help getting started

[towntopic]

i'm new to web development, but i'm pretty good at figuring stuff out and have some programming skills that hopefully will come in handy. i'm wanting to design a site for work that is modeled after

http://support.novell.com

what would you say is the best way to go about this? using tables everywhere and javascript for the menu picks? any information on good places to pick up skills or recommended books or anything is greatly appreciated.

 

[dwarfthrower]

>> i'm new to web development

Welcome.

>> what would you say is the best way to go about this?

Plan it out. Start with a pencil and plenty of paper. Sketch a rough design - main menu, banner, three columns, work out what goes where.

Then decide what content needs to go on the site. Group the content into a meaningful categorisation heirarchy. This will form the basis for your navigation.

Revisit your sketch, work out what menu options you'll need. Start to sketch out the page designs in more detail.

If you have a computer graphics package, start doing some design work there.

Look around the web for other similarly designed sites. Use the "View Source" option to see how they go about putting it all together.

Then start coding.

If you have a web server you can put things on, upload what you're working on and post a link in either here or the web designers forum for advice.

>> using tables everywhere and javascript for the menu picks?

Well, that's how Novell do it. Tables for layout are a bit of a no-no, but only a little no-no really. As a learner it's probably the easiest way to do it. As you progress you'll see better techniques.

The Javascript menus, well, there are literally hundreds of prewritten scripts - just google for "DHTML menu script" and take your pick.

>> any information on good places to pick up skills

http://www.w3schools.com

- Clear concise introductory tutorials.

http://www.tek-tips.com

- well, you're here already, but the FAQs and keyword search mean you have the brain-dumps of thousands of people at your disposal. And we're always willing to help out if you get stuck.



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