crisp

Just quickly:
 
1) You really need to learn a CMS or two. There are plenty of decent free and open source ones about, many with good documentation and even books if need be. Examples are Joomla, Wordpress, CMSMS, Drupal etc. Loads. Learn one or two of the more commonly used ones so that you can quickly integrate them with your designs and make a functioning website. I'd suggest downloading a load, having a play, and seeing what you're most comfortable with. My experience is that the vast majority of clients don't care at all what CMS is used as long as they can easily log in and edit content. You can usually give them peared down editor access only too, so that they don't end up playing with things they don't understand and breaking stuff. Your choice of CMS will also be dictated by the function of the website too - you're not likely to use Wordpress for a full blown eCommerce website, for example.
 
2) Clients can and do expect you to sort out the hosting for them. Very early on I sorted myself out with reseller hosting. For most websites this is absolutely ok - you're not likely to be doing websites that will get more than a few thousand unique visits per month at first anyway. If any of your clients websites become too much for a shared environment then it's time to approach them about semi dedicated or dedicated hosting. In my experience this has only happened with successful eCommerce websites. By the time they get to that stage they're making enough money that this isn't a problem for them, and when you explain it's because they're getting more and more visits they're happy to upgrade because they can see the positive direction things are headed in. You can pick up reseller hosting for almost as cheap as normal hosting in many places, though do shop around, read reviews, etc.
 
Sometimes clients will have their own hosting (not usually, and I say that even dealing mainly with other businesses) and sometimes they'll have pre-registered a domain name. Sometimes they won't, on one or either. Just take it as it comes, it's not a problem for you to tell them what DNS settings they need to be using for their domain, or even as usually happens with me they just ask me to log in and do it for them. Same with hosting. I tend to give free hosting and domain for a year and then charge yearly after that. Be sure to tell them this upfront, they'll appreciate the honesty.
 
If you don't want to go the reseller route then it is an option to assist them with setting up their own hosting in their name etc, but it's my experience that this doesn't come across as professional (I did some freelance at uni too ) and for the cheapness and usefullness of reseller hosting, that's probably the way to go. Also adds a nice little extra bit of income for you when you charge yearly after the first year, and allows you to easily provide support without having to keep track of a load of different peoples hosting companies. Ensure you go with a reputable company.
 
I said that was going to be quick...

well, if you turn off .BU-nav in the css the scrollbar goes away. So that's screwing something up, probably that relative position?

Your index can be anything, index.html, index.php, index.haha, home.ohhai... it just depends on how you've configured your server. Apache looks down a list of preset file names for the index, and the first one it hits it uses. By convention we use index in the Apache world, but there's nothing to stop you using something else.
 
Now, unless you configure your server setup to interpret .html files as PHP files, you're going to run into trouble using any PHP in a HTML file. Therefore, by default, if there is any amount of PHP going on in your pages it should have a .php extension, therefore index.php.
 
It sounds like you're a little confused though. The filename & extension is almost irrelevant. The best practise would be to use some kind of templating system (e.g. see Smarty for PHP) to keep your logic away from your presentation layer, especially if this is to be a big project. If you don't do this then it doesn't matter what the file is called, so long as your server is setup to know which file names should be interpreted as directory "home pages" and which extensions should be interpreted as PHP.

Your index can be anything, index.html, index.php, index.haha, home.ohhai... it just depends on how you've configured your server. Apache looks down a list of preset file names for the index, and the first one it hits it uses. By convention we use index in the Apache world, but there's nothing to stop you using something else.
 
Now, unless you configure your server setup to interpret .html files as PHP files, you're going to run into trouble using any PHP in a HTML file. Therefore, by default, if there is any amount of PHP going on in your pages it should have a .php extension, therefore index.php.
 
It sounds like you're a little confused though. The filename & extension is almost irrelevant. The best practise would be to use some kind of templating system (e.g. see Smarty for PHP) to keep your logic away from your presentation layer, especially if this is to be a big project. If you don't do this then it doesn't matter what the file is called, so long as your server is setup to know which file names should be interpreted as directory "home pages" and which extensions should be interpreted as PHP.

