CategoryTechniques

July 30, 2013 — Welcome to the second part of the sample chapter from Smashing Book #4. You might want to read the first part of this chapter beforehand — if you haven’t already. In part 1 we explored the infrastructure of the Internet and the make-up of a Web server. We left off at the stage where our Web server software is up and running again, and we’ve just double-checked this by telnetting an HTTP request and received the successful response code. It’s now time for… finding your website! Read more…

July 23, 2013 — Help! The Internet is gone! In this article, Paul Tero explores the infrastructure of the Internet and the make-up of a Web server, imparting lots of little tips and commands along the way, opening up a new perspective on how websites can stop working — and be fixed. Read more…

July 8, 2013 — If you read Smashing Magazine, you’re probably already on board with creating the best possible website experience for your audience. And if you go the responsive design route then you’ll need a strategy to make images flexible, too — a responsive image solution. This article leads you through the basics, and then arms you with the information you’ll need to pick the best responsive image solution for your situation. Read more…

July 3, 2013 — In this article, Martin Gittins will explore the idea of consciously restricting yourself to a set of core tools that you know, love and trust, so that you don’t get overwhelmed by the staggering array of resources and options available to designers. You should know what your most precious tools are, and keep a portable set close at hand. Read more…

June 27, 2013 — Placing a Twitter feed on one’s website has almost become compulsory. Embedding a feed isn’t all that difficult if you are comfortable with Twitter’s default widget, but making your own will enable you to blend it into your website seamlessly. Once you grasp the basic idea behind how this widget is created, you can add many of your own and customize them to your (or your client’s) delight. Read more…

June 21, 2013 — The WordPress functions.php theme file provides an efficient way of modifying WordPress on a theme by theme basis. This file contains mostly theme related functions but it can also be used to enhance or modify default WordPress behavior. This file is saved inside the themes’ folder and a limitless amount of modifications can be added. Read more…

June 18, 2013 — In this article, Matt Gibson will explain, from his own experience of refreshing his agency website, why he and his team abandoned a separate mobile website and will review their process of creating a new responsive design. A responsive website means better content parity for users and a single website to maintain! Read more…

June 12, 2013 — In this article, Lars Kappert will explore ideas and solutions to build a RWA. Declarative composition for responsive applications is quite powerful and could serve as a solid starting point. He will set up some important concepts and you will build on these to actually develop a RWA, and then explore how scalable and portable this approach is. Read more…

May 29, 2013 — In this article, Daniel Pataki will share some of the tricks he uses personally during and after development to achieve a bug-free product. This should give you a good overview of what you can do over the course of the development cycle. Read more…

May 29, 2013 — Responsive Web design has been around for some years now, but there’s still a whole lot to do. In this article, Stéphanie Walter will look at what is currently possible, what will be possible in the future using what are not yet standardized properties, and what still needs to be improved. This article is not exhaustive, and we won’t go deep into each technique, but you’ll have enough links and knowledge to explore further by yourself. Read more…