What on earth does XHTML and CSS mean anyway?

X = Extensible
H = Hyper
T = Text
M = Markup
L = Language

XHTML is a document type used in the world wide web that extends on the previous HTML document type, except XHTML is XML based. This means that it is much more flexible and can be used across more platforms that the previous HTML document type.

XHTML is the current, and will be the future document type used in developing web pages. The benefits of making a website and its subsequent web pages in XHTML is that they are more likely to be backwards-compatible in the future.

Using XHTML today means that you are less likely to have to update your website tomorrow. This is true because as the web grows and web developers become more creative, new ideas and methodologies will be developed that need to 'plug-in' to the existing systems in use. The XHTML system is very flexible and can handle these updates and new systems.

Also worthy to note, as technology advances we seek to use web-related services on mobile devices, and other embedded technologies around the home and work place. The XHTML document type is compatible with different delivery systems (think about websites on the iPhone and other mobile devices) thus lowering the amount of extra work required to migrate a website from one platform (your home computer) to another (your cell phone).

Next time you visit a website, see if it is XHTML compliant by looking somewhere in the lower left or right corner for an XHTML link, or;

Visit this XHTML validation website and copy and paste the URL to see if that web page is made with the new, modern and future-friendly XHTML!

If you would like your next website to be built with XHTML in mind, visit the Web Design specialists, Webinati!

C = Cascading
S = Style
S = Sheets

CSS is a style sheet language used to describe formatting, style and look of a given document (usually HTML or XHTML). They are used to 'dress up' a website in a way that sees the base information (XHTML, XML, HTML, etc) separated from the styling information (colors, fonts, images, etc).

Why would anyone want to do this?

One of the best ways to describe the benefits of this system are that it allows separate styling for different delivery methods. For example, you are doing some research on your home desktop and find a page of information that is really important, so you decide to print it so it now appears on paper. This may seem like a simple process, however, your computer screen is (typically) in a different layout proportion to your regular piece of printer paper! With CSS, we can dress up your website so it looks excellent on a nice computer monitor, and when you go to print that special page, we can use a different style to show the information so it looks best on white paper! This way bad colors that would normally not print well can be controlled, excess images can be avoided and font styles and colors can be further enhanced.

Now consider the scenario where you would like to look at this important research on your iphone or mobile phone. With CSS we can change the way it looks on your mobile device so it becomes easier to read and manage. Isn't CSS just great!?

CSS are best used in external CSS files that are linked to by a given XHTML document. This allows a single XHTML web page to provide the 'foundation' of the information, while the CSS are like 'clothes' that can be pulled over the foundation depending on the media you would like to view the web page on!

This is why you will find most of the nicest sites out there are all made with CSS, and that if you are looking for a website to be built that you should insist that it is made with CSS!

If you would like your next website to be built with CSS in mind, visit the Web Design specialists, Webinati!