I'm 13 and want to start web design!

I wont buy Dreamweaver yet. I will try Coda.

But I would rather use a WYSIWYG editor and build my site quickly and fast. No coding!

I did a Google search on Web Site Designers jobs, they all required a knowledge of Flash,Photoshop,Dreamweaver........

I could do HTML coding in Dreamwever, but why pay all the money for a editor? I like the ease of use, like for buttons. Insert Flash Button DONE!

Photoshop, design a button!

Flash, I don't know much about yet...

Also, what is the difference's between XHTML and HTML? Which one should I learn?

If you want to learn XHTML/CSS/PHP/Ajax from ground up try CSSEdit + TextMate

Coda is bit more user friendly but expensive.

NVU it free and open source(Similar to DreamWeaver) but I personally don't like the look of it.

You can read more about XHTML from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XHTML

Also, more about XHTML VS. HTML
http://www.jemjabella.co.uk/post/20070816_xhtml_vs._html_irrelevant

I know quite a bit of X/HTML and CSS, so if I started using Dreamweaver, I would be able to understand how to use it. However, like goobimama pointed out, that's not entirely true the other way around. If you really want to use a WYSIWYG editor, I would suggest learning HTML/CSS beforehand so you have something to fall back onto if you stop using the program. I hope that makes sense.

MBNick said:

I wont buy Dreamweaver yet. I will try Coda.

But I would rather use a WYSIWYG editor and build my site quickly and fast. No coding!

I did a Google search on Web Site Designers jobs, they all required a knowledge of Flash,Photoshop,Dreamweaver........

I could do HTML coding in Dreamwever, but why pay all the money for a editor? I like the ease of use, like for buttons. Insert Flash Button DONE!

Photoshop, design a button!

Flash, I don't know much about yet...

Click to expand...

Many Web Development jobs require some knowledge of HTML beyond just editors. Knowing more tools or having more skills than the general public is true of many different jobs.

Another argument for hand coding states that moving from hand coding to WYSIWYG is easy, but it is more difficult to move from WYSIWYG to hand coding. Therefore, if a Web developer chooses to start hand coding HTML, he or she always has the option of using HTML-authoring tools at a later date.

Also, Changes can be made more quickly. When Web developers buys pre-written, HTML-authoring software, they are pretty much stuck with the coding they are given. But when HTML is written by hand, changes can be made easier and quicker to the coding.

Destructive said:

Many Web Development jobs require some knowledge of HTML beyond just editors. Knowing more tools or having more skills than the general public is true of many different jobs.

Another argument for hand coding states that moving from hand coding to WYSIWYG is easy, but it is more difficult to move from WYSIWYG to hand coding. Therefore, if a Web developer chooses to start hand coding HTML, he or she always has the option of using HTML-authoring tools at a later date.

Also, Changes can be made more quickly. When Web developers buys pre-written, HTML-authoring software, they are pretty much stuck with the coding they are given. But when HTML is written by hand, changes can be made easier and quicker to the coding.

Click to expand...

My point exactly.

TextMate and CSSEdit.

I will give these a try! Only 4 days till I get my MacBook!

MBNick said:

I wont buy Dreamweaver yet. I will try Coda.

But I would rather use a WYSIWYG editor and build my site quickly and fast. No coding!

I did a Google search on Web Site Designers jobs, they all required a knowledge of Flash,Photoshop,Dreamweaver........

I could do HTML coding in Dreamwever, but why pay all the money for a editor? I like the ease of use, like for buttons. Insert Flash Button DONE!

Photoshop, design a button!

Flash, I don't know much about yet...

Click to expand...

I think you're mixing up terms.

A web DESIGNER is the person who is responsible for making things pretty. Like you said... Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver would be requirements.

A web DEVELOPER is one who makes things function with programming. I don't think a developer who uses WYSIWYG programs to be respectable. If you're going to call yourself a programmer, you had better know the programming language, dabnabit.

I respect your opinion, but I find it hard to believe anyone will create a website by writing a load of code. When you can do it visually with Dreamweaver, then write a little code for something like a <marquee><marquee>???

Otherwise I could just use the free text editor in Mac OS X? Why pay for TextMate.

I like Coda because it is user freindly, just like the industry standard Dreamweaver.

Am I wrong?

Nick.

MBNick said:

I respect your opinion, but I find it hard to believe anyone will create a website by writing a load of code. When you can do it visually with Dreamweaver, then write a little code for something like a <marquee><marquee>???

Otherwise I could just use the free text editor in Mac OS X? Why pay for TextMate.

I like Coda because it is user freindly, just like the industry standard Dreamweaver.

Am I wrong?

Nick.

Click to expand...

Check out giulio's website. I don't think he used a WYSIWYG editor, and look at how amazing his site is.

