XHTML | HTML to XHTML

Tutorials

There are tons of tutorials and references available on the web on coding web pages. However, several years ago I began putting together pages with notes and how-to's that I'd collected for myself for my dad to use as a reference in learning how to create pages. Thinking they might be useful to others, I am updating them and copying the information pages for this website.

Many tools are available for a web developer. Besides the markup languages HTML, XHTML and XML, there is server page technology, scripting languages, server-side code, database systems and more. While these tutorials won't cover all those topics, it is my hope that at least they will provide a starting point for an aspiring developer.

Basic Software Tools

For a text editor, I use Edit Plus, but good old Notepad sufficed for years. Edit Plus does offer a trial version, if you are interested in trying it out.

To create graphics... well, I used to be challenged to make something as simple as a button. To my delight, I discovered Xara Webstyle, which is an extremely user-friendly program that lets you modify template designs and create really nice graphics. I still use it today, although I have acquired some small skill using Paint Shop Pro in creating additional graphics. Both Xara Webstyle and Paint Shop Pro offer trial versions for folks to "try before you buy."

For a browser, I use Mozilla 1.7, although Opera I've found is a good browser also, in terms of features and standards implementation. However, the free version of Opera is adware, and I just can't bring myself to buy a browser when Mozilla is a solid browser also, and is free.

With a text editor, graphics editor, and a browser, I have the basic tools I need to get started creating web pages.

Getting Started

The best starting point is XHTML. In learning that, you will be able to create content that can be displayed on the web. Admittedly, it won't be very interactive, limited to clicking on a link, but the capability to present your ideas and dissimulate information via text and images is still there.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) would be next on the list to learn, so that you can customize the look and feel of your pages, such as formatting text and creating page layouts to create theme and visual impact.

Next would be to learn a scripting language. With scripts, you can add dynamic content and enhance interactibility to your pages, using the Document Object Model(DOM) programming interface. The methods specified in the DOM allow a developer to access and manipulate elements on a page using a standardized interface. An example of dynamic content would be to show and hide text based on user input.

Server pages come into play when you want to create your pages on the fly. The reasons are varied -- for example, you could create content based on previous input from the user in a web page form, or to build a page using data from a database.

There are many HTML/XHTML editors available, and for many websites, this type of editor will meet a webmaster's needs just fine. But knowledge of XHTML, CSS and Javascript will give a user powerful controls to customize and enhance web content. There are more layers of knowledge to add after that -- server page technology, DBMS (database management system) and server-side coding (PERL, Java for example), but those are beyond the scope of these tutorials at the moment. After going through these tutorials, you should be able to create a web site with custom formatting and dynamic interactive elements to hopefully capture the interests of your readers.

Tutorials Available

More to come, especially CSS, but here is the tutorial that I have so far.