Team 1591 Website Help
 

Hi everyone, i am trying to make a new website from scratch for our team....1 problem, i dont know much programming (php, html, css, etc)

I have already tried running one with an online database, but is hasnt worked on the server being used...

If there is anyone that might be able to help, please pm me.

thanks

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

well im the webmaster of my teams website now, i didnt design it, but i keep it up and running... do you have an HTML editor? like Dreamweaver?

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

I wouldn't suggest Dream weaver because once you down load it it's only a 30 day trial (I think it was 30?) where you then have to purchase it. It's allot easier (and better in my opinion) to actually learn the language instead of using Dream weaver code it for you (Yes, I've used Dream weaver, and yes I know you can go to one of the tabs where you can enter your code, but that doesn't always work right...) and use a text editor like Syn Text Editor, it's free ware and it supports a ton of languages (more than just web design.)

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

I never really liked Dreamweaver and programs like that. I just learned the code, and I find it easier. The code is easy to learn, and you won't have to worry about problems with the program you're working with, so it's better in the long run.

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

I echo this to an extent. Once you learn the language, Dreamweaver can save you a lot of time from doing monotonous coding. Plus, I've found it really cool to just be able to click the update button and see what you've done all in the same program.

If you're looking to learn HTML and the basics for CSS,PHP, and really any other web language, check out the O'Reilly book Web Design In A Nutshell. Using only it as a reference, I was able to hand code some pretty decent websites while having no experience before hand.

Remember - Editing programs like Dreamweaver are your friend. Just don't rely on them as a crutch.

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

I'd suggest this as a tutorial for learning HTML. The same site also has tutorials in CSS, Javascript, and PHP.

Good luck...

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

I would also suggest these sites:
http://www.tizag.com/
http://www.xentrik.net/html/

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

well i mean, i dont know HTML... but im keeping our site up and running (www.teamdriven.us) just using dreamweaver... personally, i like it better... but i guess it's all about what you feel comfortable with? i really only use it because i dont have the time to learn HTML... and i have a liscensed version of it, which is why i like it :D

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

I'm currently redoing our team's website in php/MySQL. I physically code in php (ie. not use dreamweaver's built in functions), but I find Dreamweaver very useful because it colours the text according to its syntax (I don't know what it's called, or how to describe, but you get the idea lol) which can be very useful while debugging. So, thats a plus point on Dreamweaver.

If you need help, feel free to pm me. :)

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

Syn Text Editor also hast that feature. If you don't close a tag right, the rest of the document wont be color coated so once the color stops...you know where the problem is.

I've PMed this person telling them that if they need help just to ask. Haven't gotten a response. So yeah, once again if you need help just ask.

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

As far as a simple/free editor goes, for simple sites I've found these to be my best friend. The less complex is the old Mozilla Browser. I suggest it because it's free, and has Mozilla Composer built in, which is a nice and simple web editor. The second suggestion is acquire a version of Open Office, as it has a web editor as well. Both of these are simple (they work like a text editor), yet have the ability for hard coding if you feel the need.

As far as site uploading to the server, I have a tool that I created called ftpsync, which auto-uploads your site to the server, all you do is punch in the info (login name, pass, site, ftp). From then on, it will update the site when told, swapping out any new changes. I'd be glad to share this tool, but only if people have a need for it. So drop me a pm/email (craigih@pacbell.net) if you think any of these would help, and I'd be glad to help you out with them.

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

for uploading to a server i use winSCP which is a pretty simple tool too... you can get it at http://winscp.net/eng/download.php

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

definately learn HTML first then use helper programs otherwise you will make some decent pages but have no idea how they work and then you get new issues.

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

I've always considered frontpage to be a great web editor for starters even though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles like .php language and .asp page language.

I learned frontpage very quick when I was in 7th grade and still knew absoulutely nothing about html. So I suggest you start out by playing around with front page a little...

When you get familiar with front page I have the following suggestions that are web design related...
Always make table borders invisible....
Learn how to use photoshop, or fireworks....
Learn how to websave in photoshop or fireworks...
Learn some artsy effects...
Make sure you use a color scheme that is easy on the eyes for example red and blue...


Photoshop is the key to making your website look very nice. Thats the best advice I can share I hope it helps!

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

Not everyone can afford photoshop. I know my laptop came with a free trial of Paint Shop Pro X and it's relatively cheap, so I bought it.

If you're looking for something that is as powerful as Photoshop or Paintshop Pro, with out the major hit to the wallet (or the bank...) be sure to check out The Gimp. It's a fee ware program that's normally distributed by Linux. (Meaning if you have a Drapper Drake Ubuntu CD lying around there should be an install of The Gimp on there..)

Re: Team 1591 Website Help
 

It is expensive which is why the educational discount is always handy to bring down the price by a few hundred dollars. I know we used some of our budget to purchase macromedia fireworks. In my opinion I love it and use it for designing graphics just about everyday.