HTML5 Semantics: Worth it or Not? An open debate between Divya Manian and Jeremy Keith

If you missed this debate, go back and check it out:

Divya Manian opens

Allow me to paint a picture:

  1. You are busy creating a website.
  2. You have a thought, “Oh, now I have to add an element.”
  3. Then another thought, “I feel so guilty adding a div. Div-itis is terrible, I hear.”
  4. Then, “I should use something else. The aside element might be appropriate.”
  5. Three searches and five articles later, you’re fairly confident that
  6. aside is not semantically correct.
  7. You decide on article, because at least it’s not a div.
  8. You’ve wasted 40 minutes, with no tangible benefit to show for it.

To which Jeremy Keith replies

If we want to have well-considered semantic elements in the language, we need to take the time to consider the effects of every new element that could potentially be used to structure our content.

So I will continue to stop and think when it comes to choosing elements and class names just as much as I would sweat the details of visual design or the punctation in my copy or the coding style of my JavaScript.

Great debate, with a lot to be learned from reading each side. (IMHO: Keith wins.)

PHP Error Messages For Designers — Smashing Magazine

PHP errors can seem very confusing if you are not a PHP developer, but if you read the error message carefully, you will usually find something that leads you to the root of the problem.

By learning to make sense of PHP error messages …

someone with no PHP knowledge can identify and fix [common problems] themselves.

via A Guide To PHP Error Messages For Designers — Smashing Coding

Conditional Loading for Responsive Designs — 24 ways

For you responsive web designers: excellent post from 24 ways, by Jeremy Keith —

Need to keep your site friendly for mobile devices, and yet load rich content for devices that can handle it? Employ an if statement in your script.

Very simple to implement. Excellent how to and demo included.

“If I only want to run that search when there’s room for a sidebar, I can wrap it in an if statement.”

Conditional Loading Snippet

“If the browser is wider than 640 pixels, that will fire off a search for news stories about cats and put the results into the newsresults element in my markup.”

24 ways: Conditional Loading for Responsive Designs

A Little CSS3 Media Query Reporter

A Little CSS3 Media Query Reporter

For your responsive web designing pleasure, I’ve put together a little CSS3 Media Query Reporter.

UPDATES

Get the latest version on github

Media Query Reporter on Github

  • Version 1.01: includes 320px through 1440px in increments of 160px

Ruby Gem!

Christopher Moeller has created a ruby gem to add the latest version of the Media Query Reporter to your Rails App.

Original code below

Get the latest at Github.

/* ======================================

    Media Query Reporter Styles
      by David Cochran
      aLittleCode.com

========================================= */

body:after {
    content: "less than 320px";
    font-size: 200%;
    line-height: 1;
    font-weight: bold;
    position: fixed;
    bottom: 0;
    width: 100%;
    padding: 5px 0;
    text-align: center;
    background-color: hsla(1,60%,40%,0.7);
    color: #fff;
    z-index: 9999;
}
@media only screen and (min-width: 320px) {
    body:after {
        content: "320 to 480px";
        background-color: hsla(90,60%,40%,0.7);
    }
}
@media only screen and (min-width: 480px) {
    body:after {
        content: "480 to 768px";
        background-color: hsla(180,60%,40%,0.7);
    }
}
@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
    body:after {
        content: "768 to 1024px";
        background-color: hsla(270,60%,40%,0.7);
    }
}
@media only screen and (min-width: 1024px) {
    body:after {
        content: "1024 to 1360px";
        background-color: hsla(360,60%,40%,0.7);
    }
}
@media only screen and (min-width: 1360px) {
    body:after {
        content: "1360 and up";
        background-color: hsla(90,60%,40%,0.7);
    }
}

Live Demo

See a live demo of a previous version of this little CSS3 Media Query Reporter in action over at Webdesigntuts+

Online Tutorial

For a quick tutorial on the rationale and process of building this — as well as the first steps toward creating a responsive grid system — see my tutorial at Webdesigntuts+.

 

How to Export and Import Links (Blogroll) in WordPress

If you find yourself wanting to transfer a number of links, which you have entered as “Links” via the admin interface of your WordPress installation, from one WordPress site to another, this support article is helpful …

Import & Export Links — Support — WordPress.com

EXCEPT that my browser tried to save the file as a web archive. Choose “Source only,” and change the extension to xml.

Then upload the file using the Blogroll importer.

Works! with one flaw …

Unfortunately, it will not keep the link categories intact. You will need to update the category for each link. To save time, create a category in the new WordPress installation for the category most used in the old installation. Then select to have them all imported to this category. That way the majority will already be set correctly, and only the others changed.