Textmate is more than just a text editor.
[from the textmate website:]
Ability to Search and Replace in a Project
Auto-Indent for Common Actions Like Pasting Text
Auto-Pairing of Brackets and Other Characters
Clipboard History
Column Selections and Column Typing
Completion of Words from Current Document
CSS-like Selectors to Pinpoint the Scope of Actions and Settings
Declarative Language Grammars for Graceful Mixing and Hacking
Dynamic Outline for Working With Multiple Files
Expand Trigger Words to Code Blocks With Tab-able Placeholders
File Tabs when Working With Projects
Foldable Code Blocks
Function Pop-up for Quick Overview and Navigation
Plug-able Through Your Favorite Scripting Language
Recordable Macros With No Programming Required
Regular Expression Search and Replace (grep)
Run Shell Commands from Within a Document
Support for Darcs, Perforce, SVK, and Subversion
Support for More Than 50 Languages
Switch Between Files in Projects With a Minimum of Key Strokes
Themable Syntax Highlight Colors
Visual Bookmarks to Jump Between Places in a File
Works As External Editor for (s)ftp Programs
Works Together With Xcode and Can Build Xcode Projects

WYSIWYGs write absolute garbage code. If you're doing a simple brochure site, no problem. If you're expecting a client of yours to run their buisiness off the site... do you really want to take responsibility for something you are not even creating?

WYSIWYG code is bloated. It takes longer to download. It takes longer for the browser to parse. It takes longer for the browser to render.

WYSIWYG programs are bloated. They take longer to launch. They runs slow. And by nature they try to take over your project.
And they cannot think. For instance, you need a content area that is flexible. If you draw a box, the wysiwyg may put in a box with height and width defined. So what happens tomorrow when you try to add more content to that box? Your entire layout can be shot.

And what happens when you don't have access to the WYSIWYG editor?

I'm all for apps that make coding easier and faster. But taking away the actual coding is just... weak. It's not professional. You are then not a programmer / developer. You are a designer. Which is fine. I started off as a designer.

on the flip side... I have used imageready a few times to create a HTML page for me. image maps, rollovers, etc. It was a highly formatted intro page that was purely a graphic with lots of slices.
So, some automation does have it's place.

So you are saying Designers do no coding? I would like to design web sites in Dreamweaver. And of course write some code, but for things like a background. It seems silly to write a load of code, when I could just fill it with a few clicks...

I was looking about creating buttons with CSS. Yuck! What's wrong with the buttons in Dreamweaver.

I could use PhotoShop to create one.

I have got serial numbers so I can use Dreamweaver. And once I can afford it I WILL pay the whole price.

It does not seem fun to write a load of code to create a site.

Am I am Designer/Developer. If I wanted to develop web apps, I would use Windows and ASP.NET.

Just tried Coda. Smokin' interface! I'm almost thinking of giving up Dreamweaver. Only thing I miss is its Wizzywig editing capabilities which comes in handy while formatting text and such. But I can live without it. Coda it is!

@MBNick: They don't allow any talk of serial numbers here. Keep that to yourself.

I have some questions about Coda and HTML.

1. How do you start and finish HTML code?
2. How do you create a button from scratch?
3. What CSS features does Coda have.?
4. Could I upload these to .mac?
5. I have a page with text and pictures, and I would like to have 5 buttons. How would I get them at the top of the page. All Centered?

Thanks,

Once I know a few things Dreamweaver won't be such a requirement.

And a Web Developer writes code, a Web Designer designs the page? Which one is the best paying? Also couldn't anyone do the page in Dreamweaver for a client, snazz it up with some Flash and Photoshop. And Bob's your uncle! It's done.

Or would someone design the layout and someone else write the code.

Thank you,

Nick

P.S

Is there any advantages/disadvantages about writing a page by hand?

1: Well, that's what you learn HTML for. though you start the web page with the DOCTYPE declaration, i would say it starts and ends with the <html> tags.

2: I create buttons in Photoshop

3: I haven't worked with coda that much, but it seems to have all the features of CSS. I personally prefer writing it by hand though. Not too fond of the GUI based CSS thing.

The designer/coder thing only works in a big company. I do all my designs and coding myself. I sometimes outsource it to some guy when it comes to advanced PHP and such, but otherwise, for HTML/CSS, I do my own thing. You have to learn both to know how things work. A designer needs to know what is possible, and what is not. A coder, after all, works with the design.

Advantages of writing code by hand are laid out straight by giulio in his post above. Though you can do stuff with a wizzywig editor, you MUST know how to code the same by hand. It should be considered only as a tool to speed up your work...

1. Learn HTML.
2. PhotoShop it is...
3. Coda is what I can afford.
4. Do it all myself.

Thanks! Could anyone else post some screenshots of Coda in use please?

Nick.

Sort of on the fence here. I use Dreamweaver because I like the environment, but I code the CSS used in my websites myself, and the HTML is literally a few <div> tags and some content (which I write in myself.)

But still, I like the environment and it was the first thing I ever used to create a website, so its sort of nostalgic.

Check out www.lewwy.uni.cc, I apologise for the minimal bad language and extremely bad coding and design, but the point is I made that when I was 12, with very little knowledge of HTML and its all because Dreamweaver was my best friend

Edit :
Some screenshots of Coda.

1. This is the opening screen, Coda actually generated the picture of my website (http://www.evolewtion.co.uk) dynamically. Meaning I gave it information about my hosting, and it went and grabbed the screenshot itself ! Very clever indeed.



2. This is the code to my website, very nicely formatted with different colours. Coda did it, not me.

Right, also does it start the coding for you? e.g writes <html><html/>

If i was using coda and created a button in Photoshop, how would I get it with all my code?

Thanks.