot websites that attempt to solve this problem. All of them falling short, all of them requiring the use of hacks – hacks that can break and WILL break.
IRRESPONSIBLE ‘EXPERTS’
The article in question, though recent, still advocates/demonstrates the use of a hack to get it to work with the most popular browsers … they don’t learn, do they?
I say this because a few months ago, it was discovered by the web community that many commonly used CSS hacks will break in the new, fully standards compliant IE7 … thus breaking countless web standards zealot website’s. So much for saving time and the myth of forward compatibility.
PEOPLE SHOULDN’T USE HACKS TO MAKE THEIR CSS WORK!
It gets me ‘hot under the collar’ when I see articles that promote the use of CSS hacks – this is bad practice for obvious reasons.
I’ve been warning about this for some time before the IE7 problem. None of these web standards zealots payed me much attention before the IE7 problem came to light; and now after this problem has been well publicized, it seems that these people still have their heads in the sand!
CSS FOR PAGE-LEVEL LAYOUT IS WEAK
Even in a perfect world, where all the browsers supported the standards perfectly, CSS page-level layout capabilities suck for many types of layouts … HTML tables are much easier to use.
That said, there is a CSS tables specification that works like HTML tables, but no browsers support it! There should be a ‘call to action’ to force browser makers to implement CSS tables.
Note:
Tables are grids, and grids are a proven tool for page layout that are used in programming languages (like Java) to create user interfaces. It’s about time that we web-nerds have access to this powerful and flexible system of page layout in CSS. For now, we can use HTML tables.
HTML tables may not be semantically correct, and they may bind your formatting to your page structure, but they will work in all browsers without the need for fragile hacks and they are really easy to use.
CONCLUSION
Web standards were created to make web design easier for web developers by having the browser makers build their browsers according to a standard specification – the web standards.
As soon as you have to work harder, and have to jump through hoops (use hacks) to make your pages work – the point of the web standards is lost. It makes no sense to try and force web standards (in ultra-strict terms,) unless the browsers properly support the web standards – they don’t right now.
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February 4, 2006
One of the fundamental problems people have with CSS page-level layout is matching CSS div heights. Others might call this ‘matching column heights’ in web pages.
In this article/video (see below,) we are going to solve this problem using a lesser known JavaScript method: the Matching Columns Script.
Let’s start out by checking out a diagram that illustrates the problem:
People have come out with different solutions including the ‘Faux columns’ hack: using a vertically tiled background image to create the illusion of a column.
The ‘Faux columns’ hack/trick works, but it does have some limitations:
- You have to mess around with background images when creating the fake/faux columns effect – there is even more mucking about when you have liquid layouts.
- You won’t be able to use CSS border styling (on your div’s that create the columns) because it would reveal the hack.
THE BETTER WAY TO HANDLE THIS PROBLEM: DOM SCRIPTING (JavaScript)
JavaScript (sometimes called ECMA script,) is the programming language built into all the browsers that allow geeks/nerds, to have practically total control over how things appear in a web page – it’s very powerful.
Note: DOM scripting (the term,) is a quick way to describe using JavaScript to control a web page’s structure. If this makes no sense, don’t worry about it as you need no programming knowledge to use the technique that is covered here.
WHY IS THE JAVASCRIPT METHOD BETTER?
You are better off with the JavaScript method (rather than the ‘Faux columns’ hack, ) because:
- Once it is applied, you don’t have to worry about it as it automatically adjust itself to change with your page(s).
- It is much easier/faster to apply than the ‘Faux columns’ hack.
GETTING STARTED
Attached with this article you will find the files you need to apply the script:
- The Javascipt file.
- The CSS document.
- A sample web page that puts it altogether.
Now it’s time to watch the video to learn how to use it.
MATCHING DIV HEIGHTS VIDEO
CONCLUSION
There is one downside to this technique:
It won’t work if people have JavaScript turned off. Fortunately, the vast majority of people out there have it on. Last time I checked my own stats, nobody had JavaScript disabled.
