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This 4th edition of our best-selling book integrates all of the HTML and CSS skills that are needed on the job with the proven instructional approach that made the first three editions of this book so popular. And now, this new edition includes chapters on Flexible Box and Grid Layout, which are the latest approaches to Responsive Web Design.
Go to our instructor's site to learn more about this book and its instructor's materials.
Until now, my websites looked great but have been coded with what seems like 'duct-tape and bubble-gum' methods, just for appearances and not for professionalism nor compliance. This book taught me all [that is] possible with simple HTML5 and CSS3 coding... What a game changer!”
This book starts with an 8-chapter course that teaches you how to use HTML and CSS to build websites. This course works for beginners as well as experienced web designers, and the last chapter teaches you how to use Responsive Web Design so your pages will look good and work right on any screen, from phone to tablet to desktop.
When you complete this short course, you will be able to develop web pages at a professional level. Then, you can go on to any other section or chapter in this book to learn new skills whenever you need them.
The two chapters in this section show how to use the latest CSS3 modules for responsive page layout: Flexible Box and Grid Layout. These modules let you build modern page layouts without using floating. That’s why knowing how to use both of these modules has become an essential skill on the job.
This section presents all of the other HTML and CSS skills that you may need. That includes:
Once you have a good grasp of how to develop web pages, you can understand today’s best practices for designing a site, as shown in chapter 17 of this section. Then, chapter 18 not only shows how to deploy a site on a web server, but also how to get the site indexed on the major search engines and directories.
Chapter 19 in this section shows how to add JavaScript and jQuery features to web pages...without knowing how to code JavaScript and jQuery. That will answer some of the questions you might have about the common features that you see on websites, like image swaps and slide shows.
After you finish this chapter, you’ll probably want to learn how to write your own JavaScript and jQuery routines so you can customize the features of your website. So when you’re ready for that, you can get our JavaScript and jQuery book.
This section (and book) ends with chapter 20, which introduces some of the third-party development tools that professional developers use...like Emmet, SASS, Bootstrap, GitHub, and Node.js. That will give you some useful perspective on what you’re likely to encounter on the job.
This book is for anyone who wants to develop web pages at a thoroughly professional level. That includes:
Most important are the two new chapters on Responsive Web Design that show how to use Flexible Box and Grid Layout for page layout so that your websites look good and work right on any screen or device. These have become essential skills on the job.
In addition, there’s a new chapter on third-party development tools that are popular today. This provides a nice perspective on what you can expect in the real world.
Beyond that, every chapter in the book has been improved, enhanced, and upgraded. That’s why this book works even better than the previous edition.
Although you can use a text editor as simple as Notepad to code HTML and CSS, a text editor that includes syntax coloring, auto-completion, and error-marking will help you build web pages more quickly and with fewer errors. That in turn means that you will learn faster.
That’s why our book recommends Brackets as the text editor. This editor was developed by Adobe; it’s available for free; it can be used for entering HTML and CSS (and JavaScript, too); and it runs on both Windows and Mac OS systems. To help you get started with this editor, the appendix in our book shows how to download and install the software, and chapter 2 gives you a tutorial on using it.
If you already have a favorite editor or IDE, you can of course use that. But if you don’t have a favorite, Brackets has some excellent features.
To run and test web applications, you should use at least two browsers. Since Internet Explorer, Edge, and Safari are installed automatically on Windows or Mac OS systems, you’re likely to already have one browser. Then, for the second browser, you should install Chrome because it’s the most popular browser and because this book shows how to use some of its developer tools. That’s why the appendix in this book shows how to download and install Chrome.
If you combine this book with Murach’s JavaScript and jQuery, you’ll be on your way toward mastering client-side development. This companion book takes you from beginner to expert as it presents the JavaScript and jQuery skills that you need for building client-side applications. And unlike other books, it uses a tightly integrated approach that shows you how to use JavaScript for what it does best, and how to use jQuery for what it does best.
“As I am completing Chapter 15 in your HTML5 & CSS book, I just want to let you know how much I enjoy this book, all the cool things I am learning that continually have me saying ‘wow’ as I go through the chapters.”
- Dawn Kaczor, Groveland, MA
"An excellent source for anybody, novice or professional, looking to get started with HTML5 and CSS3. It is my go-to guide when I’m designing web pages."
- Jamie McMahon, DreamInCode.net
“Entry-level options don't get any better.You'll have all the skills you need to create basic web pages by the end, including HTML structure, styling with CSS, mobile web design, as well as basic JavaScript and jQuery skills.”
- Posted at an online bookseller
“For me, the great thing about this book is the way it is laid out. Information is on the left page and the visual of what is being discussed is on the right page - genius!”
- Posted at an online bookseller
"I needed to solve some specific issues with our company website, so I dove directly into the chapters that addressed my problems. Chapter 12, How to format web pages for printing, was worth the price of the book all by itself. It allowed us to unsnarl the mess we had made of the printed version of our web pages because we got our original instructions from online articles and blogs."
