Techno Babel
Created | Updated Jul 11, 2003
Hi Long Time no Babble :-)
First off, I would like to wish the Post a very Happy Birthday.
This week I am highlighting hints and tips for budding webmasters.
If you have a web site and would like to improve it but your programming skills* are, to say the least, a bit limited, then read on.
I am by no means a great programmer but run several web sites with the help of others who are extremely helpful with free software and advice freely given.
The first thing to do is look for companies who have upgraded their software. Many of these offer earlier versions for free in an attempt to get you to buy their latest work of art. This is self evident from the front cover disk of most of the computer magazines on the market. Go along to your local retailer and have a look at what the magazines have to offer. Most newsagents don't mind you standing there and flicking through the magazine to see the content. The index or contents of the magazine will tell you which page to look on. Another way to obtain these programmes is to do a quick search on the 'net. Using the term freeware. A good place to start is www.download.com as it has an easy to use directory structure, and a search engine. Look out for something that is Freeware, as you don't have to pay for these at all. Shareware asks you to pay and Trial ware only works for a limited period, usually 30 days. Some of the freeware and shareware versions give you a string of adverts which you usually have to pay to have removed, but if you can put up with them, then no worries.
Also, if there is a particular piece of software you're looking for, go to the makers website.
The sort of software you're looking for are HTML editors or WYSIWYG* editors.
An HTML, or indeed any other code, editor gives you a screen similar to a word processor where you type the code in. These often come with a variety of extras like 'Frame Wizards', which build the Frame Sets for you, 'Table Wizards' which put the code for table layout in for you, right up to codes that allow for roll-over images and rainbow text. As well as scripts that check your code for bugs, and some that even 'Beautify' it by adding an easy to follow code indentation and annotation.
A WYSIWYG editor lets you pick things and put them graphically where you want on the page, then it writes all the code for you. These have got a lot better over the years and now aren't anyway near as bad.
An editor gives you an environment to code in, allowing you to see the page or site as you are coding it and to check it as it grows.
Also you may like to checkout some of the great sites which offer free tuition. Many web sites are around that give basic lessons in coding for free, giving you a good start into learning how the code works, and what it does. These sites often also have a code library, where you can cut and paste the code that does what you want. Want roll over buttons? No problem, just grab the code, paste it into your page and away it goes.
Looking through code libraries is also a good way of learning more advanced code, as they are usually very neatly made and well annotated.
Another way to find out how to do something specific is to find a website that does it, and look at their code and how they did it. View Source is a great help to a budding coder.
If you've got some money to spare, look into buying a book on the code that you're learning. Online manuals are one thing, but having the stuff written down on old fashioned wood pulp is often a good reassuring way. Some of the best books around are the Idiots Guides, the Dummies Guides and, if you want the more technical, then try either O’Reilly or the Wrox books.
A final way to learn coding is to ask people. There are a surprising amount of people around who know how to do things, and most of the time they're willing to share their knowledge. A good place to start is the Programmers Corner or the Website Developers’ Forum.
Vegiman with additional information from Pastey
