March 3, 200917 yr So here I am again, I've decided to teach myself code rather than take the easy and perhaps not the best Dreamweaver route, so where do i go from here, where is the very best place to start and what are the first things i need to learn? I'm a total newbie as some will already know, but i'm very keen to learn, cause i've got some great ideas for websites i'd like to build! Lets discuss Nick
March 3, 200917 yr Edit for spelling, my my it is terrible tonight, good job spelling isnt normally my issue as a designer ^^ Learn (X)HTML I would got for XHTML rather than HTML, XHTML is basically a stricter version, it requires all tags to be closed etc, you can learn about the different types and the basic code on the w3.org website. Learn CSS This is how you make things look nice, colouring your fonts, styling your boxes etc, I would reccomend pixel2life.com and google for css tutorials. Learn the basics of SEO (Search engine optimisation) It is not hard to learn what to do and what not to do, you will benifit in the long run by taking the time to read on this while your learning. Look at CSS gallerys See what other people are doing, visit the sites and look at the source code, it is a great way to learn. Get a decent IDE/Coding tool Find one you like and learn its interface and built in tools then stick with it, you will benifit from a familar working enviroment. Most importantly Dont give up and keep practicing, it takes time to get good but is worth it, there is nothing like the feeling of getting up for work and not being unhappy while you are there
March 3, 200917 yr http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hot-Touch-Accessib...TF8&s=books is a good lil book to get you started it is what you should look into before getting bad habits. accessibility is what you are looking to achieve, design second. - that does not mean making ugly web sites http://www.jimbyrne.co.uk/ There is not really much between HTML 4.0 and XHTML and CSS, but if you ask me XHTML and CSS will be the way forward (is what i code in) I wouldn't completely chuck the WYSIWYG tools as they do teach you a lot on what not to do and why coding is more efficient.
March 3, 200917 yr Author Edit for spelling, my my it is terrible tonight, good job spelling isnt normally my issue as a designer ^^ Learn (X)HTML I would got for XHTML rather than HTML, XHTML is basically a stricter version, it requires all tags to be closed etc, you can learn about the different types and the basic code on the w3.org website. Learn CSS This is how you make things look nice, colouring your fonts, styling your boxes etc, I would reccomend pixel2life.com and google for css tutorials. Learn the basics of SEO (Search engine optimisation) It is not hard to learn what to do and what not to do, you will benifit in the long run by taking the time to read on this while your learning. Look at CSS gallerys See what other people are doing, visit the sites and look at the source code, it is a great way to learn. Get a decent IDE/Coding tool Find one you like and learn its interface and built in tools then stick with it, you will benifit from a familar working enviroment. Most importantly Dont give up and keep practicing, it takes time to get good but is worth it, there is nothing like the feeling of getting up for work and not being unhappy while you are there Do you recommend learning in the order you have written or is it a case of learning it all together? snowyswebsolutions : thanx for the link, gonna order myself one of those!!
March 3, 200917 yr Do you recommend learning in the order you have written or is it a case of learning it all together? (x)HTML and CSS go hand in hand so you need to do those together - HTML for structure and CSS for presentation. Of course as you're going to be writing this in an IDE/Coding tool (aka editor) you'll need something before you start, the best advice is to download a few and try them out to see which one fits your style and logic.
March 3, 200917 yr Author i have notepad that came with the computer with windows xp or have you got some links for others please??? If you were to estimate, how long would you say it takes to get the basics, I know there is no quick fix, but is it a case of months or years, depending on how much you put in I know!!
March 3, 200917 yr No specific order other than Editor > XHTML and CSS, everything else will follow. I would recomend anything other than notepad, look at things like Notepad ++, PHPDesigner Lite (it is fine for HTML, CSS, JS etc) Notepad 2, there are loads. The biggest benifit is code highlighting and tools that will speed up your coding. A couple of months and you should be confident in coding and the process in how you develop your design into html and css.
March 3, 200917 yr Author No specific order other than Editor > XHTML and CSS, everything else will follow. I would recomend anything other than notepad, look at things like Notepad ++, PHPDesigner Lite (it is fine for HTML, CSS, JS etc) Notepad 2, there are loads. The biggest benifit is code highlighting and tools that will speed up your coding. A couple of months and you should be confident in coding and the process in how you develop your design into html and css. Can I get these free?
March 3, 200917 yr Can I get these free? Yes they should all be free. Some are linked below: Notepad++ PHPDesigner lite Notepad2 Zeus Editor
March 3, 200917 yr Thx John, Have you a personal favourite? Well i use Dreamweaver and PHPDesigner 2008 pro depending on what im doing, the main reason i use dreamweaver is becasue i am lazy and like to use the built in ftp for single file uploads. Out of the ones i linked i would say notepad++ or phpdesigner but it is a very opinionated debate hehe you will possibly have a different opinion.
March 3, 200917 yr Author I suppose its just a case of trying them out and seeing which i get on best with, oh its all so confusing
March 3, 200917 yr I suppose its just a case of trying them out and seeing which i get on best with, oh its all so confusing hehe you will get there, just takes time to get your head round it.
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