Help

[kpaz21]

Ok,
I need some serious help. This is my situation...My friend and I, me being the only one that knows a little bit of HTML (and learning as I type), have agreed to build a site for his mom's boss' buisness. What i need to know is...What is the best way to learn all this stuff. I'm going to need to knwo what tools i'm goin to need and what i'm going to need to learn. LIke how to make this a site where they can order things, and stuff liek that. I need the general basics. So any help would be greatly appreceated! Thanks so much!

[pwaring]

Erm, why did you agree to build the site if you have only just started learning HTML?

If you want to make a basic site, then all you'll need is a text editor and knowledge of HTML. Text editors you can get from anywhere, and there are literally thousands to choose from, although the most common ones are Notepad (Windows) and VI/Emacs/Pico (Linux). Learning HTML quickly isn't easy (it took me about three years, although admittedly that was just through reading a book and with no other help) but you should be able to get the basics up quickly enough.

If you want a system whereby people can order things via the site, then it's going to start getting more complicated. Whilst you could write a custom system in PHP/MySQL (or Access/ASP or whatever tools your have available), I would imagine that if you don't know any HTML then you probably don't know much about server side programming either.

The best option in your case is to get a template (either free or paid for) and combine it with a free/commercial shopping cart package to throw a site together quickly. If the business you're working for aren't too IT literate, they'll probably think you've done a good job, although I'd never recommend going about it this way unless you have to.

If you need any further help, don't hesitate to ask, but you have dropped yourself in it somewhat by offering to do something which you don't really have that much expertise in...

[kpaz21]

i heard about something, that I can type my html in and the preview what it would look like on the site, could you refer me to a good one of those? I konw, i got myself into a little mess, but i need to money and I really enjoy learning this stuff and doing it. So in my eyes, it's all good. So if you can help me w/links and stuff, that would be awesome. Thanks!

[pwaring]

Originally posted here by kpaz21
i heard about something, that I can type my html in and the preview what it would look like on the site, could you refer me to a good one of those?

By far the easiest (and also cheapest) way to do this would be to create a HTML template and put the code in there, and then launch the file in a web browser. This will give your the most accurate representation of what your code will look like when it is rendered.

I konw, i got myself into a little mess, but i need to money and I really enjoy learning this stuff and doing it. So in my eyes, it's all good. So if you can help me w/links and stuff, that would be awesome. Thanks!

These links should be of use (HTML resources based at beginners):

HTML Help
HTML Goodies
Lissa explains it all
Google/Dmoz directory for HTML tutorials

[valhallen]

http://download.com.com/3000-2048-10...ml?legacy=cnet

coffee cup html editor allows you to preview as you type

v_Ln

[FallenZen]

My my, sounds like something I once did... Okay. twice. But nevermind that. Onward.

If you really want to learn HTML quickly I'd recommend delving into Adobe's GoLive site editor or Macromedia's Dreamweaver editor. They're two of the most powerful HTML editors on the market. Typically people either prefer one or the other. I prefer GoLive. Anyhow, If you get something along the lines of GoLive or Dreamweaver you can make a change using the GUI and then shift over and view the source code. Thus, through comparison you can master HTML fairly quickly.

Also if you want to really impress the folks you're going to be making the site for - looking into CSS may be worthwhile. I've written a few tutorials on CSS as well as a basic HTML tutorial that may help get you going. I've posted a few in the Tutorials forum, but they're also available as follows:

Basic HTML: http://www.digitalzen.org/tutorials/basic-html.html
Basic CSS: http://www.digitalzen.org/tutorials/basic-css.html
CSS Backgrounds: http://www.digitalzen.org/tutorials/...ckgrounds.html
CSS Scrollbars: http://www.digitalzen.org/tutorials/css-scrollbars.html

Those should give you a decent start. Also, check up on http://www.w3schools.com for more info if you need it. That site makes most of my tutorials pointless - but I'm still proud of them, so bleh.

Good luck with the site.

-Zen