How It's Done
Frontend / HTML / and WYSIWYG Editors
While v. 2.5 was "less clunky," it was still a
mess. A hodgepodge of HTML tags, much of which obsolete.
FONT tags for example. LOTS of FONT tags, often redundant,
repeating, and even empty.
It was between 2.5 and 3.0 that I discovered the joys of
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)! A way of setting font attributes
within one file, then linking all the other pages to that
file. It's clean, organized, and makes for a lot less wasted
code which HOPEFULLY makes for more efficient, quicker loading
pages.
Also during that time, I taught myself the Web language
of the Gods (or at least minor deities,) PHP. With PHP I
can use something called Server Side Includes (SSI). I can
put a page element that is repeated on many or all pages
in one file and then use one line of code in the Web page
to refer to the other page, just REALLY cutting down on
page sizes, redundant code, and making editing and updates
EXTREMELY easy!
For example, the menu bar on the left hand side of the main
pages, that's all on only one file. Then all the other Web
pages have a line that "calls" that file, displaying
its contents (in this case, then menu buttons,) on each
page. That way if I need to edit the menu, add a button,
change something, I just make the adjustments to that one
file, and it's done for all pages! No more editing every
Web page to make the same changes over and over.
Now, as for the tools I used, that's certainly changed over
time. First it was with Notepad as I taught myself HTML
by looking at others' source code. The
Coffeecup editor was, and still is, a fantastic code
editor! I used that for some time, after proving to myself
I knew HTML, allowing myself to use its shortcuts and quick-keys.
But then, guiltily, I started using Frontpage Express for
help with tables. I wanted to be a Web designing elitist
and not use a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) graphical
editor, but I just had problems with tables and justified
using FP Express to myself by saying "Well, at least
it's not Frontpage."
Then I started using Frontpage. Oh how I hated myself! I
was a traitor to Web designers everywhere. But it was during
the creation of v.2.0, when I needed help with frames, and
decided a graphical editor was kind of nice when dealing
with resizing pictures and well, speeding the whole thing
up a lot! Since I was still in love with editing HTML code,
I knew right away that Frontpage, unlike FP Express, put
a LOT of extra tags and code in your site, and removing
them manually made me feel like I hadn't completely sold
out.
Then finally I saw the face of God, and s/he was called
"Dreamweaver
Ultradev." I started using it around 2001, still
with a little shame as it was a graphical editor, but oh
was it nice! So nice in fact, after some angst I finally
decided screw it! I LIKE Dreamweaver and it likes me! It
made me much more efficient and helped escalate what meager
skills I have in design. I still know HTML, and even before
I knew ASP and PHP, I decided spending time and energy being
a text editor elitist was just not worth it. I could spend
that energy and arrogance making better Web pages. I paid
my dues, I learned HTML by playing with source code, I taught
myself ASP via a 4"
thick Wrox book, taught myself PHP from php.net,
other sites, and no small thanks to Julie
C. Meloni, I was going to use Dreamweaver to my heart's
content!
In Relation to v.3.0
(Finally, eh?) So, here we are. v.3.0 was just completed,
using Dreamweaver
MX (the generation following DW Ultradev) almost exclusively.
I used the very best code editor, EditPlus,
for some quick code editing, although Dreamweaver MX has
a very wonderful built in color-coded text editor.
As you can probably see from the URL's on this site, I used
PHP a LOT! It's such an incredibly useful, simple, powerful
server-side scripting language, I even sing its praises
in the form of a
bumper sticker on my car! I use it for the includes,
the forms, and the database connections...
Backend and Database
...yes, database. v.3.0 is the first site of mine to use
a database for much of its content. (Oh, I've used some
database features before, at work, but not like this!) I'm
using mySQL
to store and sort my front page's news articles, my reviews,
etc. It makes storage, sorting, searching, all very handy!
And of course PHP and mySQL go hand-in-hand.
Final Words
OK, that was likely very pointless and not terribly informative.
But that's OK. As I've always said, the personal Web page
is the epitome of arrogant self-agrandizing. And I'm unapologetic
about it.
I do hope that maybe you find this somewhat interesting (you
must've if you're still reading,) and perhaps some of the
references useful.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact
me using my
Contact Page.
Thanks!
--Liam
29 November 2002
