Webpage Building Guides for the Uninitiated?

smilingbandit2 asks: "For the past several months, I've wanted to dive into the world of webpage design. I'm not looking to creative anything cutting edge or even terribly useful, just hobby pages and weblogs that look professionally made. Unfortunately, my knowledge of website design consists of one basic HTML class I took in highschool, about 8 years ago. I feel comfortable enough coding in HTML, but it doesn't give me the results I want, and I know nothing about any other coding languages. Now, I'm not scared of learning new software or languages - in fact, I'm eager to expand my skillsets - but I don't know what to study. XML, Perl, AJAX - nothing but alphabet soup to me. I don't about anything beyond HTML. I'm completely uninitiated in advanced web design. Now, I turn to Slashdot for help. Where should I begin on the path to design enlightenment? What're the languages, programs, or whatever that are worth knowing? Are there good guidebooks, useful websites, or insightful forums? Are formal classes worth a damn? What do you frequently use on your websites? Any helpful advice, generally?"

Comments

Re:Mmmm, XHTML is tasty

[Cyphertube]

I concur with the XHTML and CSS. If you don't know these, you don't know the full extent of what you CAN do in the browser. While I don't think every site has to be in XHTML, it makes it much easier to transition over to working with XML docs if you already tag in an XML format.

PHP is a great language for coding the dynamic side. While there are lots of places that use ASP, I found that ASP is awkward and really isn't built well. So stick with PHP. Learn to write SQL queries too, and integration with MySQL won't be so tough.

While I promote hand-coding, look into getting a good IDE of some kind, like TextPad. That way you can validate your code and make sure you don't screw up every five minutes. XMLSpy Home Edition is also pretty good for such things.

CSS is great stuff, and while you'll be frustrated when browser X, Y, or Z doesn't support something, there are ways to make the page degrade gracefully. Start looking for CSS Hacks and you'll find plenty of workarounds. Always write for a good CSS-compliant browser and then fix for the broken (like IE).

It really comes down to what you want to do

[jbarr]

For hobby pages, something like NVU or Word will give you simple pages with surprising power.

But you will probably better suited with installing a CMS like Joomla! which will give you functionality that a novice could never program. It may be overkill for a simple hobby page, but it will give you an excellent platform to build a successful, professional, feature-rich site.

In any case, bone up on HTML, PHP, and Javascript.

Oh, and get yourself a good text editor like UltraEdit to make those "quick fixes" a snap.

Oh wow, your isp AOL by any chance?

[SmallFurryCreature]

I am kidding (it isn't is it?)

I suppose I shouldn't comment on spelling and grammar, english might not be this guys first language, I am not to good at it myself and anyway this is slashdot where the editors are to busy raking in their fat profits to do anything but hit submit.

Anyway, on with your question. Search the web for absolute beginner guides to the web. You don't even seem to known the difference between presentation (HTML) data (XML) server side scripting (Perl) client side scripting (Javascript) etc.

I am not suprised then that your current efforts don't give you the result you want. I think even google would find it a challenge to make a weblog with nothing but HTML.

You don't "code" in HTML, you design. If the distinction isn't obvious to you, give up now. Perhaps I have just been exposed to too many highly intelligent people hired during the internet boom and who I had to teach how to code. My boss at the time didn't seem to be able to grasp that just because somebody scores highly in logic tests does not mean they can code. I remember one guy I knew for a fact was much more intelligent then me who just couldn't get his head around the way a PHP website deals with variables being passed. If you don't know, if you put something like this in php

<php $count++; echo $count; ?>

you will not have made a programming error, it will not give an error and will display 1 on your page. Expecting it to however ever go higher on reloads means you have not grasped the fundamental nature of the web.

In short the guy could just not grasp the stateless nature of the web. Amazing but I seen examples like this to often to believe that everyone has it in them to program (++$count vs $count++ anyone?. Nothing odd really, everyone knows some people can do art and others can't. Why should the other half of the brain not exclude certain people. (Ever tried explaining that "0 is false". No not "and 1 is true". Nothing is true except that wich isn't false.)

Then there is another count against you. You ask on slashdot without seemingly having done any research beyond noticing some buzzwords. Good coders do not ask, they find things for themselves. Good or even mediocre programming skill comes from having that drive to figure things out, to question, to search, to test.

It not like it has hard to google for beginner guides. But you are to lazy or to dumb to do that. I see lazy wannabe coders all the time, just make the mistake of hanging around in game modding forums. Guys who want to create the next counterstrike while they shouldn't be allowed within a mile of an ini file. As for dumb, recent post suggested the following. (like it anyway)

mood=stress,boredom,fame,salery
$actor=2,0.1,3,5

To modify fame set it to 15.

Question: so it becomes like $actor=15

Answer: DO NOT EVER CHANGE YOUR JOB TO PROGRAMMER

Some people can code, some people can't. Yes I am bitter from having to train a lot of them (the ones who could didn't need to be trained, just given a good book, a practice enviroment and a month or two with maybe the odd session on monday to introduce some advanced subjects and hard earned practical knowledge) during the boom. Maybe I was just a bad teacher, I seen others fail as well, but some people just should not try it.

You sound like one of those people. I really don't want to be mean or anything but look at your post. You confuse HTML with a coding language wich it isn't. Perhaps the L of the acronym confuses you, it does a lot of people, but then a bit of basic googling should have set you straight.

You claim to know HTML but are unable to make proffesional looking sites with it. NEWSFLASH, HTML is what all the pros use. One sign of a person who cannot code is the believe there is a magic tool/language out there that everyone is hiding from them that will instantly turn them leet. There is one but it there is already a job shortage so we are