The JavaScript family:

Interactivity for Designers 1 – No programming knowledge required. This class introduces designers with a knowledge of both CSS and HTML to several pre-build JavaScript projects that can be implemented with virtually no programming. Lightboxes, slideshows, tooltips, simple form validation are all covered in this 4-hour class. This class is an excellent introduction to interactive concepts for designers wary of programming.

Interactivity for Designers 2 – No programming knowledge required but Interactivity for Designers 1 is recommended. This 4-hour class shows designers with HTML & CSS knowledge how to configure and modify pre-built JavaScript projects without having to dive deep into JavaScript programming. This class is an excellent introduction to interactive concepts for designers wary of programming.

Introduction to jQuery – Most professional web developers don’t feel like re-inventing the wheel, so over the last 5 years the use of JavaScript libraries for web page interactivity has skyrocketed and jQuery is one of the most popular libraries available. This 6-hour class introduces the web developer with a solid understanding of HTML & CSS to the programming concept necessary to start building highly interactive web pages using jQuery.

The Flex/ActionScript family:

Introduction to Adobe Flex – This 6-hour class is an introduction to Adobe’s Flex framework for anyone interested in creating and deploying highly interactive web applications.

Creating Adobe AIR projects – Adobe’s AIR technology allows designers & developers to create multi-platform standalone applications using a variety of technologies underneath the skin.

Introduction to Adobe Catalyst – Adobe’s new development environment aimed at designers – use the tools you already know and love (Photoshop & Illustrator) to create functional, dynamic user interfaces that can stand alone or can be handed-off to a developer for advanced functionality.

Just a sampling of some of the things we’ll be unveiling soon. Let us know what you think!

Standards-based web design is a process that uses open standards (like HTML and CSS) to create web sites that are fast-loading, clean, accessible to everyone, backwards and forwards compatible, search engine friendly, beautiful and purposeful.

C2′s Standards-based Web Design class is for designers (or anyone) serious about creating professional web sites that adhere to these principles. The techniques taught in this class are used to create the most popular and well-designed sites on the web. Standards-based web design focuses on the process of implementing a design in the most efficient, accessible method possible, using a set of standardized techniques without needing complex programming language knowledge (all you really need is a text editor to create pages). Using C2′s best-practice driven curriculum, this class provides all the skills necessary to create an entire web site including:

• planning & information architecture
• hand-coding HTML & CSS
• design and layout techniques
• typographic control
• image preparation
• navigation systems
• interactive behaviors
• search engine optimization
• accessibility, usability and compatibility
• email HTML
• site testing, optimization,validation and management

]]> http://www.c2gps.com/blog/2008/06/05/c2s-standards-based-web-design-training/feed/ 2 http://www.c2gps.com/blog/2008/03/01/quick-web-tipsnotes-part-one/ http://www.c2gps.com/blog/2008/03/01/quick-web-tipsnotes-part-one/#comments Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:15:00 +0000 Alex Lucas http://c2gps.marakana.com/blog/2008/03/01/quick-web-tipsnotes-part-one/ I always find it interesting as I teach or work in my daily life, how little things that you might accidentally discover may revolutionize your workflow, or maybe add some efficiency to your practices.

While reading up more on web standards and practices, I have come upon two little neat things that have helped immensely with two headaches I have had in the past concerning website creation.

Headache #1: When working with something like a blog where you need some links to launch in a new browser – but you don’t want every link to launch a new browser window.

Why a headache: Well suppose you put your blog in as a frame in your website, and it is perfect for the blog size, but external sites look really bizarre embedded in your site (beside the potential for copyright issues). But if every link opens up a new page, every internal link you have also opens a new page, leading to the potential for dozens of open pages.
Well, if you yourself are writing all the content you can always write your own targets for each link, but if you have people contributing who don’t write in HTML – well, problem city.

Solution:

Part 1: Writing code that makes all links launch in a new window. Solves the issue of links appearing inside your frame – but means a new launch window for every link clicked. (I could also write this directly into CSS, but in this example, I don’t have access to the CSS)

(using [ instead of < and > so it can be read not as code)

[base target='_blank'][/base]

Part 2: Naming the target blank window, so that all links will go to the same window.

[base target='display'][/base]

Now when you click on a link it will open up a new window, but all future links will open in that same window (named "display").

Neat little bit of knowledge though not hugely applicable for most situations, where you will probably write targets inline, or as CSS. But even in CSS, naming the window vs. having all windows open up is the same.