### 31.1 Deciding whether to use CSS

With respect to CSS style sheets for your project, you can do any of the following:

- Specify an existing style sheet for DITA2Go to use.
- Have DITA2Go create a new style sheet based on formats and configuration settings.
- Select a style sheet at run time, according to the browser in use.
- Choose not to use CSS at all.

If the HTML output you produce will be viewed with a browser that offers CSS support (which most Web browsers do these days), CSS is the better way to manage presentation, compared to <font> tags and such. On the other hand, CSS is implemented somewhat inconsistently among different browsers. You might have to provide several cascading style sheets, to be automatically selected from at run time; and you can spend an amazing amount of time tuning style sheets and adding JavaScript macros.

Note: Formatting that is directly created by an HTML tag overrides CSS. Using HTML presentational tags and attributes cripples your ability to use CSS, and therefore to adjust formatting easily without having to alter content.

If you are creating in-house HTML documents, use whatever works with local browsers.

Note: If you are creating XHTML output for the Web, Netscape Navigator 7 and Mozilla ignore your CSS files.

The default is for DITA2Go to use CSS for standard HTML and for HTML-based Help, and to create a style sheet for you, based on the formats in your document; see §31.4 Specifying CSS file and link options.

To look at your page in different browsers, using a Web-based method:

http://www.anybrowser.com/

See also:

§31.5 Understanding how CSS affects other options

Previous Topic: 31. Setting up CSS for HTML

Next Topic: 31.2 Understanding how to use CSS

Parent Topic: 31. Setting up CSS for HTML

Sibling Topics:

31.2 Understanding how to use CSS

31.3 Understanding how DITA2Go generates CSS

31.4 Specifying CSS file and link options

31.5 Understanding how CSS affects other options

31.6 Linking to alternate CSS files

31.7 Assigning CSS classes

31.8 Customizing CSS properties

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