Making web pages and sites.

[Insideout]

I've just spent an hour making my first webpage. I did it by writing it in HTML in a text editor.

Is that the way all websites are made? Even the posh ones with moving parts? Or should I use some programs?

Just curious. Don't want to start off in the wrong direction.

 

[Will.]

When I did it last year as one of my uni modules, I was taught to use a program to create it visually and then tweak using html.

 

[gaz_5103]

Usually created visually with dreamweaver or something similiar and tweaked.

 

[Mr Pants]

There is no wrong or right answer.

If I was starting out, then I'd be hand coding in a text editor too. Rather than worrying about the visual aspect of it, at first I'd be looking to just make something from scratch using notepad. Creating something 100% of your own using html / css will really help you going forward.

Dreamweaver and programs of that ilk will often be used by people who aren't comfortable with coding and require some help. That's not to say it's a poor option.

It's a case of finding what a method you prefer.

 

[lamborgini8]

I started out using notepad, however it really does depend what kind of website you are looking to create. The trouble with coding websites in notepad is there is slim chance that it will validate in HTML and there is no chance at all it will validate in CSS as you will most probably be using tables which is an out dated method and if you are using tables you will be applying the styles directly to each section which gets messy and complicated.

I use Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 now and once my design is completed I get to work coding the site from scratch using a tableless layout (no html tables) using div tags and a separate styles.css file. It's a little complicated at first but once you get the hang of it you can create up to date, professional websites correctly that will validate in HTML and CSS. Here's the tutorial I used to learn how to do it... http://www.vineyardesigns.com/resources/dreamweaver/div_css_site.shtml and you can check your pages validation here... http://validator.w3.org/ It is possible to create a tableless layout using notepad but it will be a lot more complicated as you will have to keep more files open at the same time. The main advantage of tableless layouts and a linked CSS file is that you only have to apply the styles to the layout once.

Here's one of my tableless layouts I created for myself but never got around to finishing it... http://www.iansalter.co.uk/new/ it's based on a similar design as you might see but it was all designed and coded from scratch. The file structure is index.htm containing the div tags, links and text and there is a separate file named styles.css containing the type face, layout styles, link effects, type colors etc.

Drop me a message if you need a hand with anything.