WebDev Masters

CSS, which stands for cascading style sheets, has been around for several years now. This coding standard was first invented to make it easy for web designers to modify the appearance of their websites, without using any programming languages. For this reason, you will find CSS to be easy to understand, and easy to implement.

How CSS works.

CSS code can be incorporated into each and every web page on your website, or it can reside on a separate file. If it is on a separate file, you can easily include the file dynamically using a single line of code. After that, if you ever want to make changes to the CSS coding, all you need to do is to modify one single file, and the change will be applied to all pages across the website.

So what you can do with CSS?

You can use CSS to control all visual elements of your website. For example, you can use it to change the font size and colors. You can also use it to change the table properties, or the visual aspects of your web forms.

But there are so many different ways you can change the visual appearance of a website. So why use CSS?

Firstly, CSS is a client side scripting technology. In other words, there are no server implications. As long as the server can serve up simple texts, CSS will work. In this aspect, it’s a little bit similar to Javascript, except that you can’t perform programming using CSS.

Secondly, CSS is very simple to learn and pick up. If you are comfortable writing simple HTML tags, you can learn to use CSS. Also, because you can add CSS dynamically to your website, that makes it more convenient for you or your webmaster to maintain the website.

Thirdly, you have to remember that CSS was invented to complement HTML. No other scripting languages focus as much as CSS on the website appearance. It has very much become an industry standard, and can even validate CSS code on the official w3 website. Modern browsers all offer strong support for CSS.

CSS is meant to simplify your website. It’s not there to add clutter to your site. For this reason, the search engines love CSS. That’s because search engines find it easier to crawl and index web pages that are simple. There are no fancy scripting tags that confuse the search bots. So if you create a website using CSS, you are indirectly optimizing your site for the search engines. For sure, there is a side benefit that many website owners overlook.

Therefore, it makes sense to convert static HTML pages and other web images to CSS web pages. Your website will become more professional and modern looking.

What Is HTML?

HTML or Hypertext Markup Language, is the predominant language in which most Internet web pages are based.  HTML accomplishes a number of tasks via a web page, including describing the structure of text based information to be displayed within the page (font sizes, text colors and formats, etc.), providing a means for the user to interact with the site via web forms, and embedding images and other types media for display to the user.

When an HTML page is provided to a user’s web browser over the Internet, the web browser will “translate” the HTML code into the format that will be displayed to the user.
HTML is written in the form of labels (known as tags).  Each tag includes an “open” tag and a “close” tag, and the text that is contained within the opening and closing tags.  For example, text can be made bold by using the <b> and </b> tag pair, so that the following HTML code will display the bold text word “Hello” in the user’s web browser.
<b>
Hello
</b>
HTML pages can also incorporate or embed the code for one or more “scripting languages”, including JavaScript, PHP, CGI, and ASP.Net.

What Can HTML Do for Me?

HTML provides the basic structure for your website, so it’s the foundation for your business getting its message to customers and potential customers.  When you understand the basic principles of HTML, you can begin to format your web pages to have a more unique and in- house appearance.  Brand recognition is important in business, and a little HTML coding can change a template style web page into something that is unique and recognizable.  In addition to displaying advertising copy, pictures, brochures and the like, you can also:

· Provide users with a feedback form to submit basic information to you through the website.
· Generate an email
· Offer a Guestbook

How Do I Learn HTML?

As you might suspect, there is a seemingly endless supply of web-based tutorials and instructional materials for learning about HTML.  There are a number of Internet-based tutorials to get you started, and to instruct you on any particular detail or HTML feature that you’re interested in.

Another way to “learn” HTML is simply to create you website using a web-authoring program, and examine the HTML code behind it.  We’ll talk about a few of the leading web-authoring programs later in this article.

Do I Need To Learn It?

Strictly speaking, you don’t need to become an HTML expert to build and administer your businesses website.  Many of the most popular tools for website construction include powerful capabilities (including many that most websites may never utilize).  As an added benefit, some of these programs are available at no cost.

Since the HTML that serves as the backbone of a website is basically just text, any text editor (including Microsoft’s Notepad) can be used to create a website.  Even though writing HTML code directly in a text editor can eventually help you to better understand what’s going on “under the hood”, spending the time necessary to become a hardcore HTML coder might simply not be an option.

In contrast, there are also popular programs that make it much easier to create your website layout and design through graphical user interface.  These programs do the heavy lifting, and will automatically assemble the HTML code based on the design you make.

