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CSS help Please

shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

CSS help Please

Please Help. I need to re-design my website, so that I can add another "page/album" without the tedious work involved at present, adding a new html line to every page to include all previous links, and the new one.... As I understand it, CSS does this with just one change.... However, I do not know how to work with CSS, nor which program is best to use...
I have seen plenty of  free CSS type programs, but I do not want to download them all to find out none are suitable. !!
Ideally, what I would like is a program that I can drag and drop my "home page" onto, and this then produces the necessary CSS to add as a "front" to the remainder pages/albums.  Am I thinking in the right direction? or is it more difficult than this?
11 REPLIES 11
RobDickson
Grafter
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Registered: ‎06-08-2007

Re: CSS help Please

I'm not an expert, but I'm fairly sure that CSS isn't the answer to your question. I code my site using Notebook, so can't recommend a package that does what you want, but you might want to keep an eye on another thread:
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,71883.0.html
Denzil
Grafter
Posts: 1,733
Registered: ‎31-07-2007

Re: CSS help Please

CSS is for determining the layout of a page, not for content. So, for example, a CSS stylesheet file will define colours, font sizes, widths of columns, position of header box and that sort of thing. The content for each page sits in an HTML file, and doesn't include styling (well it can, but I don't want to overcomplicate it :)), rather just invokes the styling from the stylesheet. That way, if it is laid out logically, it is fairly easy to make global changes to say a font colour with one change to one file.
I think what you are asking for is something different. You can use CSS to design the menus, and add effects like moving tabs, but the content is still in the HTML. Server Side Includes (SSI) might be what you need. This is a method for writing chunks of html that are common to a number of pages as a single TXT file. A single line of SSI code then calls the TXT file in each HTML page and the server seamlessly fits it into the code.
There is lots of info on the web, but try <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_Side_Includes">here</a> for starters.
<edit: fixed typo>
samuria
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Registered: ‎13-04-2007

Re: CSS help Please

There isnt a simple solution unless you use Expression web as that has a master page which can be replicated to other pages. Your site as it is goes slightly wrong once you are off the first screen Home moves to the right next to the picture instead of being on the left as in the first page. So just adding a line of code into every page can send it off.
Dreamweaver lets you us a database which can just be a simple xml file so you could use something like that  as you would then only have to change the xml file for the menu but again its a bit complicated.
Another way around it but its old fashioned and there is problems with it is to use frames so the menu is in its own frame and is seen on every page to change it you only change the one page see
http://www.webdevelopersnotes.com/tutorials/adhtml/web_page_frames_frames_part_6.php3
The problem is people can pick up a webpage from google and miss the frame so cant find any of your other pages.
In your case the best solution may be to create your first page very simply so it loads fast and have only basic text and menu then load each page from your menu in a new window that way you only have the one menu page to change and users click on the menu get the Wales pictures and close that page and go back to your menu page for the next one, each page could simple have a home  link on it in case its picked up by google and they dont find the main menu. This would be fairly simple to do and solve your problem
Lurker
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Posts: 1,867
Registered: ‎23-10-2008

Re: CSS help Please

@Shutter.
At the minute you have self-coded pages, with Jalbums inserted into each page - is that correct?
Why not just have Jalbum create the entire site for you as a 'project'?
So, instead of creating each album from a folder full of photos locally, just go up one level, and have Jalbum create your site from a folder which contains subfolders with all the photos in.
What you then have is a whole group of albums, and if you want, you could still have your intro as index.html, and simply link from that to say album.html, and just let Jalbum take care of the rest.
Not explained terribly well I don't think, but perhaps with your experience of Jalbum it might make some sense?
Cliff_Jordan
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Posts: 228
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: CSS help Please

Shutter, I think it was you that set me on the route to use JAlbum for my own photo album sub-web. I use the BananAlbum skin to provide a menu on the left of the screen which is simply a reflection of a sub-folder menu of My Pictures on my PC. Therefore when I update this folder on the PC, I select which photo I want to include or exclude in JAlbum and then click update and upload to my website - all the complicated bits are done in the background by JAlbum. To see what I mean have a look at http://www.cliffjordan.plus.com/gbphoto/album/
This coupled with a simplified home page, as suggested by samuria, might be a possible solution to your problems.
Cliff
edit - looks like James_G beat me to it
Lurker
Grafter
Posts: 1,867
Registered: ‎23-10-2008

Re: CSS help Please

I was going to suggest the Banalbum skin as I tend to prefer it - however each person chooses the skin from their own design preferences, and in the skin Shutter uses (IIRC) you still get 'up' and 'down' navigation fields if you use multi-level albums.
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: CSS help Please

Good Morning Chaps.
Thanks for all the answers... I din`t think it would be that complicated !!!... someone told me making a website was easy !... Perhaps they meant just one page site !... Anyway, I think James and whiffler have shown me the way to go... James pointed me to putting "sub albums" and I vaguely remember someone else doing that on Jalbum but for some reason did not tie it up with mine.... perhaps I wasn`t ready to add more albums after my mamoth task, so just "logged it" in the back of my memory... Whiffler, you have a nice set up on your site, and some real good pictures.... Is there a way of adding titles and descriptions to the banana skin? If so, I may consider a change of skin too... must go back to jalbum and see what new stuff they have on offer...
Just saw your Post script there James, and yes, I think that was one of the reasons I chose chameleon... Thanks for all help and ideas.
Much appreciated.
Cliff_Jordan
Grafter
Posts: 228
Registered: ‎01-08-2007

Re: CSS help Please

Shutter, titles etc. did prove to be a problem using the BananAlbum skin. I got them working with an earlier version but when I updated to the version currently used on the website it proved unreliable and so I eliminated them. So in theory yes it should be possible but I gave up trying. But I did find trail and error seemed the only way to use JAlbum and once you hit on a solution that worked it was best to stick to it Roll_eyes
Cliff
shutter
Community Veteran
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: CSS help Please

OK Cheers for that Cliff... will see how the "new offerings" do things...
samuria
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Registered: ‎13-04-2007

Re: CSS help Please

I thinks for you the simple answer is to create a blog at www.blogger.com it would be ideal for you all you do is upload your picture and some text and it does all the work for you. Its just up your street come in from a day taking pictures and upload them no need to worry about layout or html flash  java or anything else.
It means you can get your pictures on line quicker I just did one http://crewetown.blogspot.com/  as its simpler than doing a page when you want it to be quick
RobDickson
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Registered: ‎06-08-2007

Re: CSS help Please

Quite a few missing apostrophes, but I like your blog. Despite being a cyclist myself, I totally agree with you about bikes on pavements. It's as annoying, but more dangerous, than pedestrians walking on cycle paths.
Just one comment - there are large gaps between the pictures and their associated text, but very small gaps between the pictures and the next, normally unassociated, picture. This confused me, but then that's not difficult!
Sorry for going off-topic.