Manage Styles tab empty in WDM Express 2008

kiwibrit · June 16th, 2009, 03:18 PM

I've got to page 86 - Attaching you New Style Sheet to Your Document.

The technique works but - except for a fraction of a second when the tab is opened - under CSS Styles, the Style 1 CSS listing disappears. And after attaching the sheet, the same is true for the full CSS listin - it's visible momentarily, and then disappears.

I am using Web Developer Manager 2008 Express.

How can I make the listing appear?

Imar · June 16th, 2009, 04:53 PM

Hi there,

I am not exactly sure I understand what you're saying or what the problem is.

Quote:

The technique works but - except for a fraction of a second when the tab is opened

Does it work fine *except for a fraction* or *only for a fraction*?

And what do you mean with "the same is true for the full CSS listin"? What does disappears from what?

Quote:

I am using Web Developer Manager 2008 Express

Not nit-picking, but want to make sure we're talking about the same thing: do you mean Visual Web Developer Express Edition?

Finally, are you doing this in Design View or in Code View? And is the syntax of your CSS file alright? What happens when you create a new, simple CSS file like this:

Code:

 
body
{
  background-color: red;
}

and apply that to a brand new web page. Does that work?

Cheers,

Imar
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imar Spaanjaars
http://Imar.Spaanjaars.Com
Everyone is unique, except for me.

Author of Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 : in C# and VB, ASP.NET 2.0 Instant Results and Dreamweaver MX 2004
While typing this post, I was listening to: Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn by Sonic Youth (From the album: The Eternal) What's This?

kiwibrit · June 16th, 2009, 05:56 PM

Imar, thanks for getting back to me.

I am using Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition.

If I remove the <link /> element removed from Default.aspx, and then go into Design View and do what the book suggests, and go View|Mange Styles, an extra tabbed page appears as Manage Styles, laid out as in Figure 3-9. For maybe a second, the Current Page, Style 1 listing appears - and then it vanishes. Clicking 'Apply Styles', and attaching results in no listing showing on in the Manage Styles screen - however, the styling is applied correctly - and the page will run with styling applied. Flicking from the .aspx file to the Manage Styles tab results in all the listing showing for a merest fraction of a second - and then disappearing.

However, if (again with <link /> element removed and Default.asp in Design View), and I go to View|Apply Styles - then a separate area of the screen opens up with a view very like Figure 3-9 - except that it is headed 'Apply Styles'. If I then add the style sheet, the styles listed in Figure 3-10 appear.

Undoing all that and reapplying styles via 'Management Styles' resulted in an error to do with the web.config file. Ouch. I have also had problems with doing what you ask - with strange errors showing. It's 22.55 here - I am going to have another go in the morning after some sleep!

I am beginning to wonder if I should just skip this it - I am used to handling style sheets manually (up until now I have used HTML/CSS/php) and think I may be getting bogged down on something I can manage without. But I will have another look tomorrow morning.

PS great book - I had been roaring along until I hit this.

kiwibrit · June 17th, 2009, 07:43 AM

OK, I have rebuilt the site to where is should have been using the downloaded source code. The problem persisted, so I built a test site, and with a style sheet as specified above.

After applying the style sheet to the default page (in design view) no listing was shown. However, when I switched to the the default page, it was clear the styling had been applied. Switching back to Manage Styles, this listing showed for less than a second (I was quick on the print screen button!) - but then the listing disappeared.

A similar thing happens for View|CSS properties (Fig 3-16). Momentarily the properties are there - then they vanish.

Could be that VWD needs re-installation, I suppose - but unless something else crops up, I don't think I will do that. This is not the end of the world, I can manage CSS styles without the assistance of VWD - but I am puzzled as to why it is happening, and would appreciate your thoughts.

Imar · June 17th, 2009, 06:01 PM

What was it they said about a picture being worth more than a 1000 words? ;-)

I can see what the problem is now. The Manage Styles window lists styles that it finds in the document that is *currently the active document in the Document Window*. However, you set up the Manage Styles panel as a document window document as well. So, as soon as you put focus on the Manage Styles window in the Document Window, your ASPX page looses focus and the Manage Styles has nothing to display anymore.

Simply undock the Manage Styles window to remove it from the Document Window, dock it with another tool panel like the Toolbox on the left or the Properties Window on the right and you should be OK. The Document Window showing your ASPX and the Manage Styles window can then live side by side and the latter will find styles associated with the page in the former.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Imar
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imar Spaanjaars
http://Imar.Spaanjaars.Com
Everyone is unique, except for me.

Author of Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 : in C# and VB, ASP.NET 2.0 Instant Results and Dreamweaver MX 2004
While typing this post, I was listening to: Walkin Blue by Sonic Youth (From the album: The Eternal) What's This?

kiwibrit · June 17th, 2009, 06:41 PM

Bingo! Thanks for your keen on-line support of your excellent book.

Imar · June 18th, 2009, 04:05 PM

You're welcome....

Imar