| Cascading Style Sheets (or CSS for short) | | | | more bulky and slower to load image files. |
| have slowly but surely become a website | | | | Furthermore, because all the code involved |
| design standard over the past few years. It | | | | with CSS page layout is held in one external |
| was not that many years ago that people used | | | | CSS document and is cached, it is faster than |
| Frames to position their content across their | | | | Table layouts that need to be interpreted |
| web pages and Tables gradually replaced this. | | | | every time a new page is displayed; |
| Many low-end website developers are still | | | | |
| very comfortable with Tables, as it 'does | | | | 4. It is much easier to edit existing pages |
| what it says on the tin'. However, more and | | | | and to add new pages, particularly in the |
| more people are now moving over to CSS, as | | | | area of subtle formatting amendments. For |
| virtually all the layout options can be | | | | example, you can change the font or colour |
| achieved using the code. | | | | scheme across an entire website in literally |
| | | | minutes; |
| One major problem with CSS is that not all | | | | |
| Web browsers produce the same results and it | | | | 5. CSS delivers enhanced accessibility. In |
| has not been helped in the past by the | | | | recent years the number of people using web |
| various browsers employing their own way of | | | | browsers on hand-held devices has risen |
| interpreting certain CSS conventions. You can | | | | significantly and CSS plays an important |
| think your CSS design looks OK in the current | | | | function in delivering content to PDA's etc |
| version of your preferred browser and can | | | | through additional CSS documents. This just |
| then be crestfallen when you view your Web | | | | isn't possible with Table-driven layouts; |
| pages in another version that has destroyed | | | | |
| the formatting. Therefore, when moving over | | | | 6. CSS is considered to be more Search Engine |
| to CSS, it is important that you use the | | | | friendly because they can spider CSS pages |
| capabilities that are consistently supported | | | | quicker. However, it remains to be seen if |
| across the entire range of popular browsers. | | | | this has any tangible benefits such as an |
| It is interesting that the new version 7 of | | | | improvement on the your page ranking. |
| Microsoft's Internet Explorer has fixed a | | | | |
| number of earlier anomalies, but many people | | | | On the flipside, there are a few |
| are now waking up to the reality that IE7 has | | | | disadvantages to CSS web page design you |
| in fact caused problems arising from their | | | | should consider: |
| earlier workarounds! | | | | |
| | | | 1. As compared with Tables, CSS involves a |
| So why not bother with CSS, if Tables work | | | | much bigger learning curve; |
| for you? The principal advantages are as | | | | |
| follows: | | | | 2. Because of cross browser support issues, |
| | | | the time spent implementing workarounds |
| 1. Web page code is generally much easier to | | | | should not be underestimated; |
| follow; | | | | |
| | | | 3. New browser versions can catch website |
| 2. The amount of code used to achieve the | | | | developers napping if you are not careful. |
| same result is much less. The general view is | | | | You can find that earlier workarounds have |
| that by switching to a CSS layout, the | | | | been overcome and the look of your website |
| typical page size reduction is between 50 - | | | | has changed overnight. |
| 60 per cent; | | | | |
| | | | Ultimately, your decision on whether or not |
| 3. Download speeds for CSS pages are | | | | to move over to see CSS will probably depend |
| generally faster than their Table-driven | | | | on your level of technical capability and the |
| counterparts. This is because browsers have | | | | time you're able to devote to understanding |
| to read through the table code twice before | | | | CSS layout alternatives. |
| they are able to display the contents. They | | | | |
| do this firstly to figure out the structure | | | | Summary |
| and then again to understand the content. It | | | | |
| should also be recognised that a Table's | | | | There has been an inexorable shift away from |
| contents can only be presented to the screen | | | | Table-driven website designs to a Cascading |
| in one go, whereas CSS content will drop in | | | | Style Sheet (CSS) approach. Ultimately, it is |
| separately, thereby giving a better user | | | | a personal decision whether to take the leap, |
| experience. It is also possible to govern the | | | | as there are no particular technical |
| order in which specific screen elements | | | | imperatives to do so right now. But will this |
| appear, so the user is not distracted by the | | | | all change in the future? |