HTML And CSS Mentor

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Ranked #82 in Squidoo Tips, #5,647 overall

HTML And CSS Makes Your Lens Look Great!!!

Many of you start writing your lenses without any HTML and CSS, but as you start understanding Squidoo, you want to learn how to spice your lenses up. HTML and CSS is just the ticket that you may be looking for.

Here, on this lens, you will learn from me how to use HTML and CSS. My name is Trekkiemelissa and I am your HTML and CSS Mentor; a citizen Squid.

To find your answer, look through the links below. If you still can't find the answer, please leave a message in the guestbook below. (Be sure to log in so I can answer your question directly!) If you need to know the direct code, you are better off emailing me through the contact me link.

What Does HTML and CSS Stand For? 

HTML stands for hyper text markup language and CSS stands for cascade style sheets. I know this may sound confusing to you, but as you start learning, a lightbulb will start lighting up in your head. Please do not expect to learn everything overnight, because I can tell you it does not happen right away, but as you start using it more, the more you will understand. I know this may sound greek to you right now, but have patience. You will learn HTML and CSS.

Polling Station!!! 

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My Tips to You 

Before Jumping in

  • Don't expect to understand HTML and CSS Right away. Rome was not built in one day after all.
  • Take baby steps. Learn one thing, then come back. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed.
  • Don't give up. All else fails, contact me and I will try to help you. With HTML and CSS, if you miss one thing, there are problems.
  • When using HTML or CSS, choose colors that are going to complement each other so that you are not overdoing it.

Learn About Squidoo's WYSWYG Editor!!! 

Basic HTML

Basic Codes 

These are codes that you will be using on a regular basis so they are very important to know.

Paragraph - <p>
Bold - <b>
Underline - <u>
Italics - <i>

 

Adding Links and Images 

<a href="yourwebaddress.com">Webaddress Name</a> If you want the link to open up in a new window you would have to do this <a href="yourwebaddress.com" target="blank">Webaddress Name</a>

For images its similar but instead its <img src="imagewebaddress.jpg">

If you want to put the link and image together it would be like this: <a href="yourwebaddress.com"><img src="imagewebaddress.jpg"></a> The way to look at this section is when you write a link, and where you put in the text normally is where the image is now. It replaces that.



Check Out Our Image and Video Mentor. She explains the some of the same things I had explained above.

 

Here are some more lenses about linking.

Basic CSS

Some Information About Fonts 

Check These Out For Color Options 

Borders and Rounded Corners 

Do You want to learn about adding borders around your boxes, this explains your options.






Bulleted Lists 

Have you ever wondered how to created bullet lists without using the text list module. This explains how its done.





Adding Width and Background Color!!! 

To add width, you would have to do this: <p style="border: dotted 2px #000000;width:500px;"> You Should notice that there will be an ending of </p>If you want to add text to the inside the borders like I have done with this lense,you need to put the text in between <p style="border: dotted 2px #000000;width:500px;"> and this.</p>

If the text seems too close to the edge of the borders, you can move it farther away from the border by adding ;padding to it. This is what you would get with the previous examples. <p style="border: dotted 2px #000000;width:500px;padding; 5px"> As you can tell I used 5px as the padding.

The 500px is not set in stone. Experiment with the numbers and you should see what you get. The 2px you see is how thick the border is. You can play with that too.

To add background color you need to do this: <p style="border: dotted 2px #000000;width:500px; background: #FFCCCC">

To add text color to this you need to do this: <p style="border: dotted 2px #000000;width:500px; background: #FFCCCC;color: #FFFFFF;">

As you do all of this, look at the pattern on how this is done. You may not get everything right away, but as you do it more, you will start understanding how it is done. Basically all I had done was add width: 500px. The 500px does not have to be 500px. The number can be anything you want as long as you add the px right after it. Instead of using the 500px, you can always use percentages also. I usually use that on the top module here. Why? Different computers see things differently. A smaller screen will see one thing and a bigger screen will see another. If you set the width of 400px, it may drop down to the next line if you have a smaller screen and yet if you have a bigger screen, less chance of a new line. With percentage, it works with your screen and does not typically drop down to a new line like the fixed width. Fixed width is like 500px and fluid would be like 50%.

Backgrounds and Much More 

Here, I am discussing some of the fun things you can do with backgrounds.

Alignment 

<p style="border: dotted 2px #000000;width:500px; float: right; font-size: 20px">

You notice that I added ;float:right

So if you want left you'd do this:;float:left

Padding and Margins 

You probably have seen some things on some lenses and have no idea how they did it. Padding is where you having padding on all sides around a area. Take some of the codes that you have learned before and add padding: 10px; That is all you have to do. Remember you can whatever number you feel is right. If you only one side, then you would put the side to padding like say you just wanted padding on the right, you would do padding-right: 10px;.

If you want to add margins, you would do something similar to the padding. Instead of adding padding, you would add margins instead.

Table Of Contents 

Other HTML and CSS Related Lenses 

Do You Need HTML and CSS Help? 

Feel free to leave your comments here. If you have a question, feel free to ask away.
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  • Reply
    rtyndall rtyndall Nov 15, 2009 @ 7:29 pm
    Thanks for the great info. I have already utilized them. Have a look http://www.squidoo.com/MaryLand-Crabs
    Something that I do and others can do it too. If you see alense that has a feature you like in regards to creating interesting stuff in modules, view the source code of the page and then scroll down to the particular article or module ans see how it was done. Most times you can figure it out. Then you can play with modifying it to suit your lens.
  • Reply
    Jewelsofawe Jewelsofawe Nov 14, 2009 @ 1:51 pm
    Lots of helpful stuff! I am going to lensroll this to my Tools mentor lens.
  • Reply
    zellen zellen Nov 3, 2009 @ 9:45 pm
    wow, I like to be able to do like this,
  • Reply
    triathlontraining triathlontraining Nov 2, 2009 @ 11:18 am
    Another great lens Melissa! I'm glad to see that you're still active on Squidoo. :)
  • Reply
    Trekkiemelissa Trekkiemelissa Oct 28, 2009 @ 4:10 pm | in reply to foxx0102
    You have to move the class information to get it to work.
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