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Newb here. I need some advice.

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Apr 24.2012

Hello all,

I’m new to the forum here. I’m a graphic designer who focuses on web design most often. Lately I’ve been feeling as though it’s sort of pointless to create web graphics if I don’t know how to apply them. My new goal is to learn how to code websites so that my graphics aren’t essentially useless. With this in mind, I’m seeking some advice as to which language would be most applicable for my uses.

Here’s what I’m thinking so far:

  • 1.

    HTML 5 would be the most valuable language to learn since it’s the most widely recognized language in any (modern) internet browser.

  • 2.

    I know CSS is used often, but I feel as though I could achieve most of the same effects using HTML 5.

    • My question is where should I start? If I do go the HTML 5 route, would it be extremely hard if I only have extremely basic knowledge of HTML in the first place? Also, which software seems to be the generally best to use in this regard?

    Excuse my newb-like initial thoughts, but I really feel like my “net worth” as they call it would go up if I can both code and design.

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    11 Comments(s) ↴

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    @spufiApr 24.2012 — HTML 5 and CSS are not the same thing. You don't learn one and skip on the other. HTML is merely for structuring of data. CSS is used for formatting of said data.

    HTML 4.01 is more widely recognized markup versus HTML 5 due to HTML 5 still not being an official standard and you need work arounds for IE.

    Saying that, start with HTML and CSS. Once you get those down, you can add in JavaScript mixed in with Query. There are countless tutorials online and if you want books, I'm finding "the Missing Manual" series rather good although I would like a newer edition of their CSS book. A Book Apart also has some books that would be good to look at. You can get ebook bundle versions for $15. Their CSS 3 book would be more up-to-date than the Missing Manual one. My guess is the Missing Manual HTML 5 book goes more beyond just the markup as I looked at it and it covered most of the stuff that is getting grouped with HTML 5 even if it isn't. I'm not sure how much A Book Apart's book does the same.
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    @MichroauthorApr 24.2012 — HTML 5 and CSS are not the same thing. You don't learn one and skip on the other. HTML is merely for structuring of data. CSS is used for formatting of said data.

    HTML 4.01 is more widely recognized markup versus HTML 5 due to HTML 5 still not being an official standard and you need work arounds for IE.

    Saying that, start with HTML and CSS. Once you get those down, you can add in JavaScript mixed in with Query. There are countless tutorials online and if you want books, I'm finding "the Missing Manual" series rather good although I would like a newer edition of their CSS book.[/QUOTE]

    I really appreciate your feedback. I'll definitely check out those materials and determine which one seems more like a good starting point for me. I suppose by analogy you can think of something like Notepad as HTML, and something like MS Word like CSS? I realize that sounds rather dumb, but that's kind of what came to mind when I read your response.
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    @spufiApr 24.2012 — I really appreciate your feedback. I'll definitely check out those materials and determine which one seems more like a good starting point for me. I suppose by analogy you can think of something like Notepad as HTML, and something like MS Word like CSS? I realize that sounds rather dumb, but that's kind of what came to mind when I read your response.[/QUOTE]

    See edit. Notepad is like HTML. Word is like HTML + CSS. If you want to get the A Book Apart stuff, get it from their site. I've seen it elsewhere like Amazon and it's cheaper from A Book Apart.

    Also, don't use Notepad or Word for making web pages. It's best to use something like Komodo Edit. There is also a JavaScript based one for Eclipse as well.
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    @MichroauthorApr 24.2012 — See edit. Notepad is like HTML. Word is like HTML + CSS. If you want to get the A Book Apart stuff, get it from their site. I've seen it elsewhere like Amazon and it's cheaper from A Book Apart.

    Also, don't use Notepad or Word for making web pages. It's best to use something like Komodo Edit. There is also a JavaScript based one for Eclipse as well.[/QUOTE]

    Thanks once more. I have researched A Book Apart's website, and The Missing Manual books as well. I was wondering though, before learning HTML 5 or HTML 4.01, need I learn the basics of HTML first? Basically, is there a certain point I need to start at with HTML, or will it be possible for me to read a comprehensive book about HTML 5 to learn all that I need to know?
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    @MichroauthorApr 24.2012 — I apologize, I probably could have just done some internet searching before getting involved on the forums so much. I just did more research (I was at work previously).

