Version 0.5 of the Blueprint CSS Framework has just been released. It now allows up to 24 columns in the grid among and reverts to using PX for vertical spacing as opposed to EM, among other things. It’s supposed to be “experimental” so keep your eyes peeled for version 0.6.
Gareth Hayes has embarked on a project that can potentially lead to interesting developments in the CSS world. Called the CSS Scripting Kit (CSK for short), it promises to enable web developers to deliver similar functionalities that used to e only possible through JavaScript. He already has some samples up that exploits the power of CSS, such as the CSS LAN Scanner. It is very impressive and obviously many people couldn’t believe it at first as he claims to have received many 404 errors from people trying to find hidden code.
CSS Guru Eric Meyer has just released CSS Sculptor, which works with Adobe Dreamweaver to create standards-compliant, CSS layouts quickly and easily.
Bartelme Design has come up with an interesting concept: a development kit for smileys! The selection is a bit limited, but it’s a great start. I’m sure many will find this very handy. Kudos for this neat (not to mention cute) idea!
Mashable has come up with a good, solid compilation of 300 Wordpress plugins and themes. With an equally megalomaniac title such as WORDPRESS GOD (yes it’s in all CAPS) this is a good source of material for anyone trying to get into Wordpress, both newbie and experts alike.
There’s a nifty little JavaScript applet called Scrollover that provides an alternative visual cue to regular mouse over links. Instead of just changing the color, this one animates the link and scrolls it. A very nice alternative to regular :hover effects.
From the developers of SWFObject comes SWFFix, which promises to address the issues raised by the Flash Embedding Cage Match as well two ways to embed Flash content:
The advantage of the first method over the second is that the actual authoring of standards compliant markup is promoted and that the mechanism of inserting Flash content doesn’t rely on JavaScript anymore, so it degrades properly:
The advantage of the second method over the first is that it is easier to author, because it is less verbose and it contains no redundant code.
I never realized how hard it is to do scalable, text-based rounded buttons ™ until recently when I tried to write one for a site that I’m working on. Of course it was not a requirement and I can always capture an image of the button and use that instead, but then there wouldn’t be any sense of accomplishment.
I ended up using multiple
<div class="rounded-button"><div class="top-left"><div class="top-right"><div class="bottom-right">My button</div></div></div>
I don’t find this too elegant though and I have tried searching for better solutions none of them seem to strike my fancy.
So, for you rounded button gurus out there: what’s your text-based rounded button technique ™ or what is the most elegant solution that you have seen so far? To make things easy, the buttons need not be vertically scalable, just horizontal.
The Web 2.x world needs heroes, and one of these is Slackrpoint! Using technologies like JSON, AJAX, Flickr, and kittens, this nifty little app lets you create web-based presentations al-la Powerpoint very quickly and easily. It even inserts what it calls “mood images ™” automagically into every slide.
Check out the sample presentation. Not only did the hilarious write-up leave me laughing out loud, you can keep reloading for a new set of “mood images ™” every time.
Now I have only 2 problems with this:
1. No back button
2. No keyboard commands
You are currently browsing the CSSVault Blog weblog archives for August, 2007.
