Override any CSS Style Instantly!

While creating a new website for ASPE's IT Division for nationwide training, I ran into a problem with my formatting. In my CSS stylesheet, I began by outlining an over-arching style to command the entire site. I noted it thus:

* {
margin-left: 0px;
margin-top: 0px;
font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, Serif;
border: 0px;
}


This CSS text would take every item in the entire website, and give it a 0 pixel border, remove any margins on the left and top, and prepare it for a serif font. This worked gloriously, allowing me to overcome many standard problems that body {} doesn't always get to.

However, I first ran into a problem with Ordered lists , and Unordered lists. Different Browsers have different margins for such lists, and setting the margin-left to 0px effectively hid the bullet or numbers of these lists. After laying in a few pages (there are close to 160 in the first phase of this project) I started to notice an issue. To show these items I had to manually set the margin on these items to show. I solved the issue by including:

ul, ol {
margin: 0em 1em 0em 0em;
padding-left: 30px;
}

This gave them a slight margin, and a strong padding to shove such items back into the page and set them apart.


The second problem came up when my horizontal rules also failed to show up. After investigating the problem, I noted that the

---

element would automatically disappear when given a border attribute.

The border element was given in the * portion of the CSS, and was subject to a border on every page, in every instance. The only solution was to completely override the master stylesheet.

I whipped out my old teaching materials, and found a seldom used element:

! important

and brought it into play. ! important overrides any element on anypage, at any time. This will override the master stylesheet, as well as inline styles. The final solution:

hr{
height:1px ! important;
border: none ! important;
background-color:#000000 ! important;
}

every time the

---

tag was used, the

---

which is invisible, is given a height (1 pixel tall), given "none" as a border condition, and given a background color of black- just in case something should go wrong.

An elegant solution to a problem which cannot be adjusted without tearing out huge portions of the website.

InDesign Tip: Save All Open InDesign Documents at one time!

Blogger Question: I keep 3 windows open in InDesign CS3 at a time when working catalog files. Is there a way I can save them all at once?



If you're a designer like me, you will often have 3-4 InDesign documents open on your desk at one time (Let's not even get started on how many documents I have on my desktop... Its a running joke!). Old documents that you'll need to grab elements from, template pieces, and image grabs... Or just so much work that you have to keep everything open in order to stay on task. But, what do you do if you need to close out prior to a storm, or a quick dash out for an appointment?

CMD + Option + Shift + S

When pressed together, this function will save all of your documents back in their places without forcing you to adjust dialog boxes or InDesign settings.

---

Why would you need to "save" an InDesign document? First and foremost, probably just for peace of mind issues.

Most designers feel that they cannot always trust the temporary file. While the temporary file reloads automatically on indesign start, it doesn't always work. If an error exists, the temporary file will load, and recrash InDesign.

Plus, its always a safe bet to save your work. If possible, every 15 minutes. Best practices and all that.

Thanks! And, if there are more questions you'd like to know, I'll do my best to answer them.

Tyler Dockery
Senior Partner, Knotts & Associates

What Iphone Apps I am addicted to:

WIth the new iphone being a combination wii/nintendo DS, phone, email center, text messager, mobile internet browser, what apps have I got that are addicting me?

I am addicted to:

Othello (free)
Aurora Feint (free)


Which Apps are on my phone?

First things first: I haven't bought any apps yet, and will probably not consider them for quite some time. The free Apps I feel are essential:

Othello (free) : Great you vs Computer action in the classic strategy game to control territory
Stones (free) : A 2-player only version of Go. I am not good, but getting better.
Voicenotes (free) : Take voice-recorded notes and play them back later
ReMovem free (free) : because I have a daughter. The IPhone version of macintosh program OTIS. Otis is available for the iPhone for roughly $3.99
flashlight (free) : Good in a pinch. Don't laugh, it works.
Jirbo Match (free) : Because I have a daughter. Memory is good for children's mental development
LOL cats (free) : Because I need to smile every now and then
Aurora Feint (free) : Match game with time limits and goals to reach.
Zenbe Lists (free) : grocery lists with checkoffs. Awesome. Internet synching still turns me off, but lists work without it.

Purchasing the iPhone

After trying and trying to get my verizon account in order, I had a funny experience the other day. While playing with my daughter at a friends' house, her Godfather thought it might be humorous to push me in the pool.

It was, I laughed. Everybody laughed. Everyone I've told about it laughs. My phone and wallet were in my pocket. My verizon razor phone flashed disco lights for about 5 days, and then went off permanently.

I decided the time was RIPE for me to get an iPhone. The biggest hurdle: getting my wife on board. The strategy: she gets one too, and I buy them. She thought this was a very very bad idea. After I discussed my need, she promptly announced that she would read the bad reviews online, and visit the website.

The conversation went a little something like this: "Aha! it says right here.. Ooh! But doesn't... Ahh! Um... Hm... GPS built right in?..."

So we went down and bought in. The apple store was hopping, but the employees weren't breaking a sweat. Our line wait was about 3 minutes before a service person pulled us right out and got our order started.

I was a little weirded out that we HAD to sign up right there on the spot for a plan. We ordered 700 minutes between the two of us and unlimited internet access for roughly $170 a month. Additional people would be about $5 each. I'll have to see about getting a plan for the entire Knotts & Associates team....

Later, I went back and doubled my minutes at the AT&T store: Total price? $20 more. 1400 minutes per month which rollover, and unlimited nights, weekends, and mobile-to-mobile. What a great deal!! I'm part of the olde garde, and did not want any text messaging. While this normally would have cost us $0.15 to receive, and an additional $0.30 I opted to have all text messages blocked from my phone.

Whether I count turning off text messaging, or switching to the iPhone: Best decisions I ever made.

