Front Page, Dreamweaver, Web building

For the past few years I haven't had alot of luck building websites. I bought Dreamweaver/fireworks 4 and haven't had much luck. I was so frustraded that I proceeded to learn HTML and had much better success. Recently I purchased FrontPage 2000 and it seems to be a little better, but I still can't find any good tutorial or learning media.

Any suggestions on good learning media without going to college again?

Is there a seperate category for web building I missed here on MG?

My first problem with front page 2000 (running 98 SE) is that if I choose a template and modify etc, how do I insert my heading/title. I haven't saved anything as of yet, as I seem to put things in the wrong places, could this be a problem?

Thanks Much in advance!

 

Don't waste any more time than it takes to uninstall Frontpage.

http://www.w3schools.com/ You can try the examples and see the output with the tutorials here.

Dreamweaver has more of a learning curve, but is soooo much better.

 

Not a huge fan of FP here, but if you can get FP XP or 2k3/4, then you have a better deal. Persoanlly, I use Front Page 2k2 (aka Front Page XP), and it saves me a boatload of time, and seeing as you know HTML, you can design your page in WYSIWYG and then go to the HTML view and tweak the code (my tip on that)

Will see if I can find any good tut's on it, and let ya know.

187

 

That's what I was told when I was shopping for softare. I however have purchased numerous books on dreamweaver including the for dummies, and still haven't been able to get anywhere. I don't have the dreamweaver on this machine I'm on.

What was that w3schools page made with?

I even tried a few of the web wizzard junk, blech phteww, gack. Excuse me.

This is one feeble site I did with html http://nextune.com
I just checked today and some of the links are not workin.

The Frugalbee page was done with front page (my brothers).
The aphrodisia page was done proffessionally probably with dreamweaver..
and my page, the nextune was html.

 

aphrodisia was done with flash.

Honestly, I think a lot of those WYSIWYG programs are more trouble than they're worth. I started off with FP2000, saw a preview of FP2003 and thought it was a big improvement but you should keep in mind that FP is a program designed specifically for Rapid Development of beginner to advanced beginner level sites.

If you REALLY want to do good web design, skip the wysiwyg's and pick up a robust text editor and start learning how to hard code. Also, learn a dynamic language like PHP,ASP, ASP.NET so you can create database driven websites.

At your level this is what I would advise:
1. Learn tables in and out..
2. Learn CSS
3. Learn a dynamic language
4. Learn how to database

The w3cschools website that Adryn posted is a great resource. I use it regularly for design references with CSS.

Tables are used everywhere to structure websites, though that wasn't what they were designed for and people will argue til their blue in the face that tables are rarely used properly. Some standards get beat by the populace.

A dynamic language will allow you create database driven websites. This message board is database driven for example.

If you have a copy of MS-ACCESS, open it up and start dabbling with it. It's a nice, small, relational database software that you can start off in learning about databases.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks, that would be nice! I had done a google search and really didn't get anything good.

My Dreamweaver is on my Imac, so for now I'm stuck with the FP2k (house sitting). I got it cheap enough on ebay and figured if I liked, I could always get a newer version. The front page is for building e-commerce sites and I would be willing to spend much more time to develope my personal site with dreamweaver. Front page seems to be more compatible with hosts.

 

Thanks, advanced beginner would work for now, but would soon not be enough.

Kodo, one thing I haven't seen on a web site was having a page turn as a book page turns, I assume flash could produce a site with this type of pages, but would be awfully slow loading.

I'm liking what I'm hearing as far as what may be needed to learn for good results. I checked with the local college to see what was availiable and it was mid semester and no new classes that interested me were open.

This week, I need to get rockin on FP.

 

If anything, Frontpage is the least compatible with hosts...


Not every webserver runs Frontpage extensions, and if you aren't careful, you'll design your site using them. Stay away from FP extensions, if possible.

I agree with Kodo re: learning this stuff. HTML will be easier to learn and make more sense if you do it the old fashioned way. Don't let a wysiwyg editor build it for you. You will never learn that way.

