Uploading Your Work

Once you have created some nice XHTML pages using CSS you will want to try uploading it to the web for the world to see. Your interent provider usually provides some limited web space for you. Check your providers web site to see if they offer it. Usually you will need an ftp software like FileZilla to upload your files to the web. Most major internet providers usually will have instructions on their web pages on how to do this. If your internet service provider doesn't provide you with any of this, don't dispair, there are plenty of free web site hosting services available.

Testing for Bugs

Now that you have made some sample pages it's time to do some testing. Just because your code is perfectly XHTML and CSS compliant according to the latest W3C spec doesn't mean that your site is going to look great in all browsers. The two major browsers Internet Explorer and Firefox both don't fully comply with the latest CSS specs and on top of that they can have bugs that will cause you trouble. Personally I usually check my pages in Firefox first because it is much more compliant with the specs and then I test in Internet Explorer and fix any issues that may come up. I'll get into how I fix some of those issues in a later post for now just take a look and appreciate the fact that there are differences that you will need to account for.

Practise, Practise, Practise

Practising your XHTML and CSS can't really be emphasized enough. Just reading about web site development isn't going to make you an expert, you will need some practise as well. So while you are going through the tutorails I mentioned in Learning XHTML and CSS, make sure that you try creating a simple web page with some of the things you have learned. Open up notepad or your favorite htlml editor like Nvu and try some of the examples. Once you save your file with the .html extension you should be able to view it in your web browser. This will help you remember what you've learned and put you on the road to web masterdom. Well ok, not quite yet, there are still things we need to cover.

Learning XHTML and CSS

If you are just starting to learn how to build and design web sites or even if you you have designed web sites for a long time using table layouts and regular HTML, I highly recommend brushing up on the basics. W3 Schools has some great online tutorials that don't cost you a dime. If you are just starting out you can begin by reading the Learn HTML section. Of course reading through the Learn XHTML and Learn CSS sections is practically a must for anyone trying to learn XHTML and CSS.

CSS Required

This will be a blog covering my adventures in developing web sites using CSS and XHTML. I hope you will enjoy the unfolding journey through all the aches and pains as well as the small victories that keep me going.