- Marnie Hutcheson; posted at an online bookseller
“What makes the book better than so many other technical books is how it uses a running example that becomes more complex, and weaves in lots of CSS3 along the way. It's been very helpful towards learning the fundamentals, and not merely being used as a cookbook.”
- Posted at an online bookseller
“I usually do not like big thick programming books, but I was very impressed on how this book was structured and organized. Unlike other programming books, it was not boring at all and it was so well written that it was very easy to follow, understand, and most importantly, to LEARN from. After reading this book at work, I decided to purchase a copy of my own.”
- Posted at an online bookseller
"This is not just a training book, but also something of a cookbook and reference guide. I can see it not spending much time on my bookshelf!"
- David Bolton, news.dice.com
“In the typical Murach style, this book walks you through HTML in a clever step-by-step fashion, making it extremely easy to learn and remember. As an added benefit, the book teaches you best practices for making your web page easily accessible on the web, along with SEO every step of the way.”
- Posted at an online bookseller
“It's the first time I bought a book and enjoyed every page of it. I've been doing web developing for a while. Never saw a book like this. A++++”
- Posted at an online bookseller
View the table of contents for this book in a PDF: Table of Contents (PDF)
Click on any chapter title to display or hide its content.
The components of a web application
How static web pages are processed
How dynamic web pages are processed
A survey of web browsers and server-side scripting languages
How client-side JavaScript fits into web development
The HTML for a web page
The CSS for a web page
A short history of the HTML and CSS standards
Text editors for HTML and CSS
IDEs for web development
FTP programs for uploading files to the web server
How to view a web page
How to view the source code for a web page
Users and usability
Cross-browser compatibility
User accessibility
Search engine optimization
Responsive Web Design
The basic structure of an HTML document
How to code elements and tags
How to code attributes
How to code comments and whitespace
How to code CSS style rules and comments
How to code basic selectors
How to open and close the folder for a website
How to open, close, and display files
How to start a new HTML file
How to edit an HTML file
How to start and edit a CSS file
How to use split view and the Quick Edit feature
How to preview an HTML file
How to test and debug a web page
How to validate an HTML file
How to validate a CSS file
How to code the title element
How to link to a favicon
How to include metadata
How to code headings and paragraphs
How to code special blocks of text
How to code inline elements for formatting and identifying text
How to code character entities
How to code the core attributes
How to use the primary HTML5 semantic elements
How to use some of the other HTML5 semantic elements
When and how to code div and span elements
How to code absolute and relative URLs
How to code links
How to code lists
How to include images
The page layout
The HTML file
Three ways to provide CSS styles for a web page
Two ways to provide for browser compatibility
How to specify measurements
How to specify colors
How to use the CSS3 color specifications
How to code selectors for all elements, element types, ids, and classes
How to code relational selectors
How to code combinations of selectors
How to code attribute selectors
How to code pseudo-class and pseudo-element selectors
How the cascade rules work
How to use the developer tools to inspect the styles that have been applied
How to set the font family and font size
How to set the other properties for styling fonts
How to set properties for formatting text
How to use CSS3 to add shadows to text
How to float an image so text flows around it
The page layout
The HTML file
The CSS file
How the box model works
A web page that illustrates the box model
How to set heights and widths
How to set margins
How to set padding
The HTML for the web page
The CSS for the web page
A version of the CSS that uses a reset selector
How to set borders
How to use CSS3 to add rounded corners and shadows to borders
How to set background colors and images
How to use CSS3 to set background gradients
The HTML for the web page
The CSS for the web page
How to float and clear elements
How to use floating in a 2-column, fixed-width layout
How to use floating in a 2-column, fluid layout
How to use floating in a 3-column, fixed-width layout
The home page
The HTML for the home page
The CSS for the home page
The speaker page
The HTML for the speaker page
The CSS for the speaker page
The CSS3 properties for creating text columns
A 2-column web page with a 2-column article
Four ways to position an element
How to use absolute positioning
How to use fixed positioning
A sidebar that uses positioning
How to code unordered lists
How to code ordered lists
How to code nested lists
How to code description lists
How to change the bullets for an unordered list
How to change the numbering system for an ordered list
How to change the alignment of list items
How to link to another page
How to format links
How to use a link to open a new browser window or tab
How to create and link to placeholders
How to link to a media file
How to create email, phone, and Skype links
How to create a vertical navigation menu
How to create a horizontal navigation menu
How to create a 2-tier navigation menu
How to create a 3-tier navigation menu
The CSS for a 3-tier navigation menu
The three components of a responsive design
How to test a responsive design
Fluid layouts vs. fixed layouts
How to convert fixed widths to fluid widths
How to use other units of measure with responsive design
How to size fonts
How to scale images
A web page with a fluid design
How to control the mobile viewport
How to code media queries
Common media queries for a responsive design
How to build responsive menus with the SlickNav plugin
The design of the web page
The HTML for the web page
The CSS for the web page
An introduction to flexbox
How to create your first flexible box
