Judy, my answers are inline >What I did so far is to put your new css side-by-side with your old >css so I could put the items back on separate lines like you had it >before. It's easier for me to see and find things that are on >separate lines, rather than having the entire line continue to the right. Pat: Not sure what is happening once I upload the css file as it is exactly the same file as you are using with the color changes I made. It is also the same format with separate lines. For some reason the online file is being reformatted but not by me. Will have to investigate that. > It also let me compare the spots I'd changed before for the color > vs. where you put color codes your new file. I think I may have > wrongly tried the dark color as the inner portion before. Pat: I changed the middle band of color on the page I did as I could not tell the two darker colors apart that you were using but did make a note as to the color you had chosen. > Then, after seeing that the two are basically the same files, I > replaced my css file with yours (same name), and made your file > page a template. Pat: All I did on the one I did was use the basic template regions of your current one minus the includes and what was in the content area. So it included just the actual layout of the page. I worked with the page you sent the url for which was the rock page. > The few pages I started were already linked to rd.css but when I > opened them with your rd.css, it still has the wrong colors in the > wrong spots. The only differences on these pages vs. your new > template is I added the _includes before on those. So, if MY page > is "wrong" with the new css, does that mean some HTML in the page > was wrong, or something in the _include -- or both? Pat: Yes, it means that somewhere in your files - includes or content or both their are some mistakes. Either you are overriding the style rules in the external style sheet or there is a mistake in the html code of the page. > >The second problem, on the Original CSS and my template, the >head-banner area looked like a rectangular "box" with a line under >it. See ><http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~florian/>http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~florian/ >See the bottom line? On your new template, that "line" was sitting >right along the top of the "table", right above the left navigation >and "content" area, >see ><http://www.css-layouts.org/judy/pat.html>http://www.css-layouts.org/judy/pat.html >I wasn't sure how to make that line move upward; I ended up putting >in this (is it right to do it this way?): Pat: I made no changes to any of the css file except the three areas that set the triple layer background colors. I believe your search area is actually part of the content which pushes the content area down so that it does not butt up against the border line on your masthead content. You should also not be using p align="center" when you have created a class for centering. It should read p class="ctr" or whatever the class that center aligns the text. ><!-- end of masthead --> > ><...div> > ><....p align="center"><....a marquee instruction></p> > ><...p>several lines of text</p> > ><...p align="left">more text.</p> > ><.../div> > ><...table class="main"> > >That line is now under the head-banner, with text below, then the >nav and content area. Pat: This is the url for the page you asked for help on http://freepages.school-alumni.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~florian/test/ and the css file for that page http://freepages.school-alumni.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~florian/test/rd.css These are the two files I used. They appear not to be set up exactly the same way the layout for this page is http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~florian/ which includes a wrapper for the entire content area <div id="contentWrapper"> >BUT, when I tried to insert my _includes/top.htm and checked it in >Preview, then the contents of banner _includes is written OVER the >div and text I inserted. Again, does this mean my _includes top is >written wrong? (It only has the usual head, body, etc.) Or, is the >CSS creating the conflict in that area? The bottom includes (flags >and copyright) enter fine and have just a little space below the >nav/content area of the template. > >Regarding the includes/top.html I had planned to reduce the image >on my test page and put it in the same position as the one on ><http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~florian/>http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~florian/ >And to be able to add an H1 below the "top" include for "this page's >title". But so far, I can't keep the text / image of the top >(banner) "include" from superimposing over the H1 text. How do I >keep that space between the _includes/top.htm and the line that >makes the top of the nav and content area? Pat: This is the html code you have used on the misc page for the masthead <.....div id="masthead"> <p class="title">Welcome to Washington County PA<br> Genealogy & History Webpages</p></div> There is NO h1 tag used on that page within the masthead. It is controlled by these styles #innerwrapper #masthead { border-bottom: 1px double #803240; height: 150px; background: #F2ECDC url('wash-downtown_sm_67K.jpg') no-repeat left center; } /*======= styles masthead title ===========*/ #innerwrapper #masthead .title { float: right; font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.5em; color: #000000; margin-top: 20px; margin-right: 20px; } So if you want it to look the same, then you have to set it up the same way. >Lastly, with the nav/content areas being "expandable", how much >content is a reasonable amount inside that box? If I have more >content, is it ok to continue it below the "box" set up for nav and >content (and before the footer)? Or should any more content be >split into a 2nd page? I have a few photos that go with the content >so I'm worried the info will stretch the "content" area too far >downward. Putting the rest below the "box" seems a reasonable >alternative as long as it's before the "content" area ends in the >code, right? Or, maybe I could put just the images on a second page >and link the text to the images? Pat: Why not just use small thumbnail images within the content that can be linked to a larger image. Or break the content up so that it links to another page. I keep my content together as content. If I can break it up as separate content on another topic. The content on this page http://www.expression-web-tutorials.com/ extends below the navigation and I have no problem with that. > One other thing. One of the old pages was made with Frames -- > which I want to get rid of. Do I just copy the content from each > frame, check the coding, and then plug the content into a CSS-based > page? Are there certain codes that make Frames that I should be > aware of and be sure to remove? Pat: This may help you work with getting rid of frames http://www.genealogy-web-creations.com/frames/framed-website.html Depends what is on the framed page. the content should be cleaned up and put within the content area of the page template you are using. If the top frame is a banner than you already have set your banner for the page. If the left frame is navigations then you already have your navigation set for the template. Pat