Dreamweaver

Adobe’s Dreamweaver is one of the leading commercial web design software packages available today.  Dreamweaver has a reputation within in the web design community as being very rich in features, and one that generates very “clean” or more standards-compliant code.  (This means that, in theory, the Dreamweaver code should run more predictably on a broader range of web browsers.)  Dreamweaver also has strong support for CSS, JavaScript, XML, and a variety of other functionalities that are commonly used on “higher end” websites.  In addition, Dreamweaver has tight integration with Adobe’s other design programs, including Photoshop and Flash.  This can be a time-saver if you are using (or decide to use) those other programs.

On the other hand, Dreamweaver is expensive, compared to other commercial options.  In addition, many feel that because there are so many features and functions available in the program, it can be intimidating for new users and designers.

Expression Web

Microsoft’s Expression Web (the successor to the venerable FrontPage software) is Microsoft’s web authoring tool and is considered to be one of the leading web design tool available today.

Expression Web has many (if not most) of the same tools as are available in Dreamweaver, and boasts strong integration with Microsoft’s other design and infrastructure products, such as Visual Studio, SharePoint, and the Office suite of products.  In addition, Expression Web’s menu structures and look-and-feel will be familiar to users of other Microsoft Office products, which can make it easier for those already accustomed to Microsoft products.

Note, however, that the source code that Expression Web generates is sometimes not as clean as that created by Dreamweaver (or coded directly into HTML using a simple text editor), so this may result in some problems (or at least some additional time required) if you decide to use Dreamweaver to modify a page that was created in Expression Web.  In addition, some page elements (such as tables) can require additional work if created in one program and then edited in another.

Nvu

For those who want to create relatively simple websites, without some of the fancy features that are available with Dreamweaver and Expression Web might wish to consider the open source product Nvu.  Nvu has a graphical user interface like Dreamweaver and Expression Web, and is very efficient at making much HTML coding easier and quicker.  As an open source product, Nvu is free of charge, and relatively well supported by its user community.

Web-Based Programs and Templates

Finally, be aware that there are a number of web-based authoring programs (such as Homestead) and template services available.  These options often require very little effort in terms of design and coding, and are generally available at very reasonable prices.  Keep in mind, however, that because most templates are or have been available to other users, you might wind up with a design that is not unique, or doesn’t provide your website with a sufficiently distinct identity.

How to Move Forward

At the end of the day, any web authoring tool is likely to have both have pluses and minuses.  Before committing to license any particular package, take a little time to try any available online or downloadable trial versions of the package.  The key to deciding is to identify your current and future needs, and balance this against your budget for the project.  While choosing a particular tool won’t forever tie you to using that same tool in the future, making a thoughtful decision at the outset can help you to avoid spending time making corrections and adjustments down the road.

In closing, if you’d rather NOT learn HTML or just find it too confusing but still need it to help you with your business you should check out MemberSpeed software solution.

ASP.NET is the latest version of Microsoft’s Active Server Pages technology (ASP).Microsoft ASP.NET is a set of Web application development technologies that enables programmers to build dynamic Web sites, web applications, and XML Web services.Microsoft ASP.NET is open technology that agrees to programmers to create energetic web applications. ASP.NET can be used to create anything from small, individual websites through to large, enterprise-class web application.

Before you continue to understand ASP.NET you should have a basic understanding of the following things like,WWW, HTML, XML and the basics of building Web pages, Scripting languages like JavaScript or VBScrip,the basics of server side scripting like ASP or PHP.ASP.NET is the next generation ASP, but it’s not an upgraded version of ASP. ASP.NET is an entirely new technology for server-side scripting. It was written from the ground up and is not backward compatible with classic ASP. ASP.NET view state is a great aspect and an important tool for web development of today. The perfect guide to using ASP.NET to create effective, high-performance for Web applications.

ASP is a short from of Active Server Pages it is a software solution by Microsoft. Request Service Provider – a business it serves another business with computer application needs. The .NETorganization is Microsoft’s manage code programming model for building application that have visually impressive user experiences, textbook and safe message, and the talent to model a variety of business process.

Many ASP.Net seem to be a mixture of data access code, HTML markup, and business logic, but it doesn’t have to be that way. By itself, the “code-behind” copy in ASP.Net does not do sufficient to create a good separation of concerns. The big face in unit testing ASP.Net code is the tight combination to the ASP.Net runtime. If you See all of the improvement that are coming in Visual Studio 2008 with next-generation Web development, included development for the Microsoft Office system, and industry-leading designers for Windows Vista.

Find the latest refresh of this developer preview of ASP.NET features providing a large range of new functionality for both ASP.NET and gray light. Latest enhancement include better browser history hold, enhanced CSS selector APIs, and writing resource removal tool.Microsoft’s .NET Development Platform offers many advantages over traditional Web programming platforms, including increased application speed and response time, improved reusability of programming code and easier integration with other applications.

