((((((((((((((((( WEBREFERENCE UPDATE NEWSLETTER ))))))))))))))))) June 14, 2001
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This week we review Style Master Pro, a nifty CSS editor from Western Civilization (don't you just love that name). Style Master makes creating and editing style sheets easy. In other news Slashdot's Jon Katz ponders the demise of the ubiquitous Net-based magazine and the Smart Tag controversy continues.
New this week on WebReference.com and the Web:
1. REVIEW: Style Master Pro 2. OTHER VOICES: * The Demise Of The Net Magazine * The Universal Canvas * Working toward the final resource 3. NET NEWS: * Microsoft Smart Tags: Changing the Nature of Hyperlinks? * Netscape 6.1 PR1 Released * Sites Integrate Discussion with News
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. REVIEW: Style Master Pro
Style Master Pro is a cascading style sheet editor for Macintosh and Windows. Style Master makes creating and editing style sheets easy. You don't have to know anything about the syntax and rules of cascading style sheets to create them. All you have to know is how you want your HTML documents to look, and Style Master makes it happen.
You can create new style sheets, or edit existing ones, all within a point and click interface. Once you've got the CSS statements and properties you want, you can preview your work in a default template, or have the sheet dynamically linked to any local Web page. What could be easier?
Style Master Pro supports CSS1 and CSS2. Style Master supports CSS1. The program creates valid CSS, and includes a built-in reference to explain each property, a nice HTML-based manual, and the program/site includes great tutorials to get you started. Best of all Western Civilization incorporates their browser compatibility guide into Style Master, so you don't have to worry about what works where.
>What are Style Sheets?
Style sheets contain a series of statements, which instruct a browser how to draw particular types of elements. Every statement has a selector and a series of properties. Example:
DT { font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin-top: .8em }
The above is a CSS statement from WebRef's front page. DT is the HTML element selector (could also be P or BODY etc.). The properties are font-size, weight, and margin-top.
To use Style Master you just pop open the program. It'll create a style sheet automatically for you from one of its built in CSS templates, or you can create one from scratch. Templates are just CSS Files that ship with the program.
Style Master shows you the style sheet not in toto (though of course you can also view the entire sheet), but as a group of selectors. Selectors are in one window, with properties for the current selector in another. To add or edit a statement you just select "New Statement," and choose a selector from a popup of valid selectors (HTML element, class, id, pseudo class, @, etc.).
For the above statement I'd leave the default "HTML element" (the most broad selector) and select the Descriptive Term element (DT). Then you modify the core properties of that selector (font, color, size, style, background etc.) and Style Master adds the statement dynamically to your style sheet.
The cool part is that if you've linked your style sheet to an existing page, the page is automatically updated *as you change your style sheet.* It's instant feedback! My one quibble was with the property window and the stubborn default to "px" for font size, even after I selected em units.
Style Master creates valid CSS, using long-hand notation. (font-size:1.2em; etc.) Shorthand style (font: bold 1.2em Arial,Helvetica,...) appeared to not be available. This is a great program for folks who are getting started in style sheets, and for folks who want to learn more about CSS.
[Note also that Western Civilization has a Layout Master program available that uses absolute and fixed positioning to layout pages visually.]
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. OTHER VOICES: The Demise Of The Net Magazine, The Universal Canvas, Working toward the final resource
>The Demise Of The Net Magazine
Jon Katz on recent online zine troubles and Big Media. http://slashdot.org/features/01/06/13/0520244.shtml Slashdot.org, June 14, 2001
>The Universal Canvas
How do you make posting disparate resources to the Web as easy as word processing? Content can flow when services trivially interconnect. The Spoke and Ektron adaptations of Microsoft's DHTML edit control give us an inspiring glimpse of what the universal canvas might someday be. By Jon Udell. http://www.byte.com/column/BYT20010608S0001 Byte.com, June 11, 2001
>Working toward the final resource
In his 1984 science-fiction novel, "The Final Encyclopedia," Gordon Dickson envisioned a future that included the ultimate reference and information tool - a computing machine providing fast and useful access to humanity's collective knowledge. Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world's wealthiest people, has been wondering about the same thing. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/opinion/dgillmor/dg061301.htm SiliconValley.com, June 12, 2001
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. NET NEWS: Microsoft Smart Tags: Changing the Nature of Hyperlinks?, Netscape 6.1 PR1 Released, Sites Integrate Discussion with News
>Netscape 6.1 PR1 Released
Netscape 6.1 PR1 features an improved user interface (with updated Modern theme), performance and stability enhancements, more efficient History and Bookmark Management features, auto-complete feature in searches (with a drop-down box like Explorer), improved downloading support, integration with Netscape WebMail, IM enhancements, various improvements to Mail client. http://cws.internet.com/netscape-netscape6.html CWSApps, June 14, 2001
>Microsoft Smart Tags: Changing the Nature of Hyperlinks?
The developer community was abuzz this week over Microsoft's quiet introduction of "Smart Tags" in Internet Explorer 2002. Set for release in October, Microsoft's beta version of the Windows XP operating system adds a feature that automatically cross references Word and Excel 2002 documents to other documents. What has developers buzzing is the addition of Internet Explorer 2002 to the mix. Smart Tags will search Web pages for certain words or phrases and then insert links not intended by the creator of the Web page (presumably to Microsoft-owned online properties).
After reading Microsoft's documentation, it appears that authors have to add tags to their pages manually to enable smart tags, though I need to so some more research. Also, webmasters who do not want to enable smart tags can "opt out" but critics are saying webmasters should instead be able to "opt in." http://msdn.microsoft.com/voices/office06072001.asp http://browserwatch.internet.com/news/stories2001/news-20010611-1.html Browserwatch.com, June 11, 2001
>Sites Integrate Discussion with News
As newspapers rethink their community publishing efforts, some publishers are putting renewed emphasis on story feedback. http://www.mediainfo.com/ephome/news/newshtm/stories/061101n3.htm Editor and Publisher, June 11, 2001
That's it for this week, see you next time.
Scott Clark Managing Editor, WebReference.com sclark@internet.com
Dan Ragle Assistant Editor, WebReference.com dragle@internet.com
Andrew King Newsletter Editor, WebReference.com aking@internet.com
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