Web Standards in Dreamweaver Part 3 - Resources and Summary

Resources

There are many resources available online for those who want to further explore the subjects discussed in this chapter.

• The Web Standards Project: http://www.webstandards.org. The WaSP web site provides news and information about web standards and many helpful resources to help you to work with standards in your own projects.
  
  
• NYPL Style Guide: http://www.nypl.org/styleguide/. This style guide, created for the New York Public Library, is an easy-to-understand explanation of how to use web standards.

• Macromedia DevNet: http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/. Keep an eye on this site for tutorials, specifically about using XHTML and CSS with Dreamweaver. There are whole sections devoted to CSS and accessibility.

• W3Schools: http://www.w3schools.com. Check out the CSS and XHTML tutorials here. This site has lots of information on many web technologies presented in a clear and easy-to-understand manner.

• CSS-Discuss: http://www.css-discuss.org. A mailing list for CSS discussion. Try searching the archives here if you are having a problem with CSS. If you cannot find an answer, posting to the list will get some of the best CSS brains in the world thinking over your problem for you. To get useful help on this mailing list and others like it, it is a good idea to ensure that you have validated your document and CSS file before posting because it makes it easier for people to see whether your problem is an error on your part or perhaps a browser bug for which there is a workaround.

• CSS Zen Garden: http://www.csszengarden.com. Inspiration for CSS layouts.

• Real World Style: http://realworldstyle.com. CSS layouts, tips, and techniques, many of which work in Netscape 4.

• CSS Panic Guide: http://www.thenoodleincident.com/tutorials/css/. A good place to go when it all seems to be going wrong or when you want to find more resources on CSS.

Summary

With Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, creating valid and accessible web sites with HTML and XHTML is within the reach of every designer and developer. In this chapter, we discussed

• How to write valid XHTML in the Dreamweaver environment

• How to create standards-compliant, tables-based layouts in Dreamweaver

• How to use CSS to replace elements that are deprecated in the transitional DOCTYPE and not allowed if you validate to Strict

• How to use CSS for layout

This chapter provided some essential building blocks for good practices in web development that will assist you as you move onward to styling your pages with CSS and adding dynamic data to your web sites. By following best practices, not only will your web sites be more accessible to all web users, but also you will find your working and debugging methods are streamlined and simplified. 

This chapter is from ASP.NET Web Development with Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, by Costas Hadjisotiriou (Apress, 2004, ISBN: 1590593480). Check it out at your favorite bookstore today. Buy this book now.