Cascading Style Sheets (Second Edition)
Course Specifications
Course number: 085501
Software: Windows (95, 98, 2000, Me, or XP) or Mac OS (8.6, 8.6.1, 9.x, or X).
Course length: 2.0 days
Course Description
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is an important component of successful Web design. It is integrated into HTML 4.0, so to create valid HTML 4.0 pages you should use CSS to control your colors, typography, and layout schemes, rather than the HTML style-oriented tags and attributes of previous versions of HTML.

In this course, you will be introduced to the concepts, techniques, properties, and values of CSS in a sequence that reflects a typical “building up” of design rules. You will first start with colors, since in many cases the colors you use for a site project will be dictated to you by the organization's existing color scheme. Color is also the simplest part of CSS, so it's a great place to get started. You will then learn how to control typography using text and font properties. Typographical styles are important to establish before you get into the layout of content areas because the size and spacing of your text will help define the size of your content sections. You will then explore the layout-oriented styles of CSS, including margins, padding, and absolute and relative positioning. Once you have established your layout, you can apply the finishing touches on your design, which might include customizing cursors, links, and forms, creating alternate style sheets, and many other techniques. 

Course Objective: You will learn how to use Cascading Style Sheets to design and develop Web sites.

Target Student: Experienced HTML authors or Web designers/developers who want to use CSS to create more powerful, efficient, and standards-compliant Web sites.

Prerequisites: To ensure your success, we recommend you first take the following Element K courses or have equivalent knowledge: 
•	HTML 4.01: Web Authoring, Level 1 (Second Edition) 
•	HTML 4.01: Web Authoring, Level 2 (Second Edition) 
Delivery Method: Instructor led, group-paced, classroom-delivery learning model with structured hands-on activities.
Hardware Requirements
•	A Pentium-class machine with a minimum processor speed of 233 MHz. 
•	At least 32 MB of RAM (64 MB recommended). 
•	An 800 x 600 or higher resolution monitor set to High Color (16-Bit) or higher. A resolution of 1024 x 768 is strongly recommended (a higher resolution will provide much-needed screen space in which to work). 
•	A working connection to the Internet (recommended). 
•	A networked or standalone printer. 
•	A PowerPC, G3, or G4 with a minimum processor speed of 266 MHz. 
•	At least 32 MB of RAM (64 MB recommended). 
•	An 800 x 600 or higher resolution monitor set to High Color (16-Bit) or higher. A resolution of 1024 x 768 is strongly recommended (a higher resolution will provide much-needed screen space in which to work). 
•	A working connection to the Internet (recommended). 
•	A networked or standalone printer. 
Software Requirements
•	Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me, or XP. 
•	Netscape 6.2 (or higher) installed with default settings. You can download this browser for free at http://www.netscape.com. 
•	Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) installed with default settings. You can download this browser for free at http://www.microsoft.com. 
•	Mac OS 8.6, 8.6.1, 9.x, or X. 
•	Netscape 6.2 (or higher) installed with default settings. You can download this browser for free at http://www.netscape.com. 
•	Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1 (or higher) installed with default settings. You can download this browser for free at http://www.microsoft.com. 
Performance-Based Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 
•	learn how to control color and typography.
•	create style sheets that cascade according to established guidelines.
•	design content sections using box properties.
•	learn how to control your page layouts with positioning.
•	enhance an existing design.
•	create alternate style sheets and link your pages to them, in order to enhance the accessibility and functionality of your Web sites.
Course Content
Lesson 1: Controlling Color and Typography
Topic 1A: Create an Embedded Style Sheet
Topic 1B: Apply Color
Topic 1C: Comment Your Code
Topic 1D: Modify Text Styles
Topic 1E: Modify Font Styles
Topic 1F: Create a Linked Style Sheet

Lesson 2: Designing with the Cascade
Topic 2A: Create Class Styles
Topic 2B: Create ID Styles
Topic 2C: Create Contextual Styles
Topic 2D: Target Styles to Elements with Specific Attributes
Topic 2E: Create Style Sheets that Cascade
Topic 2F: Import Style Sheets 
Topic 2G: Create Inline Styles

Lesson 3: Designing Content Sections
Topic 3A: Control Margins and Padding
Topic 3B: Create Borders
Topic 3C: Control Element Dimensions
Topic 3D: Create Floating Elements
Topic 3E: Control Content Overflow

Lesson 4: Controlling Layout with Positioning
Topic 4A: Controlling Layout with Absolute Positioning
Topic 4B: Create a Fixed, Multi-column Layout
Topic 4C: Create a Fluid, Multi-column Layout
Topic 4D: Control Layout with Relative Positioning
Topic 4E: Control the Display of Layered Elements
Topic 4F: Apply Fixed Positioning

Lesson 5: Enhancing an Existing Design
Topic 5A: Customize Cursors
Topic 5B: Customize Link Styles
Topic 5C: Customize Forms
Topic 5D: Display and Manipulate Background Images
Topic 5E: Customize Lists
Topic 5F: Create Generated Content 

Lesson 6: Creating Alternate Style Sheets 
Topic 6A: Create Accessible Style Sheets
Topic 6B: Apply User-Defined System Fonts and Colors 
Topic 6C: Create a Print Style Sheet