Need help with these basic questions 1

[mike314]

Hey, I have got some general HTML questions. First I was told to put together a website, the problem is that i haven't written one. My question is can I basically wiret text in Microsoft word and save it as an .html extension and basically put it up on the server? Do I need to download additional software? SHOULD I BE WORRIED?? I have some programming experience so I'm not foregin to programming langs. Is there any onther software that I could use to create web pages?

thanks all the help is much appreciated

 

[philote]

Are you supposed to make the site look good, too? Most people wouldn't recommend using Word to create a web site, as it doesn't do a very good job of it... but if you're in a pinch you could do it. There are also some free visual editors out there that you could use that would do a better job. For example, Mozilla and Netscape have an optional visual editor, so you can see how the page will look as you're designing it. There's also another one called Amaya that looks pretty basic but should work fine. Do a Google search for "free wysiwyg html editor" to find some other options.

However, since you've done some programming, it may be a good idea to go ahead and learn html and css. Start off by going to

http://www.w3shchools.com

and looking over their material.

Kevin
A+, Network+, MCP

 

[mike314]

ok thanks but i've got some more questions

1. Will learning this in about 2 weeks be difficult to do?

2. I just have to download a cool html editor and put the files up on the server correct?

3. The MS Word stuff I mentioned is exactly how it works right (just in case I have to rush it can I just save a work doc as html and put it on the server?)

4. What the heck is CSS?? I have heard of it but never used/programmed in it

PS the site has to be presentable not just plain text and not exactly having to be some large Flash production.

thanks for all the help guys

 

[philote]

1. It's hard to say if you could learn html in two weeks. It kinda depends on how much time you can spend on it and how in-depth you want to go. An editor would probably be your best bet for now.

2. Correct. You just get a good editor, create your page(s), and upload the file(s) to the server. Normally, your main page will be called index.html. Don't forget to upload any images you use in your page as well.

3. In Word, at least in the version I have (2002), there's an option to "Save as a Web Page". You can't just save it with .html at the end.

4. CSS is "Cascading Style Sheets". Basically, the way HTML is headed right now is to separate the content from the layout. Older html standards had both together. CSS basically contains the layout of the web page. For example, you might have some text in html and in your stylesheet it would define the color of the text, the font size, etc.

Go ahead and start lookoing through the html and css tutorials the w3schools page I posted above. A little familiarity with HTML will be helpful, even if using an editor to create the code for you.

Kevin
A+, Network+, MCP

 

[mike314]

another quick question:

1. No matter what editor you use html code is the same? If so then to learn html i should buy an html 4.0 book correct?

2. With Amaya how do i put the files onto the server? through ftp?

3. Anyone got any good html beginners sites

thanks guys

 

[shane25119]

1: yes, html is universal, buying a book would probaly not be a good idea, you can get it free online for nothing, try htmlgoodies.com

2: i have never used amaya, i would assume so, a good ftp client is WS FTP,

3: see #1

p.s. as for an HTML editor i recomend 1st Page 2000, (evrsoft.com)

 

[ChrisHunt]

I disagree with Shane, maybe it's an age thing but I like books - I've got a whole row of them on my desk, including an HTML manual (the O'Reilly book on HTML & XHTML). Online guides are great, but sometimes it's easier to have a book to hand, especially if you intend to sit down and read large amounts of text - which can be quite tiring on-screen. I won't recommend a particular title, go to a bookstore and find one that speaks your language.

You should certainly be able to get a grip on HTML in two weeks, it's not rocket science. Beginners' sites? here's a new one that looks good:

http://www.htmldog.com/

-- Chris Hunt

http://www.extracon.com

http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk

http://www.napitalia.org.uk

http://www.leicesteryha.org.uk