Html Made Simple

DO IT YOURSELF -- WEB SITE BUILDING

Why learn to build your own web site?

Because then you can do anything that can be done with a web site.
Because html is as easy to learn as many software programs.
Because some of us just like to know how things work.

How this guide can help you.

Little man pushes boulder up mountain; boulder rolls down; man runs to get it and push it up again. When I first learned html and JavaScript, I felt like the little person pushing the boulder up the mountain. I kept having to go back and do it over. And over. And over and over and over.

This page is a guide that helps me get code right the first time -- (except when I make careless mistakes).

This guide not only covers html, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and MySql, it covers their pitfalls. It tells when you can expect things to work like they are supposed to, and when you can't. It contains the solutions to all the programming problems I've had in the last three years. Much of this information is not found in texts, and is not readily available on the web.

This guide is terse. If you're new to the web, you may want a book to go along with it. I've included just enough explanation so a learner can see why the code is as it is.

Why writing Html, CSS, Javascript and PHP can be confusing

Code may work in one browser, but not another. Although the World Wide Web Consortium, W3C, attempts to solve the confusion, its recommendations are never fully supported by browsers.
Html files typically contain styling instructions in CSS, and scripts in languages such as JavaScript. As a result, there are often several different ways to say the same thing, each using different punctuation.
Punctuation is very important. Browsers usually ignore erroneous commands, but even a slight error in punctuation can produce a blank screen.

What this guide emphasizes

Html -- Just the Useful Tags I omit html tags supported by only one or two browsers, unless they are uniquely useful. The result is a trim html, that is likely to work.

Code with its Results Since proper punctuation is essential, code is given verbatim. Click the light bulb for results.

<html>           
  <head>
  <title>A Simple Example</title>
  </head>
  <body>
   Here is a very simple html file.  
   It doesn't say much, and it contains 
   only the essential elements of html. 
  </body>
</html>

CSS Styling with CSS is simple and gives a multitude of formatting choices.

Dynamic Html Dynamic html is a part of html that lets you change your web page with the click of a mouse. By using dynamic html whenever possible, you limit the imcompatibilities you could face with scripting languages. Furthermore, learning dynamic html is excellent preparation for learning a scripting language.

Introduction to Javascript Javascript can simplify dynamic html and let you do calculations. By the time you're ready to use Javascript, you will probably want to make tables and forms whose coding is tedious. Javascript programs can generate such code for you.

Forms Forms let you communicate with your reader. I present the html you need to code forms, the PHP you need to retrieve the results, and the MySql you need to store them.

PHP PHP programs are useful in generating web pages. These can contain input from your readers. PHP is easy to learn and use.

MySql MySql permits you to organize large quantities of information. With PHP, you can use this in your web pages. Over time, this can not only simplify your web pages, but can help you keep needed information at your fingertips.

If you have questions or comments, I'd appreciate an email: nancy "at" solutionsforyou "dot" org.