|
 |
||
 |
|||
|
|||
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
|
|||
 |
|||
 |
|||
|
|||
 |
|||
 |
|||
One of the first things you will do as part of creating your Internet presence is do design your web site content. We have compiled several links to on-line resources which will be helpful for the HTML novice and the expert web designer alike. If you come across a resource that you have found to be quite valuable, contact our Webmasters your link suggestion. We welcome your input and suggestions.
HTML References
On-line HTML references are an excellent resource for beginners as well
as a convenient reference for more experienced developers. The following
links comprise a small list of HTML references:
- A Beginner's Guide to HTML - NCSA
- This is a primer for producing documents in HTML, it is an excellent starting point.
- Introduction to HTML - UTIRC
- An excellent presentation of HTML as well as other elements of web authoring. The index on this site makes finding information very simple.
- View Source
- The best way to learn HTML is by viewing the source of documents created by someone else. If you see something you like, view the source and see how it was done (but please honor any copyright notifications that you encounter).
You may or may not want to become acquainted with some style guides that exist out on the net.... or break the rules and create your own style guide!
- Creating Killer Web Sites
- A good site offering design tips for Web Designers. There is a corresponding book "Creating Killer Web Sites" that you can find at your local bookstore. A very good site (and book) that offers creative suggestions for your site.
- Web Pages That Suck
- As the saying goes, one of the best ways to learn a craft thoroughly is to learn not only its central tenets but also its pitfalls. Web Pages That Suck teach you good Web design by pointing out ugly, misguided, and confusing sites -- any site that fails to deliver good graphics, and clear, well-focused content.
- Yahoo's directory of Design and Layout
- A few dozen links that describe people's personal taste on HTML design and layout -- not to be taken religiously.
- View Source
- The best way to get a handle on style is by viewing the source of documents created by someone else. If you see something you like, view the source and see how it was done.
There a number of HTML reference books available (more than we could list here). The following books are highly recommended and are regularly used by the Webmaster.
- HTML Sourcebook, 4th Edition
- Author: Ian S. Graham
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
This is one of the best HTML books available. It's complete presentation of HTML includes a good deal of information about HTTP and the Common Gateway Interface (CGI). An overview of this book is available at the Wiley Website. You should have this book or the O'Reilly book (below) on your bookshelf. (order information and price) - HTML: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition
- Author: Chuck Musciano &
Bill Kennedy
Publisher: O'Reilly and Associates, Inc.
O'Reilly has a great reputation and produces excellent books on a variety of topics - O'Reilly's HTML book is no exception. This complete guide is full of examples, sample code, and contains an excellent index. (order information and price) - Creating Killer Web Sites
- Author: David Siegel
Publisher: Hayden Books
A good book offering design tips for web authors. There is a corresponding web site "Creating Killer Web Sites" that you can visit. Overall, a very good book offering creative suggestions for your site. (order information and price) - Web Pages That Suck
- Author: Vincent Flanders
& Michael Willis
Publisher: Hayden Books
A book that illustrates the finer points of good web design by pointing out web pages that suck. There is a corresponding web site "Web Pages That Suck" that you can visit. A light and at times humorous book but the information presented is very good. (order information and price)
As your web page design grows more complex, you may find you will need to add dynamic content and CGI scripts. The following books should help you expand your expertise.
- Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference
- Author: Danny Goodman
Publisher: O'Reilly and Associates, Inc.
After you have some basic Web page creation experience, you may want to jump into the world of dynamic content. O'Reilly's Dynamic HTML book covers the various standards and the latest versions of style sheets, browser document objects, and JavaScript objects. (order information and price) - JaveScript: The Definitive Guide, 3rd edition
- Author: David Flanagan
Publisher: O'Reilly and Associates, Inc.
JavaScript is an HTML extension that embeds programming-language capability right into your web pages. O'Reilly's JavaScript book is an excellent resource that is thoroughly researched and well written. (order information and price) - Learning Perl, 2nd edition
- Author: Randal L. Schwartz
& Tom Christiansen
Publisher: O'Reilly and Associates, Inc.
