How to create a CSS Toolshed submission – step by step
It has been quite a while since I started the “CSS Toolshed”:http://csstoolshed.com, and I expected a lot of submissions after hundreds of people downloaded the templates, but now – more than two weeks later – I only got one good submission to show.
OK, I get the message: I cannot expect developers to work in conditions like these to submit something for a project they don’t get any money from. It is frustrating enough having to deal with these at work, but at least there is a paycheck in it.
So, to make it a bit easier, I updated the “templates pack”:http://csstoolshed.com/cssts_dl/cssts_templates.zip to include
- all the necessary images
- more templates containing almost all elements of the building block gallery
- pre-defined CSS selectors with all the content elements
As the pièce de résistance, I created a new demo design called “Happy Cock”:http://www.csstoolshed.com/showtime.php?id=3s0t3c0d0e0 and wrote down what I was doing while developing it.
So if you need to get an insight as to how to create a CSS Toolshed entry (or simply a flexible CSS layout) go and read:
- “Cocking up – How the Happy Cock CSS Toolshed submission was done”:http://www.csstoolshed.com/cocking/
Hopefully this will help the toolshed get some more submissions, I’d hate simply to let it die…
December 2nd, 2005 at 4:43 pm
Again, great idea. However, it seems a bit more idealistic in terms of time and resources that’s required to attack something at this scale. Let’s face it, (perhaps speaking for myself) developers are enthusiastic about projects only if they can forsee a visible outcome within a ‘realistic’ time-frame. Perhaps this is the sole reason why the zen garden managed to break through.
Having said that, I would prefer to be proven wrong in this matter as it casts an unproductive activity in part of the community, since the goal of this project can very well multifold that is of css zen garden’s.
December 5th, 2005 at 5:25 pm
Chris, I’m one of those 400 who have downloaded but not submitted. Yet. I would love to submit a design but to find the time is difficult, and my guess is that that’s the case for more people..
I don’t know how it is for other developers, but I need more then a few evenings to design a complete site.
Sarven is correct that this project can become very worthwhile, so please don’t throw in the towel too soon! I like your writeup about the process, thanks for that.
December 5th, 2005 at 9:42 pm
Hi Chris, I thought the CSS Toolshed was a great idea when I heard about it. But your conclusions are unfortunately pretty much on par with what I would have told you about the barrier to entry issue.
Check out “The Zen of CSS Design”, page 43 (second to last paragraph) through to page 45. I wrote about exactly this.
December 5th, 2005 at 9:46 pm
Heya Dave,
will give it a check (haven’t got the book yet). However, a link would help lots I think ;-)
Honoured to have you here.
December 6th, 2005 at 9:23 am
Hi Chris, I think that the toolshed is a great idea, and I am sure more entries will come soon. I visited the site when it started, however I did not get around to creating a page.
As a Design graduate looking to get into web design, projects like these are exactly what the doctor ordered. I will start a design today and see exactly what I can achieve.