This will probably be very similar to 'Authentic_styles' answer but...
 
Step one... The Client (Brief, budget and plan)
 
Obviously no client no work so this just naturally comes first.
Find out exactly what the client wants and what they already may have in the way of assets (logos, colour scheme, layouts) and ask for them to be mailed over to you right away. Speak to them and collect there ideas, thoughts; feelings, mission statement and overall goals and what they would like to become of their new website, jot these down in a fresh notepad (if you're unable to meet with the client face to face, as often i can not due to ill health, then you can do this by email or maybe even
 
messenger/skype/telephone). Collect everything the client and yourself have spoken about and type it all up into one large document.
I then go about creating a list of key targets and areas (bullet points) that i can tick off as they are complete, such as collecting together the colour scheme/images, researched methods etc.
 
Always agree on the quoted budget, never go with "around blah blah blah" this will always come back to bite you... saying this, always work in a small amount of leverage, such as any changes on the clients part that cause the project to go over the deadline (always agree a deadline!) will accrue extra costs!
 
Find out from the client what their budget is, sometimes you'll find different outcomes can suit a clients budget (especially if it's tight) always make them aware of the added extras that could make the project even better for them but always make them aware of the extra costs that may be incurred.
 
The design (a.k.a 'Building stuff)
 
Wireframe! Get that site idea down on paper with a pencil... take time to get it all balanced and laid out, use a pencil so you can rub out and start again. Knock up several ideas and then break open Photoshop/Illustrator.
Use different shade grey blocks to knock up the layout at the dimensions and sizes you want and then decide upon the one you want to go with.
Go about piecing the sites design over the grey block using the list you created earlier until you are happy enough to show the client what will be the finished design. At this point i am happy for the client to let me know what changes to design and colour they would like until we have a finalized design that will exactly how the finished build will appear. Also at this time it is always good to discuss what functionality is to be built in to the site (lightbox, drop down navigation etc) hopefully you would have done this earlier in the design brief but it's always good to come back to it now as having a visual look at a future site often brings fresh ideas to the front.
 
After this it's really about how you piece the code and design together.
Personally i like to create the headers and footers and then separate them into include files so that i'm left to work on the main body with less clutter but that may just be me!
 
With the finished site i like to host it on my own on-line testing server so the client can test the functionality and flow. Once this is then signed off i move the completed site over to the clients server (whether that be hosted with me or else where) and wait for the praise to come flooding in
 
A few notes...
 
Always make sure the client signs of the final site, either physically in person or via email. Give them an adequate amount of time to play with the site and be happy with it. Properly having a site signed off avoids nasty court situations if the client decides later that they don't like it any more.
If a few weeks later something breaks on the site and you know full well it was because of something you forgot/cut cornered/messed up then be honest and fix it at no extra charge, your business will thank you.
Depending on the client and the amount GET A DEPOSIT. You do not want to be working on a project just to find out the client has lost interest. You'll have a beautifully crafted custom website with no home and be severely out of pocket in both time and money!
Only release the final site to the client upon receiving cleared payment. Sounds harsh but as i'm sure has happened to other people here, you may have your work *ahem* stolen (or as they put it to me, "used as inspiration")
 
 
I hope that helped a bit, i did start rambling but that's basically the way i 'usually' go about the process.
 

Great topic.
 
I start by finding out exactly what services the client requires, e.g. logo design, web design, development, whether they want the site content managed etc. Then I try and extract some sort of budget from them and explain that If I know they have X to spend I can tackle the project a different way than I would if the budget was much smaller. There are after all many ways to skin a cat! Then I put together an estimate which the client has to approve.
 
