using CSS & dreamweaver templates

one, the other, or a combo?

[jiva]

I'm a fairly new web designer who's used DW templates in the past. I am now trying to teach myself CSS and would like to use it on my current web project.

On each page, I intend to have a header that would include a logo and image-based navigation rollovers; a body with varied data; and footer that would contain a library item of text links.

I was going to make a DW template that had a table with 3 rows for those three elements, and then do the rest in CSS.

Does anyone have an opinion or suggestion regarding the best way for me to approach this project?

[Llama]

Atleast try making your design in CSS. You'll become addicted to it ;)

Faster load times, cached design (if I wanted to redesign a few of the current websites I'm making, I could just change a file called style.css and it'd change the layout of the entire site), cooler looking.

While it has a few setbacks possibly requiring hacks, it's better IMHO than tables.

[Enigmatic]

I've been using Dreamweaver much like yourself for the past year-and-a-half. Up until a week ago, I was creating web sites with tables and frames and only used CSS for changing the fonts, backgrounds, and borders. As well, I used SSI for any content that was repeated on my web pages, so that one update would change all of my pages (i.e. - my menu, etc.)

However, it has come to my attention that CSS can be used to build complete sites, along with HTML and JavaScript. This is a much better format for Search Engines, and thus should be your focus if you are interested in building higher traffic web sites. The reason is that with tables your content is read by Search Engines from left to right. Thus the left content table is read first and then the middle content table, which usually holds all of your important text copy. This in turn moves your important content further down on your page and makes your web site, in the eyes of at least some SE's, less important. On the otherhand, CSS allows you to tell the Search Engines to read your middle content table first and then whatever other table second and third (i.e. either your left or right content tables). This allows you to feed the Search Engines the important content as soon as possible, which has been linked to increasing your relevancy and thus importance. I would also make sure that you are using external CSS files to move your important content even further up in your source code. The sooner the SE's see your text copy in the source code the better. At least, that's what I've heard.

Therefore, to answer your question; as a guy who has been using Dreamweaver in the past to build web sites using templates, I am now moving to using strictly CSS. I believe it to be an important move to make. If you'd like to start learning how to build web sites using strictly CSS with no tables or frames, here is a good place to start. I wish you the best of luck. It won't be easy to build strictly with CSS, but I believe it to be well worth the effort.

[jiva]

Enigmatic & Llama-
thanks for your ideas; I'm going to pursue the CSS and see how far I get.

I do have another question though; my header navigation is build from images, how do I place those where I like without having tables?

[will1480]

generally with css you are using div boxes to replace tables. you can use div within div to create a table format. ex. <div><div style=float:right;><img src="?1.gif></div><div style=float:right;><img src="?2.gif></div></div> be careful with doing this though. It can e tricky. Also, play around with width property, youll find some ns vs ie differences. Also, yes use css as much as you can and tables as little as possible in my opinion. Although, tables when used as they are suposed to are good (e.g. for displaying data)

As for templates. I use them and probably shouldt. Utilizing SSI is probably a better approach as I am sure everyone has run into problems with using Dream Weaver for anything.

[jetboy_70]

jiva,

I've been where you are now, having happily used Dreamweaver for tables-based site design since version 2. I now code CSS sites using a text editor because Dreamweaver just doesn't cut it with advanced CSS layouts.

There are plenty on these forums who put CSS inside a tables based structure, and it's a good way to move over to full CSS positioning. You don't have to do this all in one go.

[will1480]

the table structure created through div boxes is very similar. I will use it for navigation schemes.

html:
<div class="drop_down_parent">
<div class="float_rt">
<a href="#" onMouseOut="" onMouseOver=""><img src=""></a>
</div>
<div class="float_rt"><a href="#" onMouseOut="" onMouseOver=""><img src=""></a>
</div>
</div>

css:
.drop_down_parent{
position: absolute;
top:100px;
left:0px;
width:100%;
}
.float_rt{
position:relative;
float:right;
}
this will create horizontally stacked div boxes. Very similar to what a table would create

[jiva]

will1480, jetboy_70, enigmatic, llama-

Thanks for all your suggestions regarding this issue; I took some steps towards using CSS, and was thrilled at the results! I still used some DW template/library elements, but can see that I'll be leaving those behind soon! Thanks again. jiva