Web Design Help

Submitted by natobasso on Sat, 2007-09-15 17:21.

Member's Forum

I am stuck. I'm a web designer but not apparently a particularly good one because I'm totally in a quagmire about how to design a website for my company. I've designed it, made my slices, even output it all to CSS, but for the life of me I just can't get this done.

Here's what I want:

Website with header, link bar, 2 columns layout in main content area, and a footer. What makes this hard is when I go the CSS route instead of tables I can't use a javascript pull down menu for the navigation. When I go tables I can't seem to make all the graphics fit -- the table won't sit still long enough for me to get all the graphics into it. Ugh.

I am using ASP.Net and Visual Web Developer Express 2005 because I want to utilize asp search functionality when the design is complete as well as create a template for all pages. The other problem is once the template is created, I don't know how to create editable areas on the child pages. Ugh again.

So. All the web designers here. What's your process? Can you help me make mine more effective? As of right now, I've got a week to finish this small, 7 page, site. I can edit pages till the cows come home, just need to get over this hump.

Any help appreciated!

Found a lot of info

Submitted by natobasso on Mon, 2007-09-17 18:21.

Found a lot of info here:
http://csscreator.com/?q=node/3986

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Powerpoint is not a design application

Check with Zagadka

Submitted by griffoso on Tue, 2007-09-18 00:32.

You may want to seek some advise from Zagadka he looks like he has an excellent handle on website design..Excellent work by him on a previous post!
Check it out..

URL? ---- Powerpoint is not

Submitted by natobasso on Tue, 2007-09-18 14:37.

URL?

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Powerpoint is not a design application

I don't know much about

Submitted by zagadka on Tue, 2007-09-18 14:56.

I don't know much about HTML/CSS coding, I just don't do it any more. I only do Flash projects. Sorry.

Thanks griffoso by the ways, about your recommendation and kind words.

My Pleasure

Submitted by griffoso on Wed, 2007-09-19 01:48.

Your work is topnotch I took a chance that you would know a bit to help with HTML/CSS

It's funny, I've actually

Submitted by natobasso on Tue, 2007-09-18 15:21.

It's funny, I've actually had a breakthrough with CSS and I'm designing my company's product website entirely in CSS; no tables. Woo hoo! Here's the site where I found the tips:

Glish

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Powerpoint is not a design application

I'm a big fan of designing

Submitted by stephanie on Tue, 2007-09-18 17:35.

I'm a big fan of designing web pages in pure CSS, so if you need any help, I'm here for you. What specifically are you wanting help with?

What I noticed with CSS is that there are no steps that worked for me for learning how to create websites with it - I learned by diving in and trying test+refresh process.

Are you wanting it fixed or fluid? Would a basic 3-column CSS code help any? Once you can see how the layout corresponds to the code, it's easier to make up your own in the future. Just let me know. :] My addy is stephanie[at]perfectlylost[dot]com.

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Perfectly Lost Designs

Stephanie, thank you so much

Submitted by natobasso on Tue, 2007-09-18 18:18.

Stephanie, thank you so much for the reply! Funny how I was so frustrated last week and this week all of a sudden I'm getting it. My code is probably a little off from ordinary, but based on the code I found at the weblink I posted things are going well in IE and Firefox so I'm excited.

Any example code you've worked on that I could look at? I'm always trying to improve my work/coding progress. I come from a 12 year print background and 7 years of really basic html work. I'm studying asp.net as well but haven't been able to implement this much beyond using Visual Web Developer Express for my hard coding and visual editing.

The next thing I need is some good javascript or css code for pull down menus for the navigation. Any thoughts?

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Powerpoint is not a design application

OpenCube

Submitted by Creative_NRG on Tue, 2007-09-18 18:22.

Check out OpenCube for pull down menus.
http://www.opencube.com/

I used them on a church site I did.

http://www.stmoftours.org/school

Looks interesting! Free?

Submitted by natobasso on Tue, 2007-09-18 18:58.

Looks interesting! Free? Shareware?

[edit: Whoah. A little out of my price range!]

Great site!

Your menu on that site is very close to what I need. Which package would I need to purchase in order to get that menu style?

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Powerpoint is not a design application

Hmmmm

Submitted by Creative_NRG on Tue, 2007-09-18 19:52.