Once they've said 'lets get started', I set the project and client up on my project management system (Basecamp) and send over a contract, design questionnaire (depending on the project) and invoice for 33% upfront. If the client is UK based and fairly local I'll try and meet with them if I think its necessary, but it most cases a chat over Skype is good enough. Somewhere in this stage I set some milestones up as well, so I have some dates to aim for and the client can see when I expect to have everything done by.
 
And from there on I get cracking on the project . If its a website redesign I'll start by doing some planning and sketching possible layouts on paper. Then I'll draw these out in OmniGraffle and send them to the client for feedback. Once a layout has been agreed upon I'll then use Photoshop to do the designing. Then once that's signed off I use Coda to hand code the site.
 
Hope that helps!

crtl click on the layers to select more than one at a time

Just quickly:
 
1) You really need to learn a CMS or two. There are plenty of decent free and open source ones about, many with good documentation and even books if need be. Examples are Joomla, Wordpress, CMSMS, Drupal etc. Loads. Learn one or two of the more commonly used ones so that you can quickly integrate them with your designs and make a functioning website. I'd suggest downloading a load, having a play, and seeing what you're most comfortable with. My experience is that the vast majority of clients don't care at all what CMS is used as long as they can easily log in and edit content. You can usually give them peared down editor access only too, so that they don't end up playing with things they don't understand and breaking stuff. Your choice of CMS will also be dictated by the function of the website too - you're not likely to use Wordpress for a full blown eCommerce website, for example.
 
2) Clients can and do expect you to sort out the hosting for them. Very early on I sorted myself out with reseller hosting. For most websites this is absolutely ok - you're not likely to be doing websites that will get more than a few thousand unique visits per month at first anyway. If any of your clients websites become too much for a shared environment then it's time to approach them about semi dedicated or dedicated hosting. In my experience this has only happened with successful eCommerce websites. By the time they get to that stage they're making enough money that this isn't a problem for them, and when you explain it's because they're getting more and more visits they're happy to upgrade because they can see the positive direction things are headed in. You can pick up reseller hosting for almost as cheap as normal hosting in many places, though do shop around, read reviews, etc.
 
Sometimes clients will have their own hosting (not usually, and I say that even dealing mainly with other businesses) and sometimes they'll have pre-registered a domain name. Sometimes they won't, on one or either. Just take it as it comes, it's not a problem for you to tell them what DNS settings they need to be using for their domain, or even as usually happens with me they just ask me to log in and do it for them. Same with hosting. I tend to give free hosting and domain for a year and then charge yearly after that. Be sure to tell them this upfront, they'll appreciate the honesty.
 
If you don't want to go the reseller route then it is an option to assist them with setting up their own hosting in their name etc, but it's my experience that this doesn't come across as professional (I did some freelance at uni too ) and for the cheapness and usefullness of reseller hosting, that's probably the way to go. Also adds a nice little extra bit of income for you when you charge yearly after the first year, and allows you to easily provide support without having to keep track of a load of different peoples hosting companies. Ensure you go with a reputable company.
 
I said that was going to be quick...

I've had a quick look just having my dinner so haven't tested it
 
Try giving header lower absolute position and then remove the minus position from header-lower p
 
Nearly forgot add position:relative to header

Hi SniderDK, thanks for the link - the code there wasn't what I ended up using but it did end up helping me find another place on that site to take and adjust some code that does the trick.
 
In case this is useful for anyone else in the future, here is how to disable certain days specifically, on the jQuery UI datepicker widget. I've trimmed it down to just disabling certain days, weekends etc are left functioning normally. Options specified are to start a week on a Monday, have an enabled range of +5 days from now to +3 months from now and hide the top arrows to next/prev months if they can't go forwards or back.
 

<script type="text/javascript"> $(document).ready(function(){ var d = new Date(); var disabledDays = [[9,3,2010],[9,10,2010],[9,18,2010],[8,31,2010]]; function unavailableDays(date){ var m = date.getMonth(); var d = date.getDate(); var y = date.getFullYear(); for (i = 0; i < disabledDays.length; i++){ if ((m == disabledDays[i][0] - 1) && (d == disabledDays[i][1]) && (y == disabledDays[i][2])){ return [false]; } } return [true]; } $(function(){ $("#datepicker").datepicker({ minDate: '+5D', maxDate: '+3M', firstDay: 1, hideIfNoPrevNext: true, beforeShowDay: unavailableDays }); }); }); </script>

does this help you?
 
