Edit Theme CSS with Firebug
Tonight’s call will focus on the use of Firebug to quickly test and edit your Theme style. Please download and install it. Firebug integrates with Firefox and is immediately ready for use.
Firebug is one of the most efficient tools for professional developers and newbies alike.
2 Good Reasons for using Firebug
- Have you ever edited your website’s style? And, have you ever had a hard time to find within the CSS style-sheet the exact block of code you needed to edit to implement a desired modification? With Firebug, you will see immediately which line of your code you need to edit and best of all, you can test the modification on the fly before actually hacking your CSS code.
- Having Errors on your page, in your CSS or HTML code? Firebug is an ideal debugger pointing you directly to the problem area and suggesting the necessary modifications.
If you are not yet using Firebug, it’s time to get started tonight :-).
Test your Site with YSlow
YSlow integrates with Firebug and provides important additional optimization information. Download and install from HERE. We will look into YSlow as well at tonight’s call.
Here is an example, running YSlow on my main blog which is, I admit, quite overloaded:
The score with the Semiomantics improved Thesis Theme is 85 (the standard Thesis theme scores 73). This is about what all Ycademy Author Blogs should score if properly set up according to instructions and featuring about as many items as my site.
Now look what the optional Semiomantics SEO Engine can do:
Hey, we just get a whooping 94! Smashing under any standards and just a side effect of the engine :-).