Topic Archives: Tutorials

Plug in to Amazon Web Services (AWS) using PHP

I’ve recently started using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to import large amounts of rich content into my weekend-warrior project, ThumbSticks.com. I have to say that I’m quite impressed with Amazon’s dedication to providing their product information in such a transparent … Continue reading

Create a Lightbox with jQuery and CSS

The “lightbox” is a unique and useful design tool when used properly. It allows designers to present information that is totally independent from the site theme, and it is especially useful when displaying information that is loaded via AJAX requests … Continue reading

IE Corner Inserts via jQuery

I recently had a client whose design demanded rounded corners in a lot of different areas of their site. As I looked through the design documentation, the variety and color of these rounded widgets really started to add up. I … Continue reading

A Very Simple CSS Chat Bubble

Each time you implement a new design element into your site, there are a vast array of approaches you can take to achieve the same outcome. Often times, I feel that the most simple of solutions is the best one. … Continue reading

CSS Absolute Positioning

Absolute positioning is a very powerful CSS technique when used properly. Traditionally, when you use <div/> tags and the like, everything in your page design is generally stacked from top to bottom. Using absolute positioning gives you the freedom to … Continue reading

Pure CSS Image Hover

Many site designs will feature varying types of image “hover” states, where an image or background image changes when you move your mouse cursor into that area of the page. Traditionally, this change in image is handled via JavaScript. It’s … Continue reading

Create a DHTML Tab Strip

Tab strips are commonplace throughout the web, and they’re utilized in a wide variety of ways, such as in site navigation or form wizards. Organizing links in a tabbed format can add quite a bit of style and functionality to … Continue reading

Navigation Using Unordered Lists

An unordered list (the <ul/> tag in HTML) is a great way to easily organize your site navigation with a minimal use of HTML, but how is it done? This is a simple tutorial showing you exactly how to create … Continue reading

All About Table-less Column Design

There are a number of ways to create vertical columns in your XHTML design without using the <table/> tag and the horrendous amount of HTML that always seems to accompany it. Each method listed here is superior in various situations, … Continue reading

Karate Corners: XHTML/CSS Rounded Corners

I’ve seen a lot of different ways to create round corners and boxes in web sites, and quite frankly I haven’t exactly fallen in love with any of them. A lot of the methods that I’ve seen use either (1) … Continue reading