CSS Layout Creation: Days 3 and 4

h2. Day 3

Progress and setbacks. I created the remaining CSS files and kept working on the myriad of details. A two-hour lunch meeting cut into the day, losing valuable time. I finally had a good demo to show the designer, but she was unhappy with how the flexible layout compromised the initial design. We met, discussed options, and later settled on a compromise. Time well spent but the process of working out alternate ideas meant lots of time reworking the basic CSS layout.

The end of the day brought some encouraging results: my first attempt at pulling in the journalist's Flick photos via the RSS feeds was successful.

h2. Day 4

This one didn't start off well. I discovered that one journalist's layout had never been created. You'd think I'd have noticed that before, but with 10 journalists to deal with and no document that listed all of their names, I didn't think to count the layouts. I also noticed a jagged quality to the photos I was given.

I sliced up the graphics and created the homepage, the easiest part of the process. Some Javascript to enable the journalists' info to appear onmouseover, and it was pretty much on its way. Until I found I was missing the small photos for everyone. The designer got to work right away on the missing layout and finding the photos, but unfortunately it wasn't quick enough. Meaning...

Failure! Even if all the graphics were there, I just ran out of time. The comment feature needs to be tested, I didn't have time to view the homepage on IE 6, and about a dozen other small details that would only take 5 or 10 minutes each. But the site couldn't have launched until Monday or Tuesday anyway, since none of the actual content has been formatted yet for HTML. So... well... I did my best, and that's all I could do. It'll have to wait until next Thursday when I'm back from a mini-vacation to Irving, TX.