Use a text editor. I'll even recommend my favorite.

www.editplus.com

 

Who designs thes programs anyway?

OK, so I launch my FP and a new page opens. I go to format, select style and pick bullets. Then ok. My new page now has a background but no banner or bullets etc. How do I get the banner to reappear and edit the text to what I want?


I go to the help topics and there is no hep. HELP!!

 

I use edit plus as my choice in editors.. I've tried HTML kit for a little while, but it was too convoluted.

 

case in point.. this would be the utlimate time to put FP away and start getting your nubs muddy on the keyboard..

I haven't used FP in such a long time, I don't have any other answer for you.

 

Finally checked the link, this looks promising, not too familiar with this so I must research. Thanks for all your patience.

Would any of you be so kind as to link an example of some work using this method?

 

www.acrodata.com

check out my portfolio on my site

here's some other work I've done
http://22lemons.acrodata.com

http://icom.hopto.org

all hand coded.


Also for editplus, there are user downloads. Basically they are syntax, template and other files that help with the coding via colorizing etc. I highly recommend getting the XHTML one that replaces the old HTML 4.01 code with XHTML code when you type. That sounds confusing, but basically the old HTML 4.01 file that editplus uses is replaced with an XHTML version so it uses XHTML as a default when you code.

 

Nice, so how long does it take to do the site? (acrodata)

I assume by hand coded you mean with an editor not by typing all the html codes, line by line, right?

How long did it take to learn to get to that point of expertise?

 

Editplus for the most part requires you to code by hand.

It isn't as hard you might think.

 

After spending a little bit on 3school, I find that the CSS (cascading style sheet) could significantly reduce time.

My next question is... is any text editor cross platform compatible?

Problem- I work off of mac os9 and windows 98. Simple text wasn't editable with word and vise versus. What I mean is if I made a html document on my mac, I couldn't edit it with the word on a win 98. The editplus seems to be a windows based editer. Can documents created with editl\plus be edited with another editor?

BTW, just shoot me if I ask too many questions, but leave the cat alone

 

Yeah the output can be used on any platform. Html is html. You might have to use another app on your Mac to keep working on it, but the output is cross platform.

 

The ENTIRE site including planning, databasing, graphics and coding took about 40 hours by hand.

 

mag00,

My advice is to start simple, in the look of the site and therefore the code.

I prefer dreamweaver, but start with your WYSIWYG program. Make a couple tables inside one another, then study the html. Then ad some text, some columns, some rows in your WYSIWYG and study the html. Now tweak the code in the text editor and see what it does. Next use your text editor, and build some simple tables with some simple text and view in a browser. Content is not what you are after here, so nothing fancy. Inevitably, at first it will be goofy. Tweak it, see how it changes. Before long you will have a knack for simple tables and text. Build from there.

Make a style sheet, or borrow one from a tutorial, put it with your simple tables and change the variables. You will learn what code changes what look. Soon you will have a limited but working coding vocab for tables and style sheets, and you build on that. Don't rush.

I strongly second learning a database program and a dynamic language like php right off the bat. It will be confounding at first, but you will get better results in the long run, and its more fun. Nothing feels better than working on a program, clicking refresh, and having it work. There are lots of tutorials. Also, you can download a script that does something you like, and tweak it to see how it works.

Start simple, figure out what you want to say, boil it down and learn the code to get it across.

It may take a while, but if you have lots of little victories along the way, the time will go by fast.

Good luck,

D

 

two 2 cents.

throw away your fp and dreamweaver books. get an html book (i bought the dummies book). it will come with a cd with everything you need to get started. go through that book about 3 or 4 times...then start building a test page. start coding everything that you want to learn by hand. i use notepad. its free and comes with windows. all the pages i've done are all really basic pages, but they include some dynamic content as well.

 

Also, if you are going for a CIY HTML editor, and want to stay with the Macromedia family of products, Macromedia Homesite is not a bad product. It also works with dynamic languages, which is more than I can say for dreamweaver.

 

Don't have much to add cept www.htmlgoodies.com is were I learned HTML and highly recommend it. They also have tutorials and references for CSS and dynamic languages