24/7talk Interior Design

For quite a while I was using on my blogsite 24/7talk interior design a javascript thumbnail viewer which worked out quite well for me, only a 100% validation with W3C was never possible as some of the used expressions were not XHTML compliant. Something that I personally bothered me quite a bit. So after searching for a replacement, I found a new javascript thumbnail viewer which is similar in its capabilities than what I used. I ended up with Highslide JS an open source JavaScript software, offering a Web 2.0 approach to popup windows. As per the Author Thorstein Hons, it does streamlines the use of thumbnail images and HTML pop-ups on web pages. The library offers these features and advantages

• No plug-ins like Flash or Java required.
• Pop-up blockers are no problem. The content expands within the active browser window.
• Single click. After opening the image or HTML popup, the user can scroll further down or leave the page without closing it.
• Compatibility and safe fallback. If the user has disabled JavaScript or is using an old browser, the browser redirects directly to the image itself or to a fallback HTML page.

I started to use some of the code already and except of some small missing necessary CSS adjustments it does perform perfectly and also validates as 100% XHTML. As with any new Software one has to work with it for a while to get used to its strengths and or weaknesses. One reason also that I choose Highslide JS was that the Author has an active Support Forum with great support.

A definition of Web 2.0 using the moving image:

The Movie is a perfect piece which expresses the dynamics of the web and I can say it’s People who are using the Machine.

Knowing that I had the my Test Page of Final Touch Interiors up for quite some time and no major errors showed up, I decided to jump and take the Index Page live.
The under-laying link pages will be changed over to the new flexible Layout in the next weeks.
Don’t have just the time to switch over everything in one piece, as I’m working on other Projects too. And some of the content as well as Layouts, will have to be changed too.
The original CSS Setup comes from Dirk Jesse who created the YAML-Framework. Dirk Jesse invested quite some time into it, in creating the YAML-Layout and even wrote a Book called “CSS Layouts” in German for the European Market. There are other many CSS Samples out there, which can be used to create a Web Page but I haven’t found anything which appealed to me like the YAML Framework. It’s great as it even gracefully works with old Browsers. Yes not everyone is using the latest or the largest Monitors. And one should take care of every Visitor who comes to the Site.

Even though that there are a lot of discussions out there how to present a Web Site, like the use of fixed Layout or Liquid Layout, I have decided to go the middle route with a flexible Layout for my Web Site Final Touch Interiors.
A flexible Layout means it adjusts automatically to the Screen Size or Browser Window. The User can easily adjust the Font Size and Size of Display to his desire. It does not matter what size of Monitor one has.
To achieve that, I adopted and use a CSS structured System called YAML-Framework(yet another Multicolumn Layout).
Dirk Jesse, the German Author and Developer of YAML did some great work in developing the YAML-Framework. It is compatible with almost all of today’s Browsers and also validates correctly.
A short snapshot of my new Site can be seen here.
At a later stage I will use it also here in combination with Expression Engine.