Creating Websites Without Software

13 years ago

I'm sure if you just Google 'learn html' or 'create html web page' etc. you'll get more answers than you need. Or even just check out Youtube.

If there's something you want to know specifically - just ask here. Many of us can answer this stuff for you.

Andy

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CDawson

Banned 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

I'm sure if you just Google 'learn html' or 'create html web page' etc. you'll get more answers than you need. Or even just check out Youtube.

If there's something you want to know specifically - just ask here. Many of us can answer this stuff for you.

Andy

Is it impossible to make a decent looking static page with loads of content without using dreamweaver or photoshop.

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Andyhenry 13 years ago

Originally Posted by CDawson

Is it impossible to make a decent looking static page with loads of content without using dreamweaver or photoshop.

Absolutely not.

All the programs do is same you time from doing the coding yourself because their graphical interfaces offer buttons which spit the code out for you instead.

Ultimately it's all just code that can be done in Wordpad or something and get the exact same results.

It's like saying do you need Photoshop - you could draw stuff by hand if you're good enough, but having a tool that already has some of the workflow built in is designed to save you time.

You don't actually need to know a massive amount in order to get things done.

I'm really a hacker when it comes to this stuff - I learn most things by looking at how others have done it.

I recently had a friend who wanted a nice looking slideshow for his website - I just told him to look around and find something he liked on an existing site - as usual the site he picked had just used a module to do it anyway and that module was available for $10 or something, so I just bought it and configured it for him.

Most things are like that. I've done all sorts of clever stuff for people that I was clueless about before they asked. I think it's one of my key skills. I don't focus on a particular technology or language, I just pick the thing I can do it quickest and best with when the need arises.

I suggest you learn some basic html so that you at least understand what elements make up a standard page and then learn what common things you're going to need to do and find a way to make it easy for yourself.

For example - a normal page might require:

Basic html tags - <html> <head></head> <body> </body> </html>

and look at optional header tags like 'description' and 'keywords'.

Learn where to put scripts or code snippets that you might want to use.

A classic example of this is for things like Google analytics where they give you a snippet of code and you paste it into your pages you want to be tracked.
Also things like Adsense, email optin forms etc..

It's all just a case of copy and paste so you just need to be comfortable with where to paste it depending on the purpose.

Maybe look at how to call in external content.

This is useful for things like footer sections where you might want to be able to feed your own website urls or affiliate links without having to go into every page and change it when things change.

Read about RSS and how to create a feed from a static page - you can still use a script to do it for you, but it's useful to know what it's doing and why.

You don't need to know javascript or php, but know how to add their code to your pages. On some hosting you may need to modify files like your .htaccess file in order to make your php code work. A common thing for this is making 'seo friendly' page names.

Get used to be able to position things on your pages and link to graphics so that you can make nice layouts. If you need to do it quickly it may be worth just getting a template that has the layout you want and modifying it to suit your need.

Being able to create different types of links and using appropriate keywords in your folder/file/image/links is worth bearing in mind too.

It gets really easy after a while so just remember WHY things are done and the how will become second nature.

But - just ask if there's something specific you want to do.

There are also lots of free web page creators that focus more on the code than the graphical interfaces and they tend to be more about preference than anything.

Some of them add their own bulky code elements so purists won't use them, but sometimes if all you need is to quickly throw up a nice page and you have a template to start from - they can be a really quick way to do it.

Popular ones are Kompozer and Bluefish - which are both free and common on Linux based computers but also run on windows.

I tend to use several depending on what I'm doing and how quickly I need it.

I use Bluefish for most quick code tweaking, Kompozer for quick page changes and DW, FP, XSP etc.. for different times when I want a different feel or look.

Also don't be afraid to play around with CMS's like Joomla and Drupal - they're very robust and capable platforms that can do a lot.

One of the biggest benefits of using CMS's is that they generally have all the common code functions as additional modules, so things like Google Analytics are just a case of putting in your code and the CMS will add it to all pages automatically.

So I guess my advice would be - if the site is small and you want to get used to how to do things - do it by hand or using the less graphical tools. If it's big and going to grow - use a CMS.

Andy
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Clint Faber

13 years ago

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CDawson Banned 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Clint Faber

No matter what you always have to use some sort of software to be able to write the code for a website.

I know a few that can do it straight from notepad.
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fonoi

13 years ago

The only software you need is a basic text editor such as notepad.

To learn how to create your own web page, start by googling w3schools and do the html and css course to start. Once you have mastered those two courses along with practice you may choose to advance to php to allow your sites to be more interactive.

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KLaAz0r

13 years ago

use dreamweaver for wordpress and you get epic results, tutsplus has great info

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Gail_Curran

13 years ago

Agree that there are lots of html resources online. Spend a few hours studying. You don't have to memorize everything, just understand the concepts and know where to find the html code when you need it.

Once you've learned the basics of html and css (esp. css), you can grab a free website template and change it to suit yourself. You can use Notepad or one of the html editors for this. Best of all, you can work with an html site and see the results in your browser without needing to upload it to your hosting.

