CSS3 and Shadows in RAP

RAP already offers advanced styling features including customizable cross-browser gradients, rounded borders and animations. We now complete this feature set by introducing advanced, configurable shadows, giving your RAP application a modern, subtle 3D-look.

Unlike other frameworks, RAP does not rely on pre-rendered images to create those effects. Instead it does all the rendering itself based on CSS declarations, using multiple browser-native technologies for drawing. Up until now this always involved several complex vector-graphic operations. However, this is 2011, and support for mordern web standards is becoming widely available. By using the CSS3 capabilities of modern browsers, we no longer need to use any vector graphics in Safari, Google Chrome and Firefox 4+. Internet Explorer 9 will follow soon.

Of course, RAP will continue to support all its theming features (including shadows) in browsers without CSS3 capabilities. Shadows and CSS3-support will be part of RAP 1.4 M7, coming on May 7.