using Textedit for css stylesheet

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using Textedit for css stylesheet

I am building a website with HTML and CSS using the Textedit. It appears that I cannot edit a css stylesheet in Textedit after the initial save. Is this true and how do I get around it? Making a new CSS stylesheet with every change is just not an option. Please help

mac pro, Mac OS X (10.6.1)

Posted on Nov 4, 2009 6:27 AM

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Answer 1

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K T

Level 7

23,865 points

Nov 4, 2009 6:39 AM in response to Danoflorida

Download and try TextWrangler instead....

http://www.barebones.com/products/TextWrangler/

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Answer 2

Nov 4, 2009 6:41 AM in response to Danoflorida

"Plain" text may be your troubles.
Check the TextEdit preferences for some clues.

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Answer 3

Danoflorida Author

Level 1

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Nov 4, 2009 7:57 AM in response to QuickTimeKirk

Thanks for the suggestion. I've checked that and tried all those possible options and found no answer. It appears that Textedit has a set criteria for a .css file but I can't say for sure since I'm not a mac wizard. It just won't apply changes when I make it a .css file.

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Answer 4

Nov 4, 2009 9:40 AM in response to Danoflorida

I can edit css files with TextEdit with no problems whatsoever. First off, you need to make sure your css files are plain text files. Also you need to make sure you have write permissions to the file in question. TextEdit has no "set criteria for a .css file"--I don't even know what that would mean. A css file is just a txt file with the .css extension instead of the .txt extension. There are dedicated css file programs: I use CSSEdit, and my css files are set to open in that as the default editor (it has lots of nice features for creating css files), but TextEdit opens the files without difficulty and edits them. As was already mentioned TextWrangler is another nice program for editing css files. It is free, you might try it, it will display the css files with various things in color, which can be useful.

I'm also not sure what this statement means: "It just won't apply changes when I make it a .css file." Just what is that "it" you refer to? Was the file an rtf document originally? And where are the css files you are attempting to edit? Do you have write permissions to the files and the folder they are in? You can check using GetInfo.
Francine

Francine
Schwieder

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Answer 5

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,858 points

Nov 4, 2009 10:24 AM in response to Danoflorida

tried all those possible options

You should have no problems editing any kind of .css, .html or whatever kind of text file if in TextEdit Preferences you make sure you set Format to Plain Text and check the boxes for Ignore Rich Text Commands..."

I use it for such things every day.

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Answer 6

Network 23

Level 6

12,333 points

Nov 4, 2009 12:13 PM in response to Danoflorida

Same here, no problem editing CSS or HTML if TextEdit is set to Plain Text.

But editing CSS is much better in TextWrangler because it will color-code the syntax for you.

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Answer 7

Danoflorida Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 4, 2009 10:19 PM in response to Network 23

Thanks for the info. TextWrangler was the tip of the day. I tried changing the preferences and didn't have much luck but who cares, TWrangler is my new friend.

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Answer 8

Nov 16, 2009 8:20 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

I have worked hours on this and can't seem to get it to work.
I have changed the preferences in TextEdit to 'plain text' then save as .css (by changing .txt to .css). When I open it again it opens in Dashcode, and nothing works.
I have tried setting it up in PageSpinner and again when I save the stylesheet it saves in Dashcode.

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Answer 9

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,858 points

Nov 16, 2009 9:23 AM in response to Royden Kading

it opens in Dashcode

Do File > Get Info > Open with on your document and change it from Dashcode to whatever you want it to open with.

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Answer 10

Nov 16, 2009 9:36 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Tom, Thanks, I must be losing it. Have worked on this so many hours. However, I still can't get css to work. Will just have to keep working at it.

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Answer 11

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,858 points

Nov 16, 2009 9:42 AM in response to Royden Kading

I still can't get css to work.

What do you mean, it still opens with Dashcode even after you have changed the Open With setting for all such docs to TextEdit?

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Answer 12

Nov 16, 2009 9:46 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Tom,
No, I can now open .css file in PageSpinner, but still can't get the stylesheet to work. I have done a sample stylesheet and it worked, but when I apply it to my webpages, it does not work. Something I am missing. Will just keep at it.
Thanks
Roy

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Answer 13

Nov 17, 2009 8:03 AM in response to Royden Kading

Getting there slowly, but now have two different results, neither good.

First: Open browser which automatically opens my homepage. Follow the links to the pages for which I am trying to change the background color. All the graphics, links are there, but the test page I am using has not changed color.

Second: open browser, open the file I am testing by using dropdown menu File, open file. File opens with background color changed, however, all my graphics are gone, the links work, but only a small square where the graphic should show. The graphics are also gone on all the 65 pages on my site. The only page that remains ok is the index page.

What am I missing?

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Answer 14

Nov 17, 2009 9:49 AM in response to Royden Kading

Here is my lists.css file: body {
background-color: #FFFF99 }

and here is what the html page is: <head><title>mypage</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="lists.css" type="text/css">
</head>

When I put the whole html <style> in the page as: <head><title>mypage</title>
<style type="text/css">
body {background-color: #99FF66;}
</style></head>
it works fine.

Think I have tried every combination imaginable and can't get it to work.

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Answer 15

Nov 17, 2009 10:20 AM in response to Royden Kading

You can either have a style sheet as a separate file, or you can embed it in the html page. Either will work. If you use it as separate file, then the link in the html must point to the location of the css file. Thus, I have a structure like this:

pinkmutant (folder)
articles.html (file)
mainb.css (file)
articles (sub-folder)
snowleo1.html (file)

Both articles.html and snowleo1.html use the same mainb.css style sheet. But since they are located in different places, the link tag differs. For articles the link tag is

link rel="stylesheet" href="mainb.css"

But for snowleo1 the tag is

link rel="stylesheet" href="../mainb.css"

If you use style sheets in this way you have to add the link tag with the correct path to the style sheet for every single page. However, once you have done that you can change every page by just editing the style sheet. So initially you have to edit all html pages, a pain for a large site. But once you have done it, subsequent edits of style are simplified, as you only have to edit the one css file.
Francine

Francine
Schwieder

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