How to align flex items along the main axis
How to align flex items along the cross axis
How to wrap and align wrapped flex items
How to allocate space to flex items
How to change the order of flex items
The design of the web page
The HTML for the main structural elements
The CSS for desktop layout
The CSS for mobile layouts
An introduction to Grid Layout
How to create a basic grid
How to set the size of grid tracks
How to align grid items and grid tracks
How to use numbered lines
How to use named lines
How to use template areas
How to use the 12-column grid concept
The design of the web page
The HTML for the structural elements
CSS that uses template areas
CSS that uses a 12-column grid
The headline and gallery layout
The fixed sidebar layout
The advanced grid layout
Types of images for the Web
How to include an image on a page
How to resize an image
How to align an image vertically
How to float an image
How to use the HTML5 figure and figcaption elements
How to use the picture element
How to do image rollovers
How to create image maps
When to use an image editor
How to get images
How to get and work with icons
How to create favicons
How to work with Scalable Vector Graphics
An introduction to tables
How to create a table
How to add a header and footer
How to use CSS properties to format a table
How to use the CSS3 structural pseudo-classes for formatting tables
How to use the HTML5 figure and figcaption elements with tables
How to merge cells in a column or row
How to provide for accessibility
How to nest tables
How to control wrapping
How to make a table responsive
How to create a form
How to use buttons
How to use text fields
How to use radio buttons and check boxes
How to use drop-down lists
How to use list boxes
How to use text areas
How to use labels
How to group controls with fieldset and legend elements
How to use a file upload control
How to align controls
How to format controls
How to set the tab order and assign access keys
The HTML5 attributes and CSS3 selectors for data validation
How to use regular expressions for data validation
How to use a datalist to present entry options
How to use the email, url, and tel controls
How to use the number and range controls
How to use the date and time controls
How to use the search control for a search function
How to use the color control
How to use the output element to display output data
How to use the progress and meter elements to display output data
The page layout
The HTML
The CSS
Common media types for video and audio
Video codecs
Audio codecs
Audio and video support in current browsers
How to encode media
How to use the object and param elements
How to use the embed element
How to use the HTML5 video and audio elements
The page layout
The HTML
How to use the CSS3 @font-face selector to embed fonts
How to use Google Web Fonts
How to use Adobe Edge Web Fonts
How to define the style sheets and style rules for printed pages
Recommendations for print formatting
CSS properties for printed pages
The web page
The links to the style sheets
The printed page
The CSS for the print style sheet
How to code transitions
How to create an accordion using transitions
How to code 2D transforms
A gallery of images with 2D transforms
How to code simple animations
How to set the keyframes for a slide show
How to code filters
The ten filter methods applied to the same image
What web users want is usability
The current conventions for usability
Think mobile from the start
Use the home page to sell the site
Let the users know where they are
Make the best use of web page space
Divide long pages into shorter chunks
Know the principles of graphics design
Write for the web
The lifecycle of a website
Step 1: Define the audience and set the goals
Step 2: Develop the site map
Step 3: Wireframe the critical pages
Step 4: Illustrate the critical pages
Development teams
Top-down design and prototyping
How to find a web host
How to get a domain name
How to install FileZilla Client
How to connect to a website on a remote web server
How to upload and download files
How to test a website that has been uploaded to the web server
How to get your website into search engines
How to control which pages are indexed and visited
How to maintain a healthy website
How JavaScript works
Three ways to include JavaScript in a web page
How DOM scripting works
Methods and properties for DOM scripting
How JavaScript handles events
The HTML
The JavaScript
How to include jQuery in your web pages
How to code jQuery selectors, methods, and event methods
The HTML
The jQuery
The Image Swap application
A Slide Show application
Three sources for tested JavaScript and jQuery
Some of the most useful tools
How these tools can make you more productive
How to use Emmet
How to use Git and Github
How to use Sass to nest style rules
How to use Sass variables and mixins
How to configure Bootstrap
How to use the Bootstrap grid system
How to use Bootstrap components
Node.js for server-side development
The Node Package Manager
How to install Gulp.js and Gulp.js plugins
How to create and run Gulp.js tasks
On a Windows system
On a Mac OS system
For Windows users
For Mac OS users
To give you an idea of how well this book works, you can download this chapter. It shows you how to use the CSS box model to control the spacing above, below, and on the sides of elements like headings, text, and images.
This chapter also shows you how to use CSS to add borders or backgrounds to elements. That includes the CSS3 features that let you round the corners of borders, add shadows to borders, and provide gradients as backgrounds...without using the images that were required before CSS3.
Chapter 5 PDF (1,148Kb) Download Now
This download includes:
Appendix A in the book shows how to install and use these files on Windows and Mac systems.
Exe file for Windows (34.6Mb) Download Now
Zip file for any system (34.6Mb) Download Now
To view the "Frequently Asked Questions" for this book in a PDF, just click on this link: View the questions
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Then, if you find any other errors, please email us so we can correct them in the next printing of the book. Thank you!
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