Can someone help me with CSS?

Ok peoples,

I have a basic understanding of web design using HTML exclusively. However, I'd like to start using CSS, as it makes presentation of the website much easier and more professional looking.


First, are CSS and HTML intertwined?

My understanding is that CSS is applied to HTML to format and arrange it, as opposed to changing each individual tag for fonts etc, or using frames for layout.

Now, while creating my website, I've used the built in CSS templates in Dreamweaver CS3 as a basic outline. Should I make a basic page first, and then add it to the template (if that is even possible), or do I cut and paste my material over the placeholder text in the templates?

Next, how do I add more things to the templates.

For example, if there is a header, body, footer layout, how would I go about making another header to place a logo (which would be the new header [div]), over a banner (which would be the old header)?


If this sounds too convoluted, here is a basic idea of what I want to do:

I want a logo, banner, body, footer, and sidebar. I have the material (i.e. text, images, etc...) that I want to use in the site. What is my first step?

I purchased a Dreamweaver guide book, but each chapter seems to stand on its own. I have a general understanding of each individual concept - I'm just having a hard time putting it all together.

Any help would be appreciated.

Anyone?

CSS and HTML are certainly intertwined, but perhaps not the way you think. There are three types of CSS, in-line, embedded, and external. In-Line allows you to apply styling to a line or section within an HTML document. Embedded has the style defined in the HTML document to which it applies, but this time the style is applied to the entire HTML document. External CSS allows you to generate a document outside the HTML document. Your HTML document will contain a reference to this external document. These are very useful when you want to apply styling to multiple pages since each HTML document can reference the same CSS. This is also quite useful when making changes as you only need to change the CSS, and each HTML document will update automatically.

As for adding additional things to your template, yes, you can do basically what you outlined, but this would primarily be done using HTML and not CSS. As you noted, CSS is mostly for formatting, whereas the HTML is for incorporating content.

I would recommend doing a search on Google for some fundamental HTML and CSS information as there are a ton of great resources out there.

I hope that helped answer your questions. Best of luck!

Sean

Google for CSS + HTML tutorials and the more you get into it the more you will understand it. Try looking at other people's code. A good CSS/xHTML book wouldn't hurt either.
Download Firefox (if you haven't already) and install CSS Viewer and Web Developer extensions, they will make your life 100x easier.

This is also worth a look - doesn't get updated much now, but all the sites here are completely CSS driven.

http://www.mezzoblue.com/zengarden/alldesigns/

www.w3schools.com

Good site for learning the basics of all aspects of web design and development.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/
http://alistapart.com/
http://meyerweb.com/

books:
transcending CSS
CSS Mastery
Web Standards Creativity

There are lots more if you google.