HTML Writers Guild Newsletter Volume 6 Number 9, 6 May 2000 http://www.hwg.org/ mailto:editor@hwg.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Newsletter Sponsors: eLance.com, Atomz.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents 1. Member-Submitted Tips: Solutions for CSS Compatibility Problems (Next Issue's Topic: XHTML Transition) 2. Upcoming Online Classes: Take an online class! 3. Spotlight Class: Paint Shop Pro 4. May Town Hall: Thursday, May 25th 5. HWG Events in Your Future: WWW9, Vbits, XML Europe 2000 6. Why Did I Get This Email? And Other HWG-News FAQs (How to change your email address, how to unsubscribe, and more.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This issue of HWG-News is sponsored by: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- eLance.com http://www.eLance.com/hwg ATTENTION HWG members: There are currently over 250 PROJECTS in web development, banner design, software programming, and IT consulting waiting for you in the eLance.com marketplace. Click here (http://www.eLance.com/hwg) to join the eLance community for FREE, and SELL YOUR SERVICES to buyers from around the world! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Member-Submitted Tips: CSS Compatibility (Marshall Jansen, HWG-News Editor, hwg-news-tips@hwg.org) The Guild's foundation is members helping members, sharing our expertise and knowledge to improve our skills in the craft of web design. Everyone has something to teach, and something to learn! In keeping with that spirit, the HWG-News Newsletter HWG-News features member-submitted "tips" in each issue, in the space between articles and announcements. What happens if your tip is selected? Each issue, the first-place winner will receive a free HWG t-shirt. Runner-up tips will be also listed in the HWG-News newsletter as space permits, and submissions will be posted on the HWG web site. The topic for this issue, as announced last issue, is: CSS Compatibility Everyone knows that every version of every browser handles CSS differently. How do you design your pages to make sure that the CSS you see is the CSS your viewers get? We got many good responses! A full list of all tips submitted can be found online at: http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/newsletter/tips/ Complete rules and information (including size limits) are also listed at the URL above -- please read it! This issue's winner was sent in by Michael O'Rourke! [HWG-News Tip: CSS Compatibility ------------------------------------] I use the following backwards-compatibility declarations in my style sheet to force the correct display of bold and italic text in browsers that only partially support CSS (e.g. Netscape 4.x): B, STRONG { font-weight: bold; } I, EM { font-style: italic; } [---------------Submitted by Michael O'Rourke ] If you have suggestions for upcoming HWG News Tip topics, you can send those to hwg-news-tips@hwg.org as well. The category for the next newsletter is: XHTML Transition Tips XHTML is here! What are some tips to help web developers transition their sites from HTML 4.0 to XHTML 1.0? Send in your 5-8 line tips on XHTML Transition to hwg-news-tips@hwg.org before next Saturday, the 13th of May! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This issue of HWG-News is sponsored by: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ATOMZ.COM ADD A POWERFUL SEARCH ENGINE TO YOUR WEBSITE. With Atomz.com Search you can quickly add a powerful search engine to any Web site with just a few lines of HTML and no additional hardware or software. You get a comprehensive set of features not found with other site search engines including: complete customization, multiple language support, and in-context display of results. Search results are fast and accurate and you can use Atomz.com Search for free if your site has less than 500 pages, with no required ad banners. Used by Webmonkey, O'Reilly & Associates, eGain, and thousands more in over 100 countries. Try it out today, http://www.atomz.com/hwg --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Upcoming Online Classes: Take an online class! (Ann Navarro, Online Education Director, classes@hwg.org) Through a web-based interface, we offer a broad series of online classes designed to teach you the skills you need, in a way that fits your busy schedule. Our instructors are your fellow Guild members, chosen for their expertise in their field and their willingness to pass along their experience to you. Upcoming courses you can take include: Online classes currently open for enrollment include: Introduction to HTML 4.0 Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h101.14.html Leave your WYSIWYG editor behind and explore the nuts and bolts that make web pages function! Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h151.10.html Add a little style to your web design! This popular course covers CSS 1 and 2, which can enhance the appearance of any web page! You'll learn which CSS rules are -- and are not -- supported by the major browsers, and more! Creating Web Graphics with Paint Shop Pro Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/g201.6.html Release your inner artist! This graphics course will teach you to create your own stunning images for use on your website, using the Paint Shop Pro program. Implementing Java Applets in your Web Pages Dates: June 5, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (4 weeks) Tuition: $25 Full members, $50 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/h171.3.html Designed for the beginning student with some knowledge of creating HTML files by hand or with a WYSIWYG editing tool. This class will show you where to go to get applets for your pages, and how to customize them using parameters. This is NOT a programming class! Applets will range from simple 'ticker style' text applets, to animations, and to Java games. Using Macromedia Dreamweaver - Part I Dates: June 5, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (4 weeks) Tuition: $25 Full members, $50 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/a131.6.html Designed for the student who wishes to evaluate the Macromedia Dreamweaver 3.0 web design tool. The publicly available 30 day trial version will be available for students to use for this 4 week intensive course. Topics will include: layout and visual design, tools for creating tables, frames, and forms, implementing style sheets, and adding javascript or behaviors. New features in version 3.0 not mentioned in the current text as they pertain to these topics will also be covered. Introduction to JavaScript Dates: June 12, 2000 - July 30, 2000 (7 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/p151.9.html The JavaScript language allows you to add interactivity to your web pages -- this course will teach you the basics of programming in JavaScript for multiple browser types. Business Writing Basics Dates: July 3, 2000 - August 27, 2000 (8 weeks) Tuition: $25 Full members, $50 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/b101.8.html You may be good at HTML tags, but that's just half the equation! Learn how to make your content sizzle in our writing course! Sites that Sizzle: Web Animation with Macromedia Flash 4 Dates: July 10, 2000 - August 20, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $60 Full members, $90 Trial members Details: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/a221.5.html This course covers the exciting world of Flash 4. You will learn to draw, create, import and manipulate vector objects, making them come to life in frame-by-frame animations and on multiple layers. COURSE FEES Course fees are based on membership level; Full members receive a discounted tuition price, while Trial members pay the standard price. Full membership is only $40 per year, so upgrade your membership before registering, and save money! Payments may be made online via secure transaction; all figures are in U.S. funds. A certificate of completion is available for an additional $5; the request needs to be made at the time of registration. A certificate can be requested after class is completed for $10. Textbooks (when required) are separate and may be purchased through the Guild's online bookstore, The Bookmark. Books should be purchased before the first week of class! In addition, students should have regular access to the web and the ability to post completed assignments on a public (non-Intranet) web server. Sign up today through our online enrollment forms or get more information at: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/ [HWG-News Tip: CSS Compatibility ------------------------------------] Tool Tip: Use a CSS editor tool like Nick Bradbury's TopStyle (www.bradsoft.com) that has CSS checking and validation built-in. The style checker in TS shows you problems or issues with your code by browser type. [------------------Submitted by Jeff Wilkinson ] 3. Spotlight Course: Incorporating Java Applets into your Web Site! (Ann Navarro, Online Education Director, classes@hwg.org) Creating Web Graphics with Paint Shop Pro Dates: May 22, 2000 - July 2, 2000 (6 weeks) Tuition: $40 Full members, $70 Trial members Most web site developers use graphics to enhance their pages. For many, this means that you must rely on previously created graphics that you download from royalty free sites. But there is another alternative - create your own! Paint Shop Pro is a popular and powerful image editing application that allows you to create and modify graphics for your web pages and other documents. It has been compared to programs like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw. This course will focus on creating graphics from scratch as well as modifying existing graphics to achieve a variety of effects through the use of tools, color manipulation, filters, masks and textures. Although originally developed for Paint Shop Pro 5.0, this class has been modified to accommodate Paint Shop Pro 6.0 as well. Students may choose either textbook for this course, regardless of which version of PSP they have. The instructor highlights differences between version 5 and 6 as necessary. About the Instructor: Gretchen Lowerison is the owner of Coreidea: Electronic Education, an Internet based consulting company that specializes in developing web-based educational learning sites. She holds an M.A. in Educational Psychology and has been teaching at the University/College level since 1988 in the areas of Psychology and the Internet. Find out more or register for this course at: http://www.hwg.org/services/classes/g201.6.html 4. May Town Hall: Thursday, May 25th (Frank Boumphrey, VP of Special Events, vp-events@hwg.org) While we've not had a town hall meeting for the past two months, we haven't given up on them! Our IRC server will be back up and running and we hope to see you there! The details on the May town hall meeting are: 25 May Town Hall Meeting Date: Thursday, 25 May 2000 Time: 6:30 p.m. PST, 9:30 p.m. EST Server: HWG Interactive, http://interact.hwg.org/ IRC: irc.hwg.org, port 6667 Channel: #townhall To connect, either go to the URL above and use the Java-based client available via the web, or use your favorite IRC client and join channel #townhall. 