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/677976/jquery-ui-datepicker-disable-specific-days

Yup hot room = brain drain

Hi
try changing your height to auto in .content-sidebar

RewriteRule ^([a-z]+)/([a-z\-]+)$ /$1.php?s=$2 [L]

It may seem like a daft suggestion, but are the dates/days/time-zones correct on your computer? Sometimes if the date is wrong it renders the certificates invalid.
 
Your security settings in IE may also be set high, thus not letting it pass.
 
Hope this helped in some way.

To reiterate on a point that rallport mentioned, you need to make sure, that when serving a HTTPS request, that every element within the site is using https://.
 
For instance, if you have an image, referenced using its fully url, without the s, then IE will throw up errors.
 
I believe the issue is analytics, try changing
 
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl."'>https://ssl." : "http://www."'>http://www.");
 
to be
 
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");

remove html from css
 

html, body { background:url("images/page_bg.jpg") no-repeat fixed center center transparent; font-family:Trebuchet MS,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:10pt; height:100%; margin:auto; width:800px; }
 
 

body { background:url("images/page_bg.jpg") no-repeat fixed center center transparent; font-family:Trebuchet MS,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:10pt; height:100%; margin:auto; width:800px; }

As James said that's really down to the font itsself, so when choosing a font stack it's something to be aware of, and choose fonts that have a similar size attributes.
 
... and of course people can always override your choice of fonts with their own

The IE4 thing is pretty amazing, font-face started of as a proprietary Microsoft extension to CSS (like behaviour: and other stuff they tacked on to the standard) back when they were in there "we need more features to compete with netscape" phase. But they way they implement it is pretty different from the CSS3 standard and you've got to be pretty careful how you declare the rules otherwise IE will mangle them pretty badly, and also as before they've got their own .eot font-type which is basically not used anywhere else.
 
But other than the pain of using it, it is pretty impressive they've had it for so long

Relying on font-family to do fonts on the web is not really best practice. Especially fonts that have different metrics (thus require different sizings like the problem you're having) If you want fonts on your website and are limited to CSS2.1 really your options are either the "web safe" fonts or to use a font-replacement package like cufón. Neither ideal but that's the state of web fonts.
 
In CSS3 the outlook is a little more cheery there's the new @font-face rule where you can define a font face and provide the font file so that you know the client will see your font. The only problem is support is actually pretty good; Firefox 3.1+, Safari 3.1+, Opera 10 and IE4+ the downside is that pretty much every browser supports different font types, IE requires .eot safari uses .otf and firefox uses its .woff font type. Additionally most commercial fonts you'll font will not allow embedding in this way (though this is a problem for cufon as well) so you're more stuck to free fonts and converting them about like a crazyman.
 
Edit: Tools like http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fontface/generator help with @font-face converting

Add clear: both;
.push { clear: both; height: 30px; }
 
30px is only just enough, but it shows two paragraphs in IE7 and Firefox in my test. If you increase the height, increase .footer and .push equally.
 
This isn't a correct comment which might disable later styles:-
 
.side-bar {
float: left;
margin-left: 20px;
//background-color: #0000aa;
width: 190px;
min-height: 600px;
}
 
It should be
 
.side-bar {
float: left;
margin-left: 20px;
/*background-color: #0000aa;*/
width: 190px;
min-height: 600px;
}

At the moment your "Find out more" image links are in the three divs side-a, content and side-c and it looks as if you have used <br /> tags to position them.
 
Take them out of those divs and create three more floated divs underneath which only have the image links, with the same floats and widths as the ones above. Place another <div style="clear: both;"></div> between the sets of three divs.