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From Scratch Or By Templates

by DaWebmaster
3 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
When creating websites many "beginners" often times search for free templates. There are countless websites out there that offer them free for download and use.

However, many will come to realise that it's a bit harder to edit such templates to their liking due to the fact that they did not write the code themselves.

Speaking from experience, when you create a website from scratch you adopt a level of familiarity and understanding with coding concepts as well as an appreciation for the language. You get accustomed to errors and why something doesn't work the way you think it's supposed to. This allows you to fix the problem quite easily the next time it occurs.
As for editing, this becomes a simple task. If you want to change a particular section on the website you know exactly where to go to make that change.

Note I'm not saying templates are a "no-no". They are in fact one of the most useful options available out there to you. If you have an understanding of HTML, CSS and any scripting languages used in such templates then you can easily understand and edit them in no time.

The main point is that if you're new you should seriously consider just building a simple website on your own and getting yourself familiarized with coding. After that you can explore templates.

Let's open the floor for discussion. Do you agree ? Do you have any experience yourself when just starting out ? Share it.
#free templates #new2html.com #scratch #templates #website creation
  • Profile picture of the author phpbbxpert
    I think it's true that you should learn to write code from scratch and see how it actually works and learn what each element or CSS selector does.

    At the same time I wonder why you write a post like this and have your site layout made with tables and with a strict Doc type. Also invalid markup.

    So from that I think that if someone wants to learn front end development and markup they should learn the standards that go with it.

    There are a ton of templates out there that fail in this department also, so those are not always the best solution for learning either. At least check them against a validation first.

    NOTE: I'm not trying to bash anyone here, just making a point that there is a set of standards for a reason.
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    • Profile picture of the author DaWebmaster
      Hey,
      Understood and I accept your point of view. The website you see is in fact my very first attempt at creating a website and I have since improved on that as well. It's a learning process and as time goes by you learn more and more.

      Now, while I admit these days people would be "against tables" in websites because of the standards, there is nothing bad about using them to create your own website. In fact, I find it much easier and would use it again. Take note that since then I have been able to create websites without table use but with strict HTML and CSS.

      Regarding validation, I have continuously validated against errors using w3c's useful validation tool and reduced errors. However since there has been continuous updates to the website then some more have come into play. I have the intention to fix those at present and learn from them. Thanks for the feedback.
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  • Profile picture of the author massivemarketing
    It really depends on your business goals. Web technology changes everyday so you could be learning "forever". Those templates are designed by seasoned developers and as long as you pick a template that is close to your "vision", then that would be a far more effective solution.
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