That said, though it looks a lot better when your columns heights match, I would not consider it mission-critical to a website. That is to say; people will still be able to use the website, so I am willing to accept that for some rare (paranoid) individuals, the columns will not match.
Source Files
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February 3, 2006
I get emails all the time from people asking all kinds of interesting questions; once in a while I post them on the blog or in my newsletter.
This time around someone wanted to know about earning ad revenue with a website:
Me and my business partner have currently set up a new site and we are wondering if you have any advice as to how we should start to make it earn us money. Do we build up the trafic first? or do we get the paid for links & ads first?
MY ANSWER:
The life-blood of any site (that those that depend on ad revenue,) is the the traffic. I’ll even go a step further: the value of a site is the traffic and the quality of the traffic. I think you guessed the answer by now … but just in case, you need traffic first.
Once you have traffic, people will contact you to buy ad space. I get lots of request and refuse the vast majority. Why? Killersites.com gets over 1 million+ pageviews a month of very high quality traffic.
Hope that helps,
Stefan Mischook (The Web Design Heretic)
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February 1, 2006
In this podcast I discuss podcasting. I give a few tips on podcasting and touch on why podcasting is something that web designers need to pay attention to.
Podcast running time: 8:19
[audio:https://www.killersites.com/blog/audio/podcasting.mp3]
Download this discussion in MP3 format
Thanks,
Stefan Mischook
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December 30, 2005
INTRODUCTION
The title of this article is controversial … the truth often is.
In my effort to reveal (what I consider to be) a huge disservice to the web design world, I continue to hammer home the fact that the web standards movement has gone too far – it has promoted bad practices and bad web design.
WEB STANDARDS ARE GOOD … WHEN USED AT THE RIGHT TIME.
Before I go on, I want to stress that I believe web standards are a good thing – it makes sense that browser makers agree on how things should work … it makes web design and web application development much easier and cheaper
That said, let’s try to remember that web design is not a mathematical equation to be balanced (or validated,) it is about creating effective websites that work today!
A LITTLE BACKGROUND.
I was building websites in 1994 back when the W3C was formed. For those of you who may not know, the W3C is an organization put together to define the specifications for web technologies like:
The web standards were created for browser manufacturers to implement and not for web designers. Well … at least not until the browser makers can get their act together and properly support the web standards.
It makes no sense for web designers to try and force web standards based code to work in browsers that don’t support web standards properly.
WEB STANDARDS-CART BEFORE THE BROWSER-HORSE
Those who lead the web standards movement, must have forgotten the wise old proverb: ‘Don’t put the cart before the horse.’
In the context of web design, this means that you shouldn’t try to use technology/techniques and code that is NOT YET supported in the majority of browsers being used. Unfortunately, the web standards movement has done just that, and now there is a cost a lot of people are paying.
THE COST OF ZEALOUS ADHEARENCE TO WEB STANDARDS
In a reality where (currently supported) CSS is not well suited for page-level layouts and buggy/inconsistent implementation between the major browsers (Internet Explorer FireFox,) are a fact of life, designing web sites following the now popular web standard zealot practices, has wasted countless hours for no real benefit.
Consider these facts:
- CSS for layout is not intuitive at all. Since when is: ‘margin:0px auto’ intuitive for creating center aligned layout.
- CSS is buggy and inconsistent between browsers.
- The only true advantage of CSS based layouts is the separation of structure from formatting. This translates into the cross-device compatibility. A questionable need for most websites at this time …
CSS code for page layout stinks in terms of intuitiveness … it is the worst technology for page or user interface layout I’ve ever seen. Anyone who has designed screens with Java or VB knows this. Actually, anyone who has used HTML tables for page layout knows this!
For example:
Creating a center aligned fixed or fluid layout, where the height expands perfectly in all browsers (without the need for hacks) is trivial and intuitive with an HTML table. With CSS, it is a tricky thing that requires hacks.
In fact, a whole culture of ‘hackery’ has developed because of this flaw in the thinking of the web standards zealots – the foolish practice of ‘putting the cart before the horse.’
