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.