By the way, using Wordpress is MUCH easier when you know something about html.

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NestZone

13 years ago

You should stop having trouble trying to write html codes for a website. Everything has very much been simplified with softwares. Its just for you to search for the one that suits your needs.

There is a lot to be done, and so little time for all that.

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Bradley J Anderson

13 years ago

Originally Posted by CDawson

I know a few that can do it straight from notepad.

That's because some of us have been coding for 30 years. And I don't know of ANY professional coder that would mark up the entire code of a website in Notepad++. That could take months to years for a site of any size working by yourself. We also use software, such as Dreamweaver (which is a bit expensive, btw), because with one click it will take care of many of the common, repetitive tasks found in most pages/sites. However, you still have to know what those things are, when to use them, and where to put them.

If you would still like to give the Notepad++ route a try, you can download it here free of charge. It is an excellent piece if you know how to use it:

http://notepad-plus-plus.org/download

Here's the official HTML 'school', and it's free of charge:

W3Schools Online Web Tutorials

BTW, you need to learn to code in more than just HTML nowadays. There's php, javascript, css, and quite a few others that are typically used in just about any sizable page anymore.

Good luck with that. You should have enough skills to put together a professional site within a few years.

I think you'll soon find that WP is an excellent alternative that saves a LOT of time. That's why so many professional coders such as myself utilize it.

The reason WP became so popular with IMer's, rather than just the bloggers, is because it was an easier way to put up a site without having to hire someone else to do it, or having to do a lot of coding by themselves.

Trust me on this: If can't figure out how to modify a simple header on your own (which is typically only a few lines of code), you'll probably have some serious issues trying to figure out HTML on your own, and having to design and then input thousands of lines of code.

Please forgive me if I sound insulting, because I don't mean to, but I've dealt with many people over the years who have thought the same thing as you. Some people have a talent for singing, so they are singers. And some people have a talent for coding, so we are coders. Even intermediate coding is not for the faint of heart.

If you don't necessarily care about 'professional' results, but would rather just get 'something' up, the easiest way would be to purchase a good WYSIWYG editor.

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Steve MacLellan

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Bradley J Anderson

That's because some of us have been coding for 30 years.

I started marking up web pages shortly before Netscape 2.0. Final version of Netscape 2.0 was released in March 1996. It was quite innovative at that time because of it's support for TABLES -- which led to a whole new design era. But the way I would count that.... is 15 years ago. MS-DOS 1.0 was released August, 1981. If you were coding webpages in 1981 you certainly have my respect. In the early 90's I was only able to access the Internet from third party providers, like Compuserve using a 386 with 4MB of ram and a whopping 350 MB hard drive. It was "SMOKIN' hot with my 2400 baud modem. Come to think of it: Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina from the NCSA released the first version of Mosaic for X-Windows on Unix computers in February, 1993.

Actually, it wasn't long after that... that I met Paul Myers, who was one of the moderators in a USENET business discussion group.

Originally Posted by Bradley J Anderson

Please forgive me if I sound insulting, because I don't mean to, but I've dealt with many people over the years who have thought the same thing as you. Some people have a talent for singing, so they are singers. And some people have a talent for coding, so we are coders. Even intermediate coding is not for the faint of heart.

Well.... if Warrior Allstars is your site, one would have thought you would have learned that using tables and font tags is out.... a long time ago! You better stick with the lying and insulting, 'cause you sure as hell ain't any good at coding. And... html is not coding... it's a mark-up language.

CDawson asked an honest question. He didn't ask for a whole lot of BS and lip service.

To CDawson: sitepoint.com has a number of books you can buy. Some are better than others. I just bought "HTML5 & CSS3 for the Real World" ... cause I've only been "coding" for 12 years and don't know everything yet..... It looks good, but it isn't a primer. There will be other books on the site that are.

If you need help, there are still USENET groups where you can ask for and receive help. A lot of service providers aren't offering support for the nttp protocol anymore but you can access the forums through google groups. Two of them where you can find help is alt.html and comp.infosystems.www.authoring.html. The W3Schools Online Web Tutorials, as my learned colleague suggests, isn't bad for basic stuff, but there are a lot of errors in some of their published material.

Regards,
Steve MacLellan

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vai

13 years ago

Find some free PHP video tutorials online to help you understand WP better. WP is perfect for SEO and so user friendly..

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ThinhPhanHuynh

13 years ago

Originally Posted by CDawson

Where can I learn to do this. I'm tired of using wordpress and not knowing how to modify a blog template. Where can I start learning how to build a website from scratch and uploading it to my host, etc.

There are many online websites which offers website builder service online for free like Webs.com, Weebly, Wix, homestead. You also can check them out on Google. Weebly help you to create seo-friendly blog and have many great plugins for your websites.

