Thursday, March 24, 2011

Merits and Demerits of Using a CSS Framework

CSS is a style sheet language that helps in better presentation of the documents. It provides a lot of options to be used in HTML development. It helps in the faster and easier development of web pages. A CSS framework helps to contain predefined libraries of code. This is the reason why people have started opting for PSD to CSS conversion. The grid based framework helps to set up a multi-column arrangement with predefined pixel widths so you can focus on creating content instead of lining up blocks of text. However, the question arises whether it is good to use a CSS framework. Let us discuss the merits and demerits of using a CSS framework.

psd to css framework


Merits
•1Use of CSS framework speeds up your development. It provides you code for common tasks like resets etc. so that you do not have to write it every time.

• It enables cross browser functionality. CSS framework ensures that your web application looks similar on all browsers. It does so by providing a suitable code.

• It gives you a clean and symmetrical layout. The grid-based CSS framework helps to set up a multi-column arrangement with predefined pixel widths. It saves you the effort of tweaking the pixel widths of columns to find out whether they line up.

• CSS framework helps to enforce a good web design habit. It allows you to include a print style sheet and provides you a set of selectors. You can use them for all websites you want to develop with the framework. It helps to create consistency in web design and you do not have to remember what you did for one site or another.

Demerits
• A CSS framework restricts your freedom. It has a standard set of grids, selectors which limit what one can do with a design, its layout, grid width, button types etc. Eventually you are left with the same framework in order to save time and develop design quickly. On the other hand, if you do not use CSS framework, you will spend more time to learn the code and use a new framework.

• It also adds extra code to your design. This is because it adds some code which you may not use for every feature of a framework. This way you get stuck with extra code. It could become a problem especially if you want to design a light website.

• It forces you to use the framework's semantics. If you have a preferred system for CSS elements, this could prove to be annoying. However, if you plan to collaborate with other developers and designers, it could be a problem.

• It consumes a lot of time. If you are not familiar with CSS framework, it may take a lot of time for you to get accustomed to it. Thus you will lose a lot of time.

Thus we have seen that CSS framework has its own set of merits and demerits. In order to get the best results you should hire a reputed PSD to CSS service provider who can use CSS effectively and provide a quality result.

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

How to Make PSD to HTML Conversion More Effective?

It is a well known fact that PSD to HTML/XHTML conversion is not only necessary but also plays a significant role in the success of a website. The functionality, performance and success of a site depends on this conversion to a great extent. To convert PSD to HTML, one needs to have proper coding skills and required experience. Read further and you will find out how to make this conversion more effective.


Only a good website layout is not enough to make good ROI for your business. A website should also have good functionality and easy to use features. This is why PSD to HTML conversion is so important. It is extremely important to ensure that the HTML markup has a clean code structure. It ensures that the site loads easily.

It is very important to ensure that the converted result is more precise in pixel pattern against the original website design. Pixel perfect code ensures that a site bears consistent look through out different browsers. One should keep an eye on all the backgrounds, including header, body and footer of the web page. You must ensure that they all expand as wide as the screen and mix well with the content. Ensure that the HTML code is well optimized. A well optimized HTML code helps you to maintain good rankings on all popular search engines.

It is also important to properly check the coding. The code should be cross browser compatible. Better cross browser compatibility ensures that your website is accessible via different major browsers like IE, Firefox, Opera, Chrome etc. and their different versions as well. You must ensure that the whole conversion is carried out effectively. Nothing can beat a hand coded markup. It ensures quality and error free code. Whereas, the use of a software to generate the code may prove to be fatal for your site. Automated conversion is not reliable as it contains many errors. Therefore, steer clear of service providers who make use of software to convert PSD to XHTML/HTML.

The whole conversion should be carried out keeping in mind the web guidelines. This is where the role of W3C validation comes into play. World wide web consortium provides guidelines for web designers to design well structured websites. A website adhering to these guidelines functions properly without any glitches. Therefore, you must ensure that the service provider you hire develops a website as per W3C guidelines.

By following the above mentioned steps, you can make your PSD to CSS/HTML conversion more effective. It will ensure that you get the best results out of this conversion. That is, you will get a highly well structured website with good functionality and attractive interface. You can expect to gain maximum visitors and sales from such a website.