The easiest part of web design is CSS (Cascading Style
Sheets). When you are starting out to
learn how to use CSS, you may be overwhelmed by the quantity of materials to
learn. If you take a look at the overall picture you may want to change your
career. If you look at CSS as a composition of modules which make the whole
picture, then you are on an interesting and fulfilling career. We are going to
take a trip through this journey together. I will share with you the secrets of
learning CSS that sailed me through the whole process.
Secret # 1: Before you set off to learn CSS. Understand what
CSS is, why CSS is important, what you will achieve by learning CSS. Having
these factors in mind, you will be able to appreciate CSS and understand every
aspect of it with ease. Learn the basics of JavaScript and
server side scripting languages. Once you know what they are and their uses, you
will know what you will use CSS for and what CSS will not be able to do for you.
Secret # 2: Learn and understand HTML and the DOM model. You
will never be able to have effective use CSS if you have no understanding of
the DOM model. With proper knowledge of the DOM model, you will be able to apply
selectors, which is the main part of the two part CSS syntax, well. With Knowledge of HTML and the DOM model, yu will be
almost halfway in learning CSS. You will never go wrong when it comes to
applying selectors with that knowledge.
Secret # 3: In any application scenario, each piece of CSS syntax
is divided into two parts; Selector and Declaration. Ensure you understand the
syntax structure before you start learning the application. The first thing to
do when using CSS is to identify which HTML part of your webpage is affected.
The affected CSS forms the selector, what you want to change forms the declaration. You can
have several selectors with one declaration or one selector with many
declarations. As a beginner, be in the habit of using only one selector with
all its declaration at one point. As you advance, you can then be able to
combine the selectors.
Secret # 4: The art of learning CSS is divided into two key
areas; learning to use the CSS elements and CSS best practices. If you give the
two areas a go at the same time, you are likely to be overwhelmed and give up
the race. Start by learning the elements. When you are comfortable with the use
of the elements, you can then start learning the best practices for each
element. Best practices are all about giving the site visitor good usage when they visit your site.
Secret # 5: Break down the entire CSS into modules. Identify
all the areas in CSS and then divide them into segments. Have a look at the
best designed websites. This will give you a sneak preview of what you need to
learn. You will also get a clue of what you will need to cover and how to do it better. Consult an expert
to guide you through CSS features that can be achieved by CSS and what features are
achieved by other web application technologies. One way of breaking the CSS
into modules could be: Selectors, layout, text modification, transformations,
transitions, form styling and effects. Learn each module to completion before
you move to the next module.
Secrets # 6: When you have completely learnt the elements
that make up CSS, learn the best practices. The most important best practice is
the use of the reset stylesheet. Each browser has its default CSS which is used
in the absence of any CSS. Resetting the CSS will give you an almost neutral
result when it comes to different browsers. Learn on how different web browsers
render each CSS element. That way, you will know how to handle any
inconsistencies that may appear in some
browsers.
Secret # 7: Visit blogs and forums to learn what is
trending. The best way to learn anything is to learn it from experts. Do not be afraid to
copy and use any CSS that is given out freely to learn. Copy and paste the
codes and run it to find what effects is brings on the webpage. Play around
with the code to find the changes it brings. You will be able to learn and
grasp more using already created codes.
Secret # 8: As you learn, create create pages applying the CSS you
have learnt. Improve the pages with any new knowledge acquired. You will be able to hold all you have learnt when you apply it well. Show out your webpages to others so that they can critique to help you improve your skills. In all you do, remember that you are doing everything for the user. The result should most importantly please the site visitors.
The 8 secrets of learning CSS fast will give you a guideline to Start. The duration of learning depends on your learning goals and how firm you stick to your goals.
