Starting out

[cheese...]

How do people make such interactive web sites? I mean the ones where the background, pics, menu buttons, etc all look suited together, they look like just one big image. Like not just a "home" or "contact us" button just stuck in there.

I know OF flash, photo shop, Java, PHP etc. But I don't REALLY know how to use them, or half of what they do. Or at what stage of building a web site I should use them.

Everyone one can make crappy websites useing a WYSIWYG editor. But I'm starting to want to learn how to make really engaging interactive websites and would love some advise on what to start learning. And what it does that i'm learning (I.e. HTML is the basic programing language to create a web site with. Java does such and such, etc).

Any and all advise is much appreciated

P.S I also want to learn how to intergrate databases into web sites so I can create memebrships and classifieds, ect on my site.

[ray326]

Start by learning semantic HTML with CSS for presentation. Then do Javascript and the DOM. Start looking at design sites like A List Apart, bluerobot, glish, CSS Zen Garden. Once you have a feel for the client side then start thinking about server languages, databases and such.

[<Eddie>]

You're going to have to start a never ending journey if you wish to become a website developer. In terms of the skills needed a great site to pick up the basics is www.w3schools.com (http://www.w3schools.com/).

Check out the list below:


HTML [Content layer] - This is the markup that allows you to put content on the web. When learning HTML, be very aware of usability and accessibility. Remember, HTML is about marking up content, not styling or laying out of content.
CSS [Presentation layer] - You'll need to learn this to layout and style your website. This will likely give you the biggest headaches due to browser inconsistencies but always rely on CSS to layout and style pages and not HTML.
JavaScript - This assists usability and adds behaviour to the page. Do not rely on JavaScript for core functionality. Everything must work in plain HTML but use JavaScript to enhance the experience users have on the website.
[B]PHP [Dynamic layer] - There are many languages around but PHP is as good as any and this form of scripting allows you to output HTML dynamically. This means you can capture data and put it in a database as well as read a database and then create the HTML for viewing. Very powerful stuff and a must.
SQL [Data layer] - You need to learn SQL to be able to extract the right information from the database. SQL is the language that does this and you use it along side your server code such as PHP to add functionality such as forums, chat boxes etc to your website.
Flash / Photoshop etc [Graphical layer] - Do what you want with this. Flash is great for interactive adverts or CD presentations but don't get into the habit of using Flash to offer core website functionality. Remember, website must work in pure HTML. Anything you do in Photoshop is presentational which means the presentation layer [CSS] is used to place images.
SEO [Promotional layer] - All websites need promoting. I have an article on this over here (http://blog.tn38.net/archives/2004/10/search_engine_o.html). It's a big subject so prepare yourself.

Once you have a good grasp of all the above skills you'll be commercially viable and can hire yourself out to businesses.

Good luck. Any questions, that's what this forum is for ;)

[cheese...]

That is just the type of info I need. Thanks