xx Introduction
In short, I hope to give you some new tools for your toolkit that will let
you make even cooler stuff.The Scope of This Book
CSS can be used across many types of media; in fact, almost any device that
can display HTML or XML can also display CSS rules, though sometimes
in a limited form. CSS3 has modules devoted exclusively to paged media,
such as PDF or printed materials, and it supports braille, handheld mobile
devices (that is, cell phones rather than smartphones), teletypes, and tele-
visions. The range and breadth of possibilities is so vast that I can’t possibly
cover them all.
This book focuses on CSS for the computer screen. All of the demon-
strations are written for (and tested in) the most common desktop browsers,
and are optimized for users of desktop and laptop computers. Almost all
of the new CSS features covered in this book should work whether you’re
developing for smartphones, tablets, or other devices, but I can’t guarantee
that everything will display exactly as shown in the examples you’ll find here.Chapter by Chapter
Here’s a brief idea of what will be covered in this book:
Chapter 1 introduces CSS3, explains its history, and looks at the W3C
standardization process. It also describes the syntax I use for my dem-
onstration code.
Chapter 2 covers media queries, the technology that’s critical to the
adaptive and responsive web design methods.
Chapters 3 and 4 introduce new selectors: attribute selectors in
Chapter 3 and pseudo-classes in Chapter 4.
Chapter 5 shows how to choose custom web fonts and properties that
give you more control over font rendering.
Chapter 6 continues the typographic theme, with coverage of a new
property for adding shadows to text and controlling the way blocks of
text are displayed.
Chapter 7 is also about text, this time explaining how you can flow it
across multiple columns.
Chapters 8 and 9 cover the Background and Borders Module, includ-
ing extensions to existing background properties and brand-new ways
to add decorative effects to element borders.
Chapter 10 explains how to use opacity and transparency, and intro-
duces some new color models.