5. HWG Events in Your Future: WWW9, Vbits, XML Europe 2000 (Frank Boumphrey, VP of Special Events, vp-events@hwg.org) As part of our ongoing Speakers Bureau program, we are pleased to present this list of upcoming industry events at which the Guild will be participating. More information can be found at our events page: http://www.hwg.org/opcenter/events/ * WWW9 -- The Ninth World Wide Web Conference Amsterdam, The Netherlands May 15 - May 19, 2000 http://www.www9.org/ We will be presenting a workshop at this conference entitled "Crafting and Reforming HTML Pages as XHTML." * VBits Chicago, IL May 24, 2000 http://www.vbits.net/ Frank Boumphrey will be presenting "Building XML applications using VB". * XML Europe 2000 Paris, France June 14, 2000 http://www.gca.org/attend/2000_conferences/europe_2000/default.htm Frank Boumphrey will be presenting "Using XML in Medical Internet applications". If you are attending any of these events, please stop by and introduce yourself to our HWG representatives, we'd love to meet you! [HWG-News Tip: CSS Compatibility ------------------------------------] What I'd suggest is that the author go to the following web site and then to one of the test pages offered by Toby Brown, Jan Roland Eriksson and Sue Sims. Why try to reinvent the wheel when these folks have done such an outstanding job at helping us all with the CSS problems we've encountered? http://css.nu/pointers/ [-----------------------Submitted by Don Davis ] 6. Why Did I Get This Email? And Other HWG-News FAQs (HWG-News Newsletter Editor, editor@hwg.org) This newsletter was edited by Marshall Jansen . Some questions you may be asking: Q: Why did I get this mail? A: You received this newsletter because you are a member of the HTML Writers Guild. This message came from HWG-News, the Guild's mandatory mailing list for all members. If you need more information about HWG-News, please see the List Charter at: http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-news/index.html Q. Why doesn't this newsletter talk about web design or HTML more? A. The newsletter is the Guild's administrative bulletin to the membership; beyond the HWG News Tips, we don't include specific information on web creation. If you are interested in the topics of Web design and HTML, then you might want to subscribe to some of our discussion lists devoted to those topics. More information on the Guild's offering of discussion lists can be found at: http://www.hwg.org/lists/mailinglists.html Q. How can I find out more about Guild activities? A. The Guild has set up a one-way announcement list, HWG-Announce, that carries bulletins of day-to-day Guild business. For details on how to subscribe, please see: http://www.hwg.org/lists/hwg-announce/ Q: How do I unsubscribe from HWG-News? A: Since this is a required list in order to maintain your Guild membership, unsubscribing is the same as resigning from the HTML Writers Guild. If you have your Member ID and password, to resign your membership in the Guild and to unsubscribe to HWG-News, visit: http://www.hwg.org/member/resign.html Fill in the pertinent information, and submit it. If you don't have a Member ID, or have forgotten your password, send mail to: mailto:lost-password@hwg.org with a Subject of: Resign membership In the body of the message, provide the following information: * Your email address(es) * Your member ID if you have one. * The list of discussion lists you are on. Please remember that unsubscribing to HWG-News automatically resigns you from the Guild. If you have problems with unsubscribing, please contact the password support team for help. Q: How do I change my email address for Guild mailings? A: You can update your own membership profile at any time by going to this page: http://www.hwg.org/member/profile.html. If you don't know your password, contact the password support team for help. Q: Can my company advertise in the Guild's newsletter? A: Yes; the Guild is offering sponsorship opportunities in HWG-News on a limited basis. If you are interested in advertising your web related product or service here, please send email to advertising@hwg.org or call (205) 422-4340. Discounts are available to Guild Business and Corporate members, as well as for multiple placements. The Guild's newsletter reaches over 117,000 web authors worldwide each month. (Note: The Guild does not make our member database available for third party use. We have a strong privacy policy and will not release our members' personal information; our mailing list is not for sale. Any questions regarding the Guild's advertising or privacy policies can be directed to advertising@hwg.org.) Q: What if I want to comment on this newsletter? A: The HWG-News Mailing List is a "Read-Only" list -- please do not try to reply to this message directly. If you wish to contact the editor of this newsletter, you may do so by sending email to editor@hwg.org. Each article begins with the contact information for the author as well. Copyright 2000, HTML Writers Guild, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Published twice monthly via email and WWW.