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Dax Brathwaite 13 years ago

I've learned to build websites from scratch and upload them to my host using SitePoint's "Build Your Own Website The Right Way" ebook. The html knowledge that I've garnered from this book has helped tremendously with me continuing to build websites using wordpress and joomla.
Chris Farrell also has an excellent course on building websites from scratch and uploading them to your host if you're not that interested in learning html.
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DocReed

13 years ago

Originally Posted by CDawson

Where can I learn to do this. I'm tired of using wordpress and not knowing how to modify a blog template. Where can I start learning how to build a website from scratch and uploading it to my host, etc.

Hi,

IMO, One of the best at step-by-step trainings on how to create websites can be found at: Chris Farrell Online | How To Make Money Online | Voted No. 1 Internet Marketing Service 2010/2011 by IMReportCard

That is not my affiliate link. He has over 1,000 videos, a large number that are free, at his membership site. In fact, one offering is (something like) "How to Create Your First Website by 3:45 Today."

Hope this is helpful.

Doc Reed

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GalenaEd

13 years ago

Download Kompozer. This is free and it has helped me learn about code and syntax.

You can enter something on the design page, then click the source button and it will display the code. It also has a split screen that shows both the design and source code.

Wordpress can be frustrating when going back and forth from their design page to the HTML, so I like to use Kompozer, then copy and paste to wordpress.

I have also used X Site Pro, which is excellent but overkill, for most IM applications.

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Bradley J Anderson

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Steve MacLellan

If you were coding webpages in 1981 you certainly have my respect. In the early 90's <snip>

I never said I was building web pages 30 years ago. lol. I'm not Al Gore claiming to have invented the internet. lol. That was an assumption you made, and we all know what happens when we assume, don't we? But I was programming in BASIC 30 years ago. I started with a Timex Sinclair 1000 with 8k of RAM and a cassette to save and load the programs with, so yes your first computer was a screamer compared to mine, you're right about that.

What? You think you're the only person who knows about telnet, BB's, and usenet? I sold my first online product in a couple of alt newsgroups.

Originally Posted by Steve MacLellan

Well.... if Warrior Allstars is your site, one would have thought you would have learned that using tables and font tags is out.... a long time ago! You better stick with the lying and insulting, 'cause you sure as hell ain't any good at coding. And... html is not coding... it's a mark-up language.

Nope, Warrior Allstars isn't my site. It's the site put together by the Warrior Allstars to help KimW through his trying times by offering a damn fine WSO. Of course, you would have known that if you had bothered to read even a few paragraphs. Although I'm very surprised you haven't seen any of the threads or other sigs 'advertising' it, but anyway, that makes the rest of your point totally moot, doesn't it? And thanks for insulting their hard work in your haste to make judgment. I'm sure they will all appreciate that.

I would be more than happy to provide the url's for a number of sites that are mine, though, if you feel the need to be the internet police again. I've got almost a hundred live you can pick from at the moment, in addition to several hundreds of others that have been designed for clients over the years, of which I would be more than happy to supply contact info for if you would like testimonials or recommendations.

I graduated with honors, top of my class, with a BSc in Computer Science at the age of 21 (I'm 47 now), and spent almost 10 years with the Kroger Co. as a senior systems analyst thereafter, so I'm pretty sure I have a good grasp of the situation. In fact, I would be so bold as to consider myself an expert. That's why I have my own offline consulting/programming company that makes the big bucks. Otherwise, I wouldn't be worth those big bucks, and my family wouldn't be able to enjoy the affluent lifestyle they are accustomed to.

When coding for the web, I have been using CSS instead of tables and font tags for quite a while, yes. Staying up to date with the changes of any language is a necessity in a constatnly change industry. That's why I have a good collection of 'Bibles' handy on my bookshelf, and a good team of programmers to back me up.

Of course HTML is a mark-up language, as in Hyper Text Markup Language. lol. So in that case, programming with BASIC isn't coding, either, then, because it's a language? I guess I'm not coding with C++, either, because it's a language? lol. If you're writing code, you're coding. It's called a slang word.

Originally Posted by Steve MacLellan

CDawson asked an honest question. He didn't ask for a whole lot of BS and lip service.

And an honest answer is exactly what I gave him, sir. If he just wants a basic page with a picture and some text, then I'm quite sure he is capalble of putting something together within a few minutes. I'm pretty sure that he wants something a lot more advanced than that, though, which is why I recommended he utilize a CMS option, instead. In the long run, it will save him a lot of time and a lot of headaches, which means he can get his site up and running much sooner, which obviously means he will also begin making money much sooner, as well, which is probably his goal, and why he is asking if it is worth his time right now to begin learning HTML.

And if you'll notice, quite a few others have concurred with me on this, as well.

Now if the OP wants to learn HTML in his spare time so he can begin coding his sites in the future, I would highly encourage him. Knowing how the code is put together and works together is an invaluable asset.

Thanks for wasting everyone's time with all but the last 2 paragraphs of your post, although the vast majority of people on the internet don't know what USENET and nntp are. It's a whole heck of a lot easier for a beginner to just use Google Groups to access the newsgroups. Heck, it's even easier for experts like us.

http://groups.google.com

We now return to our scheduled programming....

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Creating Websites Without Software

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