Graphic Designer Needed in the North Carolina Area

This year, I was made senior partner in Knotts & Associates, a print and web design firm in the Raleigh Area. We are looking for a new designer who is not afraid of HTML coding, Learning SEO or CSS practices on the job, or the print environment. Are you a North Carolina resident with graphic experience who wishes to work with a flexible schedule and casual attire? Drop us your resume or Link!

Jobs@chrisknotts.com


Official notice: 12.16.07

J.K. Rowling's Next Book

With the Harry Potter books coming to an epic close, do we really think that JK Rowling will hang up her writing for good? Highly unlikely. One doesn't have to be psychic, bookaholic, or award-winning web designer to know that she certainly won't stop while she has gathered a head of steam.

Children? Certainly. Wizards? Unlikely.

So what does that leave us with? What manner of creature or magical race has she been subtly edging toward through several books? She's highlighted a special teacher. She's mentioned several potential villains. She's also outlined a few major characters and children who could be involved... Guessed it yet?

Werewolves. In the inclusion of Lupin early on in the series, we see how Rowling allows us to see their human side, to pity them and their terrible condition- how they constantly live in fear and control. We see how they are looked down upon by others in
the wizarding world, and we see the dark side of the werewolves being unable to control themselves when transformed.

In later books, Fenrir Greyback is introduced as a horrible creature- the evil from within that mankind comes to accept and revel in. Greyback is evil (Eveel, as in the Fru-its of the Dev-eel). Enjoying the blood. Enjoying the mayhem. Attacking even when not transformed. The curse travels so heavily through him, that he relishes the attacking of children (aha! you say) in an effort to increase the numbers of werewolves so that they must be noticed, integrated, and respected. Fenrir's curse travels to the point that even when not transformed, some of the wolfish attributes are transferred to his victims.

Bill Weasley gets attacked by Fenrir in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and survives. Although attacked, and hideously scarred for life, we are given the understandng that not all those who become werewolves are deserving of scorn, and that even innocents face the brunt. Bill has a love for his wife (fiancee at the time), and with the exception of a penchant for Bloody rare steak (exactly the way Tyler Dockery of Dockery Design web design likes his), he remains pure and lives to fight alongside (ahem) the good guys in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Lupin and Tonks had been on a crash course for love since Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In the Deathly Hallows

**** Spoiler ****

They announce the birth of their child. Although no information is given about the final fate of the child, we know that the death of the parents leaves him disconnected and somewhat alone- exactly as Harry himself was found to be at the beginning of his story.

In the Half-Blood Prince and the Deathly Hallows, time is allotted to werewolves, how they are part of the society, and how they want to be integrated. Greyback fights through Hogwarts again with the forces of death eaters and voldemort, and it is mentioned that he was attacking. In one part of the melee, it is even noted that he ran up and bit one of the wounded Hogwarts children.

Do you remember which one? Was it a Lavender or a Patil? HAHAHA! Post your reply and let us know.

Children set apart from the norm, a series of puzzles to overcome within themselves and within society... I believe I smell a new series bubbling in Rowling's cauldron...


Tyler Dockery
Dockery Design
www.dockerydesign.com

***

Make sure to keep you eye out for the new Knotts & Associates Website, coming in September / October! at www.chrisknotts.com

***

Part of a greater whole (community)

1. living in NY
2. have a place to live (I won't be living there without one)
   
3. have a job (I can't have a place without one)
4. interview for a job
5. Update resume and blanket email to employers, job agencies, and temp agencies
6. Review resume (and portfolio or website if needed)
7. Decide if move is an actual option
8. Live in NC
   

Why Bother with Whitepapers?

Whitepaper- what does that term even mean?

In times past, the term E-Book set the internet on fire. Getting an E-Book was something to brag about- you received some materials which you should have bought, but you got them for free. They were large. They were chock full of nuts. Then the internet caught on.

An E-Book is a static listing of information in a book format. Most websites are also static listings of information. But the internet can change and be updated on the fly, whereas once an 80 or even 18 page PDF gets built, changes won't be happening any time soon. The only way that E-Books could keep up with the frantic pace set by actual webpages was to take 2 drastic steps: 1) remove any static content on your site which resembles the E-Book— effectively forcing the viewer to download the E-Book to get the information. Or 2) Reduce the size of the average E-Book to around 5-10 pages— allowing more E-Books to be produced in a given time.

Enter the White Papers. Even though "White Papers" are considered technical manuals with short page lengths, they are basically the stepchild of the E-Book. Highly-skilled instructors produce the papers with a narrowly focused point of specialty. High keyword ranking words and percentages, short lengths due to the narrow nature of the work and specificity of the problem to be solved. This allows website owners to tap a wide array of writers, technical copywriters, experts, and industry gurus for a limited engagement.

But here's the kicker- Whitepapers are a new buzzword among the IT and technically trained community, but they still sit snugly within the shadow of the much-overlauded E-Book. Worse still, they are really no better than website pages themselves- static text, with static images, that will sit in directories for months while websites may become highly updated. The best answer of all comes through the power of Blogging.

With a blog, you have a technically minded individual (their credulity is on the line) who is willing to chime in on an issue with which they are familiar. Since there is no webpage to maintain, the information is easy to access, free, contains no posturing, and in many cases, is freely open to discussions right there on the spot. Being relatively new to the blogoshpere, I can assure you there is no back-patting or horn-tooting in this message, merely a statement of fact.

Why bother with whitepapers? Sometmes they can be a great help- you can download them, and visit at leisure without having to subscribe to any services, and items in print are almost universally easier to read. Interested in seeing some real whitepapers for yourself?

Consider visiting www.aspetech.com Whitepapers to get some free samples. Compare them with the materials you may have in some E-Books, or in posts you have visited.