If you are thinking about doing any kind of Perl CGI programming in conjunction with the development of your web site, then O'Reilly's Learning Perl book is a must-have. This perl book is more like a hands-on tutorial and includes a lengthly chapter on CGI programming. (order information and price)
There are numerous graphical tools available to help you construct your web pages. Links to several HTML editor programs and HTML editor directories are provided.
- Stroud's List - Windows 95/NT HTML Editors
- A fairly good presentation of some of today's more popular HTML editors. Reviews and ratings are provided as well as links to vendor sites and evaluation versions.
- Browsers, Viewers, and HTML Preparation Resources - UTIRC
- A large compilation of HTML editors and tools. The listings include a description of system requirements, license and version information, and price. A good resource but is a bit dated.
- Yahoo's List of Editors
- A somewhat hodge-podge collection of HTML editors ... not as comprehensive or as well organized as the UTIRC site.
- View Source
- The single most valuable tool that you will have at your disposal is the "View Source" capability of your web browser. If your Web browser does not offer a "View Source" command, you should strongly consider changing browsers - we suggest the latest verion of Netscape Navigator.
- Popular Graphical Editors
- Netscape Composer, NetObjects Fusion, Sausage Software HotDog, AOLpress, Adobe PageMill, Allaire HomeSite, GoLive CyberStudio, Galt Technology webMASTER PRO, Microsoft FrontPage
This is only a small sample of Web publisher programs. You can find additional programs by typing "HTML editor" into any good search engine.
Webmaster Favorites
Please find below a list of resources that the Webmaster uses more than
occasionally. No guarantee of usefulness is attached to this list whatsoever.
It is merely provided as a "snapshot" of a suite of tools that the Webmaster
finds very useful... your mileage may vary. : )
| Books | anything
by O'Reilly
If you don't have an HTML book, then today after work or during lunch or whenever, you need to go to your favorite bookstore and buy one. Both the HTML books listed above are excellent (I have both, but you only need one). If you are doing any CGI programming (in Perl) then you should probably pick up the "Learning Perl" book. As you learn more about perl and programming, you will want to get the authoritative guide to perl or the "Programming Perl" book. If you are doing any JavaScript programming, get the "O'Reilly JavaScript" book - it is excellent. |
|---|---|
| Editor | vi
The popular and powerful UNIX text editor, vi, is anything but WYSIWYG (sorry to disappoint those of you expecting a recommendation for a graphical HTML editor). I prefer working with the HTML source code raw and don't care much for using a mouse, so vi works wonderfully (for me). Because I have heard so many good things about so many of the graphical editors available I hesitate to give you a recommendation. I would definitely go with an editor that supports the HTTP "PUT" method to publish content - I believe Netscape Composer and AOLpress both support the PUT method. |
| Graphics | PaintShop
Pro
For all of the simple graphics I do, PaintShop Pro, has more than enough capability and it's shareware so you aren't out hundreds of dollars for just trying it (I do recommend you purchase PaintShop Pro if you use it for an extended period of time). Another utility I use quite often is an on-line gif/jpg image compression utility GifWizard. Out of the box software that performs gif/jpg image compression includes: Adobe ImageReady, Emblaze WebCharger, Ulead SmartSaver. |
| Animations | GIF
Construction Set
When I need to build an animated gif (which is not very often), I use GIF Construction Set. It works, it's easy to use, and it's shareware (and if you like it the registration fee is very nominal). This really isn't a recommendation, it's just what I use. |
| Image Maps | Mapedit
There are quite a few image map utilities available. The best one that I have found (and I have tried a few) is Mapedit written by Boutell.Com, Inc. I may be partial to Mapedit because there is a Unix version and it is inconvenient for me to reboot my computer in MS Windows to run a simple image map application - plus Mapedit is relatively cheap, just $25. |
| URLs | Here
are a handful of URLs that have stayed in my Bookmark list on a
consistent basis:
NCSA HTTPd documentation
|