subject: How To Learn About Complete Website Development [print this page] The field of web development offers a variety of languages from front-end development, like HTML, CSS and Javascript, to back-end programming, like PHP and ASP. HTML and CSS are the most basic web languages that everyone must learn before they can move on to another web language. Even if you plan to do all back-end programming, you will still require using them often.
Learning Code from Web Development Books
That being said, books are still a great way to learn the very basics and provide a great point of reference during your learning process. When you look for a web development book, try finding one that:
introduces you with a basic history of the web and how websites are made and interact.
centres more on web theory and less on shambling you from one exercise to another exercise. You should know why you do it that way, not just how you do it that way.
teaches you basic tags and what they are meant for. For example in HTML you would need to know:
html tag and html body tag just to name a few!
Consult with a Web Developer Friend
After youve read a bit about web development, its time to talk with a web developer friend. Ask your friend politely if he can spend a few minutes talking a little bit about the development process. Ask him if he can provide you with a coded template or old site code that you can use for your learning process. Take a look at the code they give you. Try to notice the patterns. See how the lines are spaced. See how the code is laid out in comparison with the layout of the actual site you see in the browser.
Its Time to Start
Now its time to start coding yourself. The best way to learn how to write codes is to simply begin writing codes yourself. Take help with the template your friend has given you.
Design a site analogous to the template you were given. Make it sufficiently similar to easily use the codes provided in the template, but unlike enough to make see what changes you have made to it.
Retype the code line-by-line. See what each line of code appears like in your browser as you go along. Some of the Firefox plugins to use while you are coding are Firebug and Web Developer. These will help save your time and also debug in the browser, and are great for beginners to get into the habit of looking at their HTML and CSS.
Dont Give Up
When you first begin coding, nothing will work and everything will go wrong. But, dont give up. Just by attempting to debug your code and solve the problems, you will learn a lot and will soon start to predict what happens when you code one way or another. Handle these troubles as another HTML learning lesson.
Keep Experimenting
Dont be afraid to move code around to see what happens. Keep experimenting with the codes and that way you learn what happens when you move a code, or when you mix up one code to another. As much as you will experiment with the codes so much you will learn yourself.
Next Steps
When you feel that now you have learnt basic HTML and CSS, you should try to make some more advanced layouts. Some great ways to learn advanced coding:
Read tutorials on web development.
Keep experimenting with copying and trying to write codes of the site you like. Learn to spot bad and/or unorganized code. Just for the reason that the site looks great in the browser, doesnt mean it is built great as well.
Forums are also great place to post questions, meet with developers or people with same interests and get your problem solved by them.