    So far I've found the following:

    http://w3schools.com/

    http://www.html.net/

    https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/learn/html

    Looks like there are so many resources out there. Thanks for getting me started! Those books will definitely help as well. Once I've got this down, it's on to CSS, Javascript, Query, XML, PHP and whatever else can help me making awesome websites.
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    @PBSWebDesignApr 24.2012 — Yeah HTML and CSS are the ground work for any website. You must know these in order to go anywhere with webdesign. They may be used less in the future if you decide to start using more php and mysql to dynamically create pages but you are still going to need to know it because you have to tell php what to loop through and echo to the page in order to render it out correctly. That being said once you get a solid grasp on html and css then javascript is the next choice. It adds dynamics to the page client side. Jquery is a great library that is very widely used but as I have said in the past that I believe learning the core of a language before jumping in and using a framework or library is essential to you properly learning whats going on. Also PHP and MYSQL are great to learn later on. They are server side scripting languages that will add alot of functionality to your site handling forms, dynamically rendering pages from a database, creating databases to store info or products for an ecommerce site etc. Just take it step by step and realize that you arent going to learn everything overnight. It takes alot of time and practice and dedication just like your graphic design took. Its worth it in the end though to learn it properly and your work will reflect it.
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    @MichroauthorApr 24.2012 — Yeah HTML and CSS are the ground work for any website. You must know these in order to go anywhere with webdesign. They may be used less in the future if you decide to start using more php and mysql to dynamically create pages but you are still going to need to know it because you have to tell php what to loop through and echo to the page in order to render it out correctly. That being said once you get a solid grasp on html and css then javascript is the next choice. It adds dynamics to the page client side. Jquery is a great library that is very widely used but as I have said in the past that I believe learning the core of a language before jumping in and using a framework or library is essential to you properly learning whats going on. Also PHP and MYSQL are great to learn later on. They are server side scripting languages that will add alot of functionality to your site handling forms, dynamically rendering pages from a database, creating databases to store info or products for an ecommerce site etc. Just take it step by step and realize that you arent going to learn everything overnight. It takes alot of time and practice and dedication just like your graphic design took. Its worth it in the end though to learn it properly and your work will reflect it.[/QUOTE]

    Much appreciated. Perfectly thorough explanation of what I've been wanting to know! Basically my goal is to eventually make a website to display my work, then also offer pre-made web templates that people can purchase, along with the option to have me develop fully custom websites for clients' needs.
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    @spufiApr 25.2012 — Actually, I just found http://www.htmlgoodies.com/primers/html/article.php/3478131/If-you-know-nothing-about-HTML-this-is-where-you-start.htm

    I think that might help me get started.[/QUOTE]

    I apologize, I probably could have just done some internet searching before getting involved on the forums so much. I just did more research (I was at work previously).

    So far I've found the following:

    http://w3schools.com/

    http://www.html.net/

    https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/learn/html

    Looks like there are so many resources out there. Thanks for getting me started! Those books will definitely help as well. Once I've got this down, it's on to CSS, Javascript, Query, XML, PHP and whatever else can help me making awesome websites.[/QUOTE]

    You can pretty much ignore how they do databases and look up stored procedures and/or PDO. None of them sanitize their input and thus are open to SQL injections.
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    @macanoApr 25.2012 — Can you refer to a lot of information on SQL injections would love to learn alot more myself.
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    @spufiApr 25.2012 — A SQL injection is when a user supplies input that doesn't get validated and thus the data can be a SQL statement itself and thus a simple SQL statement becomes something else, ex. a statement that retrieves sensitive information or updates/deletes said information. It was most infamously joked about [url=http://xkcd.com/327/]here.[/url] Somebody even made a site in reference to it. http://bobby-tables.com/

    More links on PDO, which is the current preferred way to do prepared statements.

    http://www.php.net/manual/en/intro.pdo.php

    http://www.phpro.org/tutorials/Introduction-to-PHP-PDO.html

    http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/php/why-you-should-be-using-phps-pdo-for-database-access/
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