TROUBLE WITH CSS HACKS
Because of the aforementioned problems with CSS and the browser bugs, hacks have been created to shoe-horn web standards based web sites into working with the browsers. At first glance the hacks seem like a viable solution … but they aren’t.
In fact, hacks should be avoided because CSS hacks rely on ‘broken’ aspects of browsers … things that can get fixed. Any programmer (with just a little experience) knows that basing your work on a broken technology is a recipe for disaster … because things get fixed.
THE DISASTER HAS OCCURED – IE7 WILL BREAK MANY WEBSITES THAT USE THE PROMOTED HACKS
One of the major arguments the web standards movement has used to convince people to ignore reality (the reality that CSS based layouts suck in many ways,) is the famous (infamous) forward-compatibility argument.
The myth of forward compatibility in a nutshell: if you build your sites to standards, they are guaranteed to work in the future.
As it turns out, the first time this argument was put to the test (IE7) it failed miserably. IE7 will be web standards compliant – so much so in fact, that many commonly used CSS hacks will break in IE7, forcing many well meaning web designers to have to go back and change their code – who’s going to pay for that time?
Some web standards zealots might argue that hacks are not ‘really’ promoted by the movement … this simply not true. Every web standards book, every web standards guru mentions, uses and promotes hacks. It too bad, since many web design books published in the last 3 years will have to be trashed since they teach techniques that will break in IE7.
THE SOLUTION
The key to this whole mess is found in common sense and a little experience:
Don’t leverage specifications until they are supported in the browsers.
Ok, how about making things work in both IE and Mozilla based browsers? The best solution is to use IE conditional comments. This is one example where thinking outside the web standards box makes perfect sense.
Stefan Mischook (a.k.a.: the web design heretic)
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October 31, 2005
Podcasting Hacks is a very good book for both beginners and experts.
A few points:
The books is organised into a series of tips that the book calls ‘hacks’. Each hack is cross-referenced with other relevant hacks and the information is presented in a no-nonsense way … the author gets to the point quickly. Makes for a great reference book.
Everything you need to know about podcasting is covered:
- Tips for those just starting out.
- How to get good sound: choosing hardware, on speaking well, on reducing room noice and more.
- Tips on editing – again addressing both the tools (software) and the process / techniques.
- Instructions on publishing your podcast (blogging,) and even on monetizing your podcast.
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September 29, 2005
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WHAT IS AJAX?
What?! You don’t know? And you call yourself a nerd…
AJAX is short for: ‘Asynchronous JavaScript and XML’. AJAX is a combination of technologies that have been around for years.
- HTML/XHTML
- CSS
- DOM
- JavaScript
- XMLHttpRequest object to exchange data asynchro
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From Wikipedia:
Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, or Ajax, is a web development technique for creating interactive web applications.
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February 28, 2005
In this article, I will look at some of the misleading arguments used to promote Web Standards.
Before I jump into this, I would like to point out a few things:
- The Web Standards are a good thing since it can make life easier for web designers.
- Theory should not trump practicality. As such, many of my arguments are based on practical considerations.
– –
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February 26, 2005
The term bait and switch has a slightly negative connotation, but I use it anyway because it sounds good …
For small and medium sized web design projects, clients will typically want a final price for the project – it’s rare that they will let you work on a per-hour basis. Strangely enough though, clients will ask what you charge by the hour …
This is where this tactic comes in handy; the idea is to give them a per hour rate that sounds good … make them feel as though they are getting a special price. If what you charge per hour actually does sound good, then this tactic is not useful for you.
On the other hand, if you’re a cracker-jack designer, who charges more per hour because your work is that much better, or because you’re just faster at what you do, then bait-and-switch is what you need.
In a nutshell: it comes down to how many hours you actually work. Your clients will have no idea how long it will take you to complete the task! So if your rate is normally $50/hour (and $25/hour is the price that makes your client happy,) and you estimate the job will take you 10 hours. You can tell your clients that the job will take 20 hours at only $25/hour. This way, you’re able to give a more competitive per hour rate , while still making the money you want for the job.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, the bait and switch tactic I teach, is not about ripping off your clients – you MUST provide good value. Instead it just about framing your pitch.
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