The Mac Space Blog

I run/manage/program/design roughly 30 web sites.  I have to know a little HTML, PHP, Javascript, AJAX, CSS and various other web languages to manage my own and my client’s web sites.  I don’t have time to master all of those languages, so I need tools which can take care of the raw code for me.  My CSS tool of choice is hands down CSSEdit by my friends at MacRabbit.

What is CSS?

CSS is short for “cascading style sheets.”  Style sheets can drive the appearance and even the layout of websites.   The cool thing about using CSS to control a site’s appearance, is that it’s easy to make quick changes to the look of the site or document, without having to change the actual content.

With CSS, a single document or set of code can be used to “style” multiple pages (even multiple sites) with the same look, saving on tons of raw coding.  Site-wide changes can be achieved by changing one CSS document, rather than editing each individual markup (html/php etc) document.  The advantages are less code, faster loading, quicker editing and more attractive documents.

CSSEdit Features

Live Preview is a great feature of CSSEdit.  It is incredibly easy to load documents or web pages, make changes to to the CSS and see the changes happen instantly.  In the “old” days of editing CSS, you had to make the changes to the code, update the code on the server, then refresh the page.  That took a ton of time, and often times 2-3 different applications to complete the process.   CSSEdit replaces 2-3 applications and saves you a ton of time with this feature alone.

You can even load the CSS of pages other than your own to see what they’re doing to make their sites look good so that you can steal learn from their ideas.  Conversely, you can see what makes some pages look so bad in order to make sure you don’t make the same mistakes.

One of the very confusing parts of editing and working with CSS, is trying to figure out which damn lines of code control what you’re trying to work with.  In the “pre-CSSEdit days” I’d spend hours guessing which lines of CSS to modify.  It was a very frustrating process, changing the code then refreshing the page to see if it did anything.  Sometimes I’d change styles, see nothing and forget to change them back.  Later on, I’d discover that the code I changed caused problems on other pages or documents.  The X-Ray Inspector contained in CSSEdit allows you to highlight any part of a document and see exactly what lines of CSS code are controlling it.  All it takes is activating the X-Ray Inspector and clicking the part of the document you want to analyze.  Super easy.

Whether you are a GUI (graphical user interface) type of user, or a raw code demon, CSSEdit has you covered.  I’m a combination of both.  When I’m being a code demon I’ll use  Source Editing mode to tweak my CSS.  When I’m not sure what code to use, or I’m in more of a GUI mood I’ll use Visual Editing instead.  CSSEdit allows you to view one or both modes, which is very nice.

Source Editing	Visual Editing

I’ve used CSSEdit for quite a while.  I date back to version 1.x.  That being said I’m still not completely proficient with all the features.  The Selector Builder is a feature I need to use more.  Selectors in CSS define the HTML element or tag which you are styling.  Selectors can get confusing because they can be grouped, they can have multiple iterations and some can even be nameless (global).

Bad or useless code eats up bandwidth and can cause problems.  That’s why CSSEdit’s Debugging feature is so useful.  I had a problem with a blog just yesterday.  Despite looking at the CSS about five times I never figured out what the problem was.  I hit the debug button and voila, question answered.  Problem solved.

The Milestones feature is a nice touch in CSSEdit.  With Milestones you can log breakthroughs or important events, and refer back to them later.

All about FLOW

As I mentioned earlier, editing CSS (and other web scripts) used to be a total pain.  You’d use one application to edit and another to preview.  CSSEdit combines those two applications into one.  Less switching between apps and quicker previewing means more productivity and more free time.

Suggestion Box

I’d like to see the following features in upcoming versions of CSSEdit.

Live browser interpretations.  I’d like to click a button or selector on a page I’m viewing/editing and be able to switch between browser renditions.   Anyone who has done any CSS at all knows that not all browsers are the same.  Get it looking good in Firefox and it may look totally different in Internet Explorer.  I’d like to be able to preview the page live as interpreted by specific browsers.  I know you can extract pages and “pretend to be” certain browsers when extracting CSS with CSSEdit, but unless I’m mistaken this isn’t quite what I’m saying.  Live previewing between browser renditions of a document you are working on would be great.

The next obvious step and my 2nd suggestion is flow related.  CSSEdit can edit and preview pages but can’t save to the server.  With an integrated FTP capability in CSSEdit, I could get my flow down to one application for the three steps of the process: edit, preview, save to server.

Conclusion

CSSEdit is now a crucial tool for me, and part of my daily web administration.  I’m so much more productive with CSS editing, designing, tweaking and debugging my pages now.  The application is well designed, bug free and fast.  CSSEdit is a must have tool for web geeks who use the Macintosh platform.

