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[ THE WEB || BARE BONES GUIDE | PAGE DESIGN | HTML FAQ | MY PAGES ] |
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I get messages every day from people asking for help in creating Web sites. This page provides links to some of the excellent resources available on the Web. It's not intended to be a comprehensive list; if that's what you're looking for, try one of the general reference sites listed below. Instead, this page lists some of the best resources for the major areas of Web page design. If you can't find an answer here, take a look at my HTML FAQ, which has answers to some of the most common questions I get asked about Web page design. | |
General Reference | HTML | Colors | Style | CGI | Forms | Domain Names
Counters | Guestbooks | Frames | Java
Graphics | GIF Animation | Sound | Javascript | Publicizing
These sites have large, organized collections of links to information about every aspect of Web page design.
These documents describe the HTML markup language, which is used to create Web pages.
This is probably the most common question I get. Current versions of most major browsers support background, text, and link colors via the <BODY> tag, but the colors have to be entered in the form of a hex triplet. Several pages provide tools to help generate the color codes; choose the one that you find most useful.
Style and design are often overlooked in creating Web pages, but the way you present information has a tremendous impact on the way people respond to your pages.
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts can be used to perform many powerful functions, including adding forms, guestbooks, and access counters to your pages, as described below. Your ability to use CGI scripts will usually depend on whether your service provider offers access to the cgi-bin directory of the server.
The sites below offer information on how to write scripts and HTML code to process fill-out forms in your Web pages. This sometimes requires that you put CGI scripts on your server, so you need to check with your service provider to find out whether they support forms.
Register your Website address at www.yourname.com.
Access counters let you see how many people have accessed your page. They are ususally implemented either by using CGI scripts or by scanning the systemwide access log files that your server generates automatically.
Guestbooks let people who view your pages "sign in" and leave messages for you and others to peruse. You can create a guestbook manually, as I have, by using a form to gather information and adding the responses to your guestbook page by hand. If you are able to put CGI scripts on your server, you can create a guestbook that updates automatically.
Netscape 2.0 supports a new feature called "Frames" that lets you split up the window into independent scrollable panes, each of which can display a different Web page or image.
Java is a programming language that allows you to embed small "applets" in your Web pages.
These pages contain libraries of public domain graphics and other tools that you can use to spruce up the look of your pages.
One of the most popular ways of creating animated graphics on Web pages is through the use of animated GIFs.
There are several methods to embed sound files into their pages so that the sound plays automatically when the page is launched.
JavaScript is a scripting language created by Netscape to create special effects in Web pages. Despite the name, it is not related to Java.
Everyone wants people to know about their pages. These sites allow you to register your page with various announcement and "what's new" services on the Web.
In general, the best way to figure out how to do things with the Web is to experiment, and to look at what other people have done and how they have done it. Use the "View Source" command in your browser to see how other people have constructed their HTML. Good luck!
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[ THE WEB || BARE BONES GUIDE | PAGE DESIGN | HTML FAQ | MY PAGES ]