Building a website.

hool10

hool10

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I want to make my own website but I never have. I downloaded Dreamweaver and it helps, but it's still hard for somebody who doesn't know how to code. What should I do to learn how to code a fan website? Should I get a buddy who can do Photoshop as well?
 
I'm not entirely sure what you want or where you want to start. For someone who doesn't want to do anything with code and just likes crappy WYSIWYG which spawn random elements without your knowledge, Dreamweaver is the way to go.

I'm not sure where one would start, but I guess w3schools is always a good place to start. There are so many tutorials out there, it's hard to point at anything in particular.

As to your question about Photoshop, are you saying you don't have a design yet?

If you have any questions, just ask me. Seriously.
 
Learn HTML and Cascading Style Sheets.
 
Yeah I have always wanted to create a website on welding on my own Left 4 Dead fansite or something. So it's not that easy I take it? Darn.
 
Read online tutorials on HTML and CSS... They're not really that complicated.
 
go with raziarr's suggestion, learn the basics first

html is really easy to learn, css im not so sure about.
 
Druckles said:
I'm not entirely sure what you want or where you want to start. For someone who doesn't want to do anything with code and just likes crappy WYSIWYG which spawn random elements without your knowledge, Dreamweaver is the way to go.
Click to expand...

Dreamweaver is not crappy. It has a lot of great features. Just because you like doing everything by hand in notepad, doesn't mean everyone should. :P I'd use it and the whole CS3 package I own, but sadly I don't use Windows. ;(

As far as the original question. Just try using Dreamweaver's built in templates, edit the CSS, see what happens, go from there. Start small at first as trying to make a website first instead of a web page, will just stress you out and you'll get no where.
 
Go here: HTML Dog

HTML is piss easy and all you need is Notepad.
 
HTML is very simple, if you take about a week you can learn it pretty well. Same with CSS. Just get an HTML for Dummies book or use online tutorials. Use notepad, not Dreamweaver or another WYSIWYG editor, it will make your websites better in the long run - and help your skills as well. You don't need graphics to make a good website so don't worry too much about Photoshop, although getting acquainted with it isn't a bad idea at all. Also, if you make a thread here documenting your work/progress/problems there are a lot of people here that know HTML/CSS who can help you along.
 
Ennui said:
HTML is very simple, if you take about a week you can learn it pretty well. Same with CSS. Just get an HTML for Dummies book or use online tutorials. Use notepad, not Dreamweaver or another WYSIWYG editor, it will make your websites better in the long run - and help your skills as well. You don't need graphics to make a good website so don't worry too much about Photoshop, although getting acquainted with it isn't a bad idea at all. Also, if you make a thread here documenting your work/progress/problems there are a lot of people here that know HTML/CSS who can help you along.
Click to expand...

I used Dreamweaver in coding view. :) Same thing. Just lets you quickly check what you're doing.
 
Yeah that's fine, same thing as notepad really. Although it doesn't take THAT much longer to hit Ctrl+S in Notepad and then refresh Firefox than it does to switch to the view tab in DW. I wouldn't recommend Dreamweaver to someone who doesn't know HTML because the temptation to use it as more than a sexy version of Notepad is too great :p
 
Ennui said:
You don't need graphics to make a good website
Click to expand...

GASP!!! this is why designers and codeers have wanted to kill each other since the dawn of man

/me pulls out oversized spiked club

have at thee vile coder from the furthest regions of code helllll!!!

YOUUU WILL NOT MAKE US REDUNDANNNNT!!!!






actually the less people who know how to design effectively the better for me :)


btw hit F12 in DW to preview in browser ;)
 
Notepad, HTML, and CSS is all you need to make a good website. You'll probably use an FTP client like SmartFTP to transfer files from your computer to your host's ftp.

Just learn the basics.
 
hool10 said:
I want to make my own website but I never have. I downloaded Dreamweaver and it helps, but it's still hard for somebody who doesn't know how to code. What should I do to learn how to code a fan website? Should I get a buddy who can do Photoshop as well?
Click to expand...
Here's a website tutorial I made, although I haven't finished it. It's simple but has everything you need to know to make any website:

http://www.brett-munro.com/MakeThisWebsite

Use the Next/Prev buttons to navigate, and view the source of every page (View > Source) to see what changes are being made each time and copy them in your own document.

Dreamweaver's good if you can afford it, but stay away from the WYSIWYG options it has. Try this for a free one - http://vps.arachnoid.com/arachnophilia/
 
Ennui said:
Yeah that's fine, same thing as notepad really. Although it doesn't take THAT much longer to hit Ctrl+S in Notepad and then refresh Firefox than it does to switch to the view tab in DW. I wouldn't recommend Dreamweaver to someone who doesn't know HTML because the temptation to use it as more than a sexy version of Notepad is too great :p
Click to expand...

Well I gave up entirely and I'm using a content management system now. I was too lazy to use server-side includes. :rolleyes:
 
You were too lazy to use server-side includes so you installed an entire content managment system? I guess that makes sense. :stare:

Why do you need server side includes anyway? How many pages are you going to have? And in my personal opinion SSI died a long time ago, php is a much better alternative IMO.
 
Just to start you off, as you might not be arsed clicking on any of the millions of links we've sent:

Code: 
<html>

<head>
</head>

<body>
</body>

</html>

One of the most simple HTML structures, and where I'd start with any website.

HTML is similar to XML in the fact that it uses tags to describe items. A <p> tag for instance defines anything within the starting <p> and closing </p> to be a paragraph.

By editing things in Dreamweavers Design view, you'll notice that the code changes accordingly.

Possibly the hardest thing in HTML is learning all the tags and their attritbutes. But that's where w3schools comes in
 
I'd say the hardest thing in HTML is learning how CSS and HTML mingle.
 
If you need any help i am in Web Design right now. I suggest getting a good textbook to follow along with.
 
I haven't actually made any websites yet... even though I have learned HTML and CSS, but the program I use is Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express 2008 version. It's quite good! I like it better than Dreamweaver, but then again, that's because I'm very interested in ASP.net and the other .NET offerings.
 
Well back when I was a freshman in H.S., I went through a week of Internet tech. I built a computer and I also made a basic website. I barely remember how to code for it though. :laugh: I do have a Dummy's book and I picked up a free book of an outdated Java Flash book and Photoshop book. I'm used to the tags here and that does help out. I gotta pick up my aunt from Logan airport today in Boston. I got a ton of things going on including starting a new job and graduating from college. So the next 2 weeks I might not be able to start it. What is the difference between CSS and HTML though? What is XML as well? Thanks for all the help you guys have been providing for me. Probably still going to take a course in this mainly because I want to learn it properly and I get free tuition from my company. :naughty:
 
Pesmerga said:
I'd say the hardest thing in HTML is learning how CSS and HTML mingle.
Click to expand...

That's not HTML, that's CSS. You can make a perfectly ordinary website without CSS. It just won't look particularly good.

Unless you use tables. :x
 
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