We develop all of our extensive E-commerce Web sites in ASP.NET. These Web sites typically feature several advanced applications, including real-time order tracking, support for multiple currencies and languages and automatic FedEx shipping label generation.

Article source: http://www.websoftwareoutsourcing.com/

What is CSS ?

CSS or Cascading Style Sheets is a great tool to add a unique look to your web pages.  CSS enhances fonts, colors, and even the spacing of your web pages.  It is a useful tool to let you separate your HTML content from your style. For example, you can use your HTML file to create and organize the content, but all of the visual presentation including the background, fonts, colors, link effects, text formatting, and spacing are created with a CSS file.

Benefits of CSS

As discussed, CSS makes it easy for you to separate the style and layout of your HTML files from their informational content.  This means you can determine the look of your site in one file, and change the whole site by modifying that single file. It also means you can make your HTML changes by accessing one file.

This structure provided by CSS also means that you can work with your web pages so that they look good on any browser.  For example, a page on Mozilla can look very different than a page seen on internet explorer.  CSS eliminates that difference.

CSS gives you more control over how your pages look because it is a more detailed mechanism than HTML.  HTML wasn’t designed for style, it was designed for document structure.  CSS was designed for style.  This means it is easier for you as a business owner seeking brand development and recognition to define your “look” and give it a unique and consistent feel.

Users say that CSS also prints better than HTML documents.  Important if visitors are accessing your content, which they hopefully are, printing it, and taking it with them or better yet – sharing it with their friends and associates.  Additionally, the pages allow visitors to print the entire page as opposed to the partial pages that HTML often prints.

CSS decreases your page size significantly, making it easier for your visitors to load your site and all relevant graphics and copy.  It also means that your web pages can be seen quickly and clearly with handheld browsers.  This is huge because many people are now surfing the internet on their cell phones, smart phones, and PDAs.  If your site doesn’t load quickly, chances are people are going to leave.  If your site is quickly and clearly accessible – you may have a new customer!  Additionally, it will take up less space on your server if you’re running close to your limit – and save you less money if you’re being charge by bandwidth.  This is because CSS requires less code.

CSS enables you to position the code for your content at the top making your page search engine friendly. Properly marked up, HTML pages can easily found and properly categorized by search engines.

It is also fairly easy for anyone to learn because CSS already uses well-known coding elements and principals.

The benefits of CSS include making your web site:
• Faster to create
• Easier to maintain or change
• More adaptable to fit new and emerging technologies
• Compact
• Neater and cleaner in the HTML code

How do I use CSS ?

Cascading Style Sheets can be used in two ways – internally or externally. When used internally the CSS code is placed within the ‘head’ tags of each HTML file. The HTML code basically looks just like this:
<head>
<title></title>
<style type=”text/css”>
Place your CSS CONTENT HERE
</style>
</head>
<body>

Externally, your CSS code that would be placed in the HTML file is now placed in a separate file and linked to the location. The file type for the CSS code can be created with any text or HTML editor such as Notepad. Once created there are two ways you can link to your CSS file:

1. In the head section of every (X)HTML file, appearing as:

<head>
<title></title>
<link rel=”stylesheet” type=”text/css”rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”style.css” mce_rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”style.css” />
</head>
<body>
2. Using the @import method, appearing as:

<head>
<title></title>
<style type=”text/css”> @import url(Path to stylesheet.css) </style>
</head>
<body>

So what method do you choose?  That depends on what you need.  For example, internal is used when a designer needs to style only one page, or different pages with different styles.  Web page designers tend to prefer an external cascading style sheet. This is because, as noted earlier in the benefits list, you will only need to edit one CSS file to change the entire website. Webmasters also find external is better because they are easier to maintain, they’re more compact, and generally the appearance is easier to control and stylize.

Potential Concerns

Not all browsers can read CSS.  This is a real concern; however, the percentage has decreased to the point where less than 1% of browsers are affected.  What sites are affected?  Older browser versions, created before CSS was standard, including Netscape 4.0.  Because the vast majority of browsers are significantly newer than this, and because the World Wide Web Consortium has recommended the use of CSS, making it a widely acceptable and recognizable mechanism around the world, all concerns about using CSS are negligible.

Bottom Line

CSS is a tool that will make your web pages easier to organize and maintain, your website easier to change, your brand potentially stronger, your website more compact and easier to load, your search engine optimization will improve, oh and your pages will just look better.  There really isn’t a reason to not experiment with CSS and integrate it into your web site.  Once you begin using and designing with  CSS, you’ll likely find building sites is more fun, faster, and they look amazing.