Update: In previewing this post, it dawned on me that the text in my blog was not justified.  I like a fully justified look.  In a matter of a few seconds I set the CSS to full justification.  I first loaded the page.  Then I turned on the X-Ray Inspector to find the code to edit.  Then I hit the full justify icon in the text tab of the visual editor.  Done!

I’ve got some new pals up north of me about an hour’s drive.  They’re called iFrogz and they make cool accessories for the iPhone, iPods and other gadgets.  I’ve got a iFrogz 3G Luxe Case for my iPhone 3G and it is awesome.

Materials

The hard shell case comes in two pieces which snap together in the back of the phone.  This tough case provides a very good “exoskeleton” for protecting the iPhone 3G.

Despite the fact that the case is a hard plastic, the finish has sort of porous and soft feel.  This makes the phone easy to handle.  The original iPhone casing is very slick and slips out of my hand easily.  It also slips around the dashboard of my car or wherever I put it.  With the iFrogz 3G Luxe Case installed the phone doesn’t slip in my hand or around in my car.

Access

While providing excellent protection for the iPhone 3G, the 3G Luxe Case still provides access to all the buttons, ports and sensors of the phone.  Once installed there’s no need un take it off.

Screen Protector

Honestly I haven’t installed the included screen protector but I thought I should mention that the iFrogz 3G Luxe Case does include one.

Colors

The 3G Luxe case is available in six different colors: blue, red, purple, green, orange and gray.  The bottom half is always black and the color options are for the top half.

Pricing

This hard case retails for $20, but I’ve seen street prices for around $16.

MARWARE Sidewinder

The MARWARE Sidewinder is a cool transparent protective case for the 3rd generation iPod Nano. The polycarbonate case provides an exoskeleton-like layer to protect the nano from scratches, drops and impacts. The case also comes with protective film for the screen and the control wheel.

Features

The name Sidewinder name comes from the retractable arm which is for storing the headphone cabling.  When not in use the cable is wrapped around the Sidewinder.  When listening the Sidewinder arm slides into the back of the case.

Speaking of the case’s back, there’s an interchangeable clip system called “Multidapt” which allows the unit to be mounted on your belt, in your car, on your bike or many other locations.

The Sidewinder is a $25 insurance policy on a nano which could cost several hundred bucks.

In Action

I’m very happy with the Sidewinder.  It provides storage for the phone cables which no other case does.  My nano is extremely small and I like it to stay that way.  The Sidewinder doesn’t bulk up the unit so it stays small even though it is protected.

The Multidapt system is very convenient and allows me to mount my nano in many places.  I mount it on my belt, my car dashboard and my golf bag when I’m on the driving range practicing.

Conclusion

The MARWARE iPod Nano Sidewinder case is a great way to protect the unit without making it too big and eliminating the size factor.  The convenient cable storage keeps your phones handy with the iPod and tucks away when not needed.

More images

For more images of the MARWARE Sidewinder and other MARWARE products, click here to go to The Mac Space MARWARE gallery.

Otterbox is a great friend of The Mac Space. I have many of Otterbox’s happenin’ storage and protective devices. They protect everything from my iPods and iPhones to my cigars.

Defender case for original iPhone

If you are an owner of the original Apple iPhone (consider yourself lucky) you may want to protect that investment so you don’t have to upgrade to the problem laden 3G iPhones. A great way to protect your original iPhone is the Otterbox Defender case.

Components

The Defender is a four piece case. Two of the pieces (front & back) provide a sort of exoskeleton for major protection from drops and impacts. The exoskeleton is made of a high impact polycarbonate plastic. The outside and 2nd piece is a silicone skin. The silicone provides a good grip on the phone, which can be slippery without a case. The skin also provides shock and bump absorption. The final piece is a protective film for the iPhone’s screen.

The case’s openings provide easy access to all the buttons, ports and camera without having to remove the phone.

Unlike many other Otterbox cases, this one is not waterproof. Don’t be taking your iPhone to 100 feet below sea level like you can with other Otterboxes!

Holster

Along with the case, the Defender package includes a holster which the case snugly fits into. The holster is great for mounting on your belt or other places and provides a snapping angle so you can get your iPhone aligned where you want it.

Conclusion

The original iPhone came with a super high price. Protecting that investment is essential, but you don’t want that protection to be inconvenient. The Otterbox Defender provides maximum protection yet is convenient, functional and easy to install and remove. If only other protective devices could do the same… ahem.