learning to build web pages

[alexlowe]

Hello,

If i want to learn to build web pages, where do I start?

I'm not after a quick solution I want to learn from the ground up...

so i'm guessing I should look at html, then css, then...? would this be the right approach?

I messed about with dreamweaver but it seemed to be getting in the way a bit and I felt like i was learning the dreamweaver rather than how to build a website...

any help appreciated...

thanks

 

[Posilan]

Here is a really good place to start:

http://www.w3schools.com/

Steve

 

[Jeff FV]

I started by buying myself a copy of "Sam's Teach Yourself HTML & CSS" and building a site.

w3schools is also a useful site and some of the courses on sitepoint are pretty useful, too.

Hope that gives you some options to explore,

Jeff

 

[Graham Walker]

Take a look at W3 Schools, it's a fantastic resource to get your started.

 

[Experienced IT guy]

I have often used the "for dummies" book series to learn basics, there is a web site (or similar) for dumies, it was available at my local library and provided a good basic start quite a few years ago now. (I have a programming background)

It explained the "obvious" that was not "obvious".

Web pages have evolved since then, and css, javascript, various flavours of HTML each are a subject in their own right (IMHO) not to mention IE6...10, Firefox, Chrome, Safari implimentions of the above.

SEO is (should be) a basic and integral consideration of a web page design. this migh help here...http://www.ava.co.uk/support/faq/si...eryone/free-seo-tools-to-get-you-started.aspx

The thing not to do is use an automatic process like writing something in word and then save as html.

HTH

 

[alexlowe]

OK thanks every body...

Yes, so i am going in the right direction.

I've been looking at w3 and "...for dummies" its just somebody told me that the stuff on w3 was outdated (?) and that I was wasting time.

I think they were talking about xhtml... it is a bit confusing.

my plan is:

learn html, then css and then look at what i can do with that and learn more as necessary...

thanks again everybody, thanks for the links too.

 

[Experienced IT guy]

Both for dummies and w3 were in the main written some time ago. What they say may be an over simplification of what works today. What they say is still true and a very good place to start. The web has evolved, is still evolving. single cell creatures came first ... then HTML 5, jquery, and other goodies. They are all built around the basics contained in dummies and w3 - yes they can be considered old hat, but a good understanding is a solid foundation to then understand HTML 5, jquery. Start on the low hills before having a go at Everest.

 

[alexlowe]

OK now i understand.

thats great thanks.

 

[alexlowe]

and just in case anybody is interested i found this site very helpful...

http://www.html.net

 

[Experienced IT guy]

Yup there are some good basics there as well, and if it makes sense to you then its as good as any. A note about ASP (.asp) - this has been replaced sucessively by ASP.NET (.aspx) 2, 2, 3.5, and now 4. Just think of this as a cars of the 60's, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00's - each could have been quite good for its time, but the earlier versions are not as powerful or secure as the most recent.

 

[FreshPage Web Design]

I would definitely buy a domain name and a cheap hosting account. Why? because there's nothing more motivating than seeing your practice code actually online. It will also be useful when seeking coding help from online forums, because you can post a link to the problem.

Definitely learn HTML and CSS first. Do not use tables to layout your site! Use divs and learn the power of CSS to manipulate a very basic html layout into all different weird and wonderful designs. Have a look at this website to see the amazing things css can do: http://www.csszengarden.com/

Next I would learn basic php. Set it up on your web server and learn how to include php files, so that you can build up a modular website. Then learn some basic php functions, form submitting and presenting information back to the page.

Then you could learn javascript. Learn 'raw' javascript first, then a library like Jquery.

That should keep you going for a year or two

 

[alexlowe]

thanks yes i do plan to do that, thanks for the link also...

 

[bediwin]

I'd add to this: Don't be too disappointed that you're not putting together a website as sophisticated as, say, ukbf within a few months.

The great majority of complex websites these days are built around content management systems - web applications that do maybe 70% of the hard work for you so you don't have to fiddle around with 50 different HTML files for a 50 page website.

You'll need to understand HTML and CSS to be able to do anything useful - and once you've got the general idea, neither are particularly difficult - so once you're comfortable with that, install something like Joomla or Wordpress and see what you can do.

 

[Country Services]

I also strongly recommend "Sam's Teach Yourself HTML & CSS". It is an excellent book.
Good luck with your project

Pippa

 

[James1980]

You might want to read W3Fools beforehand.

"We are passionate about the web, learning, and craftsmanship. We want you, as web designers and developers, to be successful in your careers. We feel, though, that W3Schools is harming the community with inaccurate information. Like any other authoritative educational resource, W3Schools should both hold itself to, and be held to, the highest standards.

We hope we can illuminate why W3Schools is a troublesome resource, why their faulty information is a detriment to the web, and what you (and they) can do about it. "

 

[mbabuskov]

Take a look at W3 Schools, it's a fantastic resource to get your started.

I find W3C to be good when you already know a lot of stuff, but cannot remember some details about something. I hardly find it good for a complete beginner who should first learn some basics about design and how the whole web technology works together.

 

[madhusmita]

You can start form HTML.Its a very easy tool to start with.You first learn the coding tactic.Dream weaver can also help for this.Easily you can know the coding to required for the components.You can go for CSS and PHP after HTML.They are widely used tools for the web designing.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Hello,
If i want to learn to build web pages, where do I start?

I'm not after a quick solution I want to learn from the ground up...

http://www.the-web-book.com/ is another useful resource. I forget whether I first saw it here or on another forum but it's worth mentioning again. (Free PDF download)

Cheers,
Slarti.