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CSS CSS Basics (2014) Enhancing the Design With CSS Adjusting the Layout with Media Queries

Dave Lawlor
Dave Lawlor
2,732 Points
Posted by Dave Lawlor
Dave Lawlor
2,732 Points

Hi There has been no mention of a normalize.css file throughout CSS Basics course.

I'd worked through a lot of the older fundations course - there the normalization of the browser's User Agent Styles was given importance - is this no longer the case?

Thanks.

Guil Hernandez
Guil Hernandez
Treehouse Teacher
Guil Hernandez
Guil Hernandez
Treehouse Teacher

Hi Dave Lawlor,

Since this is a "follow along from scratch" type of course, I didn't want to introduce an extra—possibly overwhelming—document into the mix. But, the way the site is built, if you link the normalize style sheet down the road, nothing will change or break.

We focus more on resets in the CSS Layout Techniques course. :)

3 Answers

Jonathan Grieve
MOD
Jonathan Grieve
Treehouse Moderator 91,253 Points
Jonathan Grieve
Jonathan Grieve
Treehouse Moderator 91,253 Points

I don't think it has any less or more importance than it did before. Normalise is optional for any project and I think in CSS Basics I think it's just assumed you have it linked. :-)

Dave Lawlor
Dave Lawlor
2,732 Points
Dave Lawlor
Dave Lawlor
2,732 Points

Jonathan

If it is so "easily solved" why does the internet abound with advice to use a reset file?

Even the author of the Treehouse book "CSS3 Foundations" seems to think it's important, devoting a section to the subject, he writes on Page 34 :

"........but that is a small task (using a reset.css file) when you consider how much easier it is to begin with consistent styles across all browsers."

Jonathan Grieve
Jonathan Grieve
Treehouse Moderator 91,253 Points
Jonathan Grieve
Jonathan Grieve
Treehouse Moderator 91,253 Points

I'm not advocating not using a normalise file or that you shouldn't performs all reasonable checks for cross browser compatibility.

I'm just saying there is another option out there, kind like a "mini normalise" stylesheet that you can tailor to an individual project.

Dave Lawlor
Dave Lawlor
2,732 Points
Dave Lawlor
Dave Lawlor
2,732 Points

Thanks very much Jonathan

The "new"basics course uses a project to take students through the various css rules. This includes a styles.css file, that file doesn't make use of an imported normalize.css file.

Won't this lead to potential compatibility issues If you don't "normalize" the browser User Agent Styles?

Jonathan Grieve
Jonathan Grieve
Treehouse Moderator 91,253 Points
Jonathan Grieve
Jonathan Grieve
Treehouse Moderator 91,253 Points

Very likely. But it's easily solved with a simple universal selector declaration at the top of your stylesheet.

If I'm honest, I don't use Normalise or Modernizr very much. Nothing against them I'm just not in the habit.

I tend to get by with something like this...

* {
   padding: 0;
   margin:0;
}

Which takes away default margins and paddings from any element and I go from there!