When I design with Freeway, the first thing I do is press the blue CSS button at the top and then use the CSS styles but I was told by somebody looking at a site yesterday that it was all done with tables and as I looked at the code that did appear to be correct. Perhaps that’s not really a problem for viewing purposes but I am curious why that should be and and wondered if there is some way to make the site fully CSS without having to start from scratch. I don’t know a lot about coding like that which is why I rely on Freeway to do this stuff for me.
If you start with a new, blank file and have the CSS button enabled any element you draw will be positioned using CSS (as a layer) and not in a table structure. However, if the CSS is initially off but you enable it at some later point in the design process only the new elements you create (after it was turned on) will use CSS positioning, all previous elements will use tables. If you want to make those previously created elements CSS positioned then you need to go back and set each one as a layer.
The CSS button is a bit misleading as to it’s actual function and it’s easy to get tripped up. CSS is used for both styling and for positioning and it’s possible to use CSS for styles but use tables for positioning.
Hope that makes sense.
Todd
On Mar 6, 2008, at 11:22 AM, cornishman wrote:
When I design with Freeway, the first thing I do is press the blue CSS button at the top and then use the CSS styles but I was told by somebody looking at a site yesterday that it was all done with tables and as I looked at the code that did appear to be correct.
I always press the button so its blue and CSS is activated, which is why I am left scratching my head about this particular site unless it was inadvertently switched off in error at some point. Any other sites all seem to have CSS coding. You can see the coding at www.liubliu.co.uk
I suppose I could go now and make all those elements become layers, but I don’t know if there is actually any practical advantage in doing this. I was just under the impression that CSS was generally considered a good thing.
Generally speaking it is a good thing but it’s also very subjective. It’s definitely the way design is moving and some love it and others not so much. Don’t approach it as a good/bad thing, choose what’s best for you and the project.
Todd
On Mar 6, 2008, at 11:44 AM, cornishman wrote:
I suppose I could go now and make all those elements become layers, but I don’t know if there is actually any practical advantage in doing this. I was just under the impression that CSS was generally considered a good thing.
I actually just took a look at the various pages and saw that it was only the home page that was effected, so I suspect the button was just on tables by mistake as I was building that part of the site. I did as you said and clicked on the individual items to make them layers and its all CSS now when I view source, so I shall upload the changes now. Many thanks for clarifying that mystery!
You’re correct. And just to clarify, when I said that the function of the button could be misleading I was referring to FW 4 which doesn’t show “Table Layout” when the button is disabled as it now does in version 5.
Todd
On Mar 6, 2008, at 11:30 AM, JT wrote:
I’m fairly new to Freeway, but when you press the blue button doesn’t that turn CSS off?
WIth the blue button displayed is says CSS Layout. Once you press it, it turns gray and says table layout.
I always press the button so its blue and CSS is activated,
Well I am now using FW pro5 for some new projects and I have the scroll bars, buttons, etc in OSX 10.4.11 set to the graphite settings in the preferences as I prefer it to the blue
now the Blue button is no longer blue when switched on but a Graphite colour which is not much darker than the grey colour when it is switched off - little bit harder to check that it is on.
I’ve noticed this also. Not the best look for that particular button.
Todd
On Mar 6, 2008, at 2:15 PM, diarbyrag wrote:
now the Blue button is no longer blue when switched on but a Graphite colour which is not much darker than the grey colour when it is switched off - little bit harder to check that it is on.
Sometime around 6/3/08 (at 12:40 -0600) Todd said:
You’re correct. And just to clarify, when I said that the function
of the button could be misleading I was referring to FW 4 which
doesn’t show “Table Layout” when the button is disabled as it now
does in version 5.
Actually, it is still pretty damn misleading. How many people using
Freeway think they can switch their existing page from CSS layout to
table layout - the existing stuff I mean - by toggling that button?
More than a few, I’ll bet.
It would be better to just have ‘use layer for new items’ and a checkbox
tick or x. I think layer would be a better term in Freeway usage than CSS.
And somehow it needs to be obvious that it only applies to item creation and
not to existing items.
regards
Brian
Keith Martin said recently:
Sometime around 6/3/08 (at 12:40 -0600) Todd said:
You’re correct. And just to clarify, when I said that the function
of the button could be misleading I was referring to FW 4 which
doesn’t show “Table Layout” when the button is disabled as it now
does in version 5.
Actually, it is still pretty damn misleading. How many people using
Freeway think they can switch their existing page from CSS layout to
table layout - the existing stuff I mean - by toggling that button?
More than a few, I’ll bet.