Hmmm, back in 2005 when I grabbed the OpenCude DHTML menu code they had a 'freeware' version of QuickMenus which I used. From what I see they seem to have eliminated that option.

You could also find other free options here.

http://www.dynamicdrive.com
http://simplythebest.net/scripts/DHTML_scripts/dhtml_menu_scripts.html

Thanks again. Great

Submitted by natobasso on Tue, 2007-09-18 20:53.

Thanks again. Great links!

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Powerpoint is not a design application

Creative_NRG, I like what

Submitted by natobasso on Tue, 2007-09-18 22:20.

Creative_NRG, I like what you did with your code. Was checking source and everything is commented and included very cleanly. Definitely trust your advice!

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Powerpoint is not a design application

Thanks

Submitted by Creative_NRG on Wed, 2007-09-19 00:12.

Thanks for the kind words. I try to keep my code clean and organized. It's not the best but i continue to make improvements as I move forward. [I won't show you some of my earlier work] UGLY! ;)

If you can't find any pull down menu code that works just drop me a line at 'hky_puck [at] yahoo [dot] com' and I'll send you the javascript files I used. With that and looking at the website you can quickly and easily implement on your site.

Best regards!

Drop Down Menus

Submitted by Mintsauce on Wed, 2007-09-19 08:23.

Hey Natobasso, you can create dropdown menus like the DHTML purely in CSS no need for Java Script or anything like that. It's effective and loads a lot faster. I've used it myself a couple of times and love it. And if you call it from a psp or asp page you only need to change it once when editing.

I used it in the site below. Please excuse the CSS implementation over the rest of the site. It's a little sloppy, as I was still learning a lot, but the menu implementation is near perfect.

http://www.executive-helicopters.co.za/

I attached a ZIP file with the index.html, styles.css and styles-ie.css as well as the background image for the rollover, if you were interested in implementing image dropdowns. It works without them as well.

Download ZIP here: dropdown.zip

(REFERENCE: This is based off the SuckerFish Dropdowns found at A List Apart : http://www.alistapart.com/articles/dropdowns/ )

Thanks! Awesome! Btw, are

Submitted by natobasso on Wed, 2007-09-19 16:13.

Thanks! Awesome!

Btw, are you in South Africa?

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Powerpoint is not a design application

South Africa

Submitted by Mintsauce on Wed, 2007-09-19 17:13.

That's right, I live close to Cape Town.

Cheers! I follow a bit of

Submitted by natobasso on Wed, 2007-09-19 19:44.

Cheers! I follow a bit of the rugby (wife's a kiwi, I'm a yank) and South Africa is a serious contender! I see the All Blacks and Springboks in the final...

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Powerpoint is not a design application

rugby rocks..

Submitted by archmedia on Thu, 2007-09-20 03:04.

ever since moving to Las Vegas from Canada, i've been depressed. We have ONE rugby team in this city, and they play in the southern california league. So most games they're on the road. Not exactly what i was looking for :( i miss playing on a sunday league back home with 12 teams in the league.

If only americans would catch onto sucha great sport.

with that said, check out www.projectseven.com I haven't used them much in the last few years, but they've put out some good stuff.

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Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us

You should come down to San

Submitted by natobasso on Thu, 2007-09-20 03:12.

You should come down to San Diego next year for USA Sevens!!!

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Powerpoint is not a design application

oh hell yeah!!

Submitted by archmedia on Thu, 2007-09-20 03:16.

i LOVE san diego. didn't know you were that close.
hmmmmmm rugby, beer, san diego.... what could be better.
____________________________________________
Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us

For Sure!

Submitted by Mintsauce on Thu, 2007-09-20 10:19.

All Blacks vs Springboks will the an amazing final. I think most of us are hoping for that. I'm actually moving to the US beginning next year, marrying a sweet girl form the South. I don't think I've seen anyone down there play rugger.

SOUTH AFRICA vs USA
Date 30 September 2007
Time 20:00 (Paris Time)

Can't miss this game, now can we?

hahaha

Submitted by archmedia on Thu, 2007-09-20 15:23.

closest thing to rugby in the south is football without pads during a fourth of july party in a trailer park. all of that being played in the gravel parking lot that used to be the swimming pool.
____________________________________________
Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us