Web page design tutorials

The basics of web page design, web design technologies and web design software.

1) web design technologies and web design software
2) building a basic web page (coming soon)
3) creating and optimising web graphics (coming soon)

 

Introduction to web design technologies and web design software

There are many ways to design a web page and many different technologies that you can use. See below.

If you are a beginner then you will probably create your web site using standard HTML or XHTML. If you are looking to advance your web design skills, then you should certainly be looking at designing with XHTML and CSS, and maybe looking at the various scripting languages and databases which are available.

The are the main terms that you may come across:

HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS.
These are the main languages used for building web pages.
Visit W3C web site for more information on these.

Scripts and programming (JavaScript, PHP, Perl, etc.)
Various scripts and programming languages can be used to give your web pages extra functionality, such as processing the content of a feedback form, calling data from a database, or simply switching one image for another when you move the mouse over a link.

Databases (MsSQL, ASP)
MySQL is open source database and free, ASP is not. Both can produce the same sort of results. As MySQL is free, it is cheaper to host a site with MySQL than ASP or many other types of database which are available.

E-commerce (OsCommerce, ZenCart)
Both OsCommerce and ZenCart are open source e-commerce applications which use MySQL and PHP to operate. As they are open source they are free to use.
There are many other open source and commercial e-commerce applications available.

More on Open sources software

 

Software for web site design

HTML Editors - Web Page Authoring Tools

Web authoring tools and HTML editors range from simple text editors to high powered graphical authoring tools and content management systems.

 

Macromedia Dreamweaver

Macromedia Dreamweaver is web design software for designing and editing web pages. It is a WYSIWYG editor with colour coded XHTML editing. It has strong support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and all major scripting languages, it has the ability to work with various multimedia elements and with databases. The use of templates makes managing larger sites easy and it has built in file management and the ability to check and update file links in your site as well as FTP the files to your web site.

 

Free WYSIWYG HTML editors

nVu
nVu (pronounced N - view) is an open source WYSIWYG editor.
WYSIWYG and colour coded XHTML editing, and includes XML support, advanced CSS support, site management, built-in code validator.

Amaya
Amaya is an open source WYSIWYG editor endorsed by the W3C.
WYSIWYG and colour coded XHTML editing and includes XML support, scripting support, advanced CSS support, built-in code validator.

 

Other web design software to consider

FrontPage

CoffeeCup

GoLive

Net Objects Fusion

Coldfusion

 

Creating your web page designs (page 2) > (coming soon)