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Title: Textastic
Platform: iPad
Cost:$9.99

Textastic is certainly not the most inexpensive app ever reviewed on the YALSA Blog, but it does something that you and your teens might be very interested in. It’s a code editing app. That means for anyone that codes web pages it’s a great resource to have in your app arsenal. (Those who do other kinds of coding can also use the app. Javascript or Perl for example.) Teens learning to code can enhance their skills while sitting comfortably with an iPad. Teens who know how to code can update web pages while using an iPad.

At the base-level Textastic works well as a tool for writing HTML and CSS files from scratch. Click on the + in the bottom menu, name the file, and get started writing the code. Those who are coders will appreciate that the coding screen includes line-numbering, as well as a row of character keys that make it easy to enter code on the iPad screen.

What makes this app even better are the options available for getting your code from your iPad to a server or file sharing app. With Textastic it’s possible to upload files to Dropbox or an S/FTP server. That means for anyone who is coding on their iPad there is no need to email files to yourself in order to get them posted on a server. Just upload them to your FTP host and voila the pages are available for viewing on the web or editing using another device or a computer. The reverse is also true. Login to a server that’s been setup and it’s possible to retrieve files that you’ve been working on on a different device or computer. Download the files from the server and work on them on your iPad. Then upload again when you’ve done the work needed.

Along with uploading and downloading it’s possible to send files as attachments, copy the content to paste into another document, and open the code in other apps on your iPad – for example Pages, GoodReader, or Side by Side.

Learning how to code is something that teens in your community might be very interested in. Learning how to code helps teens to better understand the way the web works, what it takes to make a website that is usable, interesting, interactive, and fun. Learning how to code can help you to help teens to engage in STEM related activities. Even if you don’t know how to code, or want to learn how to code, check with your teens to see who in the community has coding skills. Perhaps they want to use Textastic. Maybe they even want to use the app to teach other teens coding skills.

I can totally understand the frustration with website designs concerning CSS layouts and browser compatibility issues. It is a lot to learn and I am sure everyone has gone through a lot of trials, lots of testing, and basically just making everything work. I recently got scolded by a programmer because I used a z-index and absolute positioning in one of my sites. I did not think there was anything wrong with it, but he mentioned it was a "dirty code" and not to use it ever again! So, ok. I got it. No more using z-index. I felt like a kid wearing a dunce cap :) But, oh well, I got a nice t-shirt graphic out of it at least....

I have been asked what resources I am using to learn CSS. A Lynda.com membership is the main source and has been very helpful. The process has been really frustrating because there is so much basic CSS knowledge that you need before any of it makes sense. I watched the Dreamweaver CS4 videos several times gaining just a little bit from each pass. Then I built a (very basic) functioning website using an external CSS style sheet. It was a frustrating challenge, but with CSS it is so cool. When I make a change to the CSS style sheet all of the pages in the site are updated. For example, you can update type color site wide. It is like paragraph and character styles in InDesign.

But typography is not the place to start learning CSS. Start with the concept of "div tags". If you are new to CSS, I know that this means nothing to you but it is the foundation for CSS in Dreamweaver. It is the first major concept that I had to know. (I have used tables in the past to design web pages and, "div tags" are not like tables.)

Once again, start with "div tags" not typography.

Thanks to Dorothea for pointing out that it’s CSS Naked Day. Simply put, you toss up your website without a stylesheet. Then you see if you can still read it and use it. Then you think about web standards and intentional usability and good web design. It’s time to show off your <body>, for a good cause. If you don’t normally look at this website through anything other than an RSS reader come check it out.

At this new job of mine, I have essentially three responsibilities: information literacy liaison for business, journalism and other program faculty; reference desk duties; and updating and maintaining the library website.

The first three weeks I was really busy with IL but that has totally gone dead (since I'm not yet doing outreach to faculty), so most of my focus has been on the website and my ref desk shifts. The current template, though newly created, uses tables for layout. Does that make you shudder? We've decided to go ahead and keep using it and my long term project will be to create something that's better for accessibility. So, I have to teach myself CSS. I have a friend who's pretty knowledgeable in the stuff, so he's thrown me some links, and I found lots of useful info. The one I'm loving write now because it's clear and gives great examples: http://www.brainjar.com. I'm fortunate in that at least I have the college's style sheets to model after. So, anyone know of any website tips for librarians?