A few questions

[Diabetic]

Hey hey folks, i'm new to the forums and didn't really know where to put this. Right, heres the deal. I want to create a website based around a game I play ALOT (counter strike: source) but i don't wanna just make a plain crappy Frontpage job. I have a reasonable knowledge of Photoshop CS 8 and i'm planning on making the template MYSELF http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/dry.gif
Thing is, i don't really know what skills i'll need. I am reasonable at PS8 (like i said) but haven't really started to experiment with HTML yet.

Basically what i want to know is this, will i be able to create a template? How will i apply it to Frontpage? Do you know any good tutorials for begginners?

Cheers http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/thumbsup.gif

http://img66.exs.cx/img66/4689/arcdiabeticsig0jc.jpg

[ecsyle]

Well, you will need to learn HTML. And I recommend not using frontpage. Learn to code without a program doing it for you. This will help you to keep the layout and site clean and simple.

http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp

There is more to web than photoshop. You can create a mockup of the layout in PS, then you will 'cut' it up to get the images you need.

Also, HTML is easy. It is simply a markup language. it tells the Web browser how to display the page. Don't make it more complicated than it really is :)

http://www.ecsyle.com/pictures/sig_01.jpg (http://www.ecsyle.com)

[Diabetic]

I spent 4 hours with my Techy uncle the other day at a family do, i was bored so i went up to his study and we messed around with HTML. I have spent alot more time learning the tags and can produce a reasonable 'document' with pictures, links, colours, fonts, etc.

What i want to know is can templates be used without a 3rd party program like Frontpage? So, can i create pro quality websites using just Notepad?

http://img66.exs.cx/img66/4689/arcdiabeticsig0jc.jpg

[Ryan8720]

Yes. Pro quality web pages are made in notepad or an HTML editor. The web sites Frontpage outputs are far from standards. It is possible to make a good site in Frontpage, but most likely the code will be garbage.

http://www.edgewebdesign.org/images/misc/ryan_shadowmetal.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

http://www.spreadfirefox.com/community/images/affiliates/Buttons/80x15/white_1.gif (http://www.spreadfirefox.com/?q=affiliates&id=30444&t=82')

[Diabetic]

Woh, thought all Pro things were Dreamweaver or Frontpage. Thats pretty cool.

Do any of you know of a tutorial i can use to integrate a template into my Notepad document/s

<img>http://img66.exs.cx/img66/4689/arcdiabeticsig0jc.jpg</img>

[Ryan8720]

I'm not sure you understand what a template is. It is page, usually made from sliced photoshop images, that uses backgrounds and generic headers to allow anyone to easily place thier own company information in it.

http://www.edgewebdesign.org/images/misc/ryan_shadowmetal.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

http://www.spreadfirefox.com/community/images/affiliates/Buttons/80x15/white_1.gif (http://www.spreadfirefox.com/?q=affiliates&id=30444&t=82')

[Diabetic]

Ok ok, can someone please link me to a tutorial on how to use a template. And also a template on how to CREATE a template (however basic it is)

<img>http://img66.exs.cx/img66/4689/arcdiabeticsig0jc.jpg</img>

[ecsyle]

What exactly are you looking for?

Try google.

http://www.ecsyle.com/pictures/sig_01.jpg (http://www.ecsyle.com)

[Allen Harkleroad]

We use templates quite often (dynamic templates) and use fronpage to attach them to web pages. Actually FrontPage HTML is very clean, it doesn't always meet WC3 standards but clean code non the less. I actually put up a site using FrontPage and asked several HTML gurus to tell me what i used to creat ethe site, not one of them was even close.


an example of dynamic templates and FrontPage


www.gmpias.com (http://www.gmpias.com)





Allen Harkleroad
'I didn't do it... You didn't see me... You can't prove a thing...'

[DaveMDesignz]

If you can get hold of Dreamweaver that would be much easier - couple of hundred though some places. Learning HTML is the best way to do it anyway...


Thanks,
Dave.
http://70.84.255.226/~sellittk/smalllogo.jpg (http://www.ebayselling.co.uk/)

[Ulysses]

<!-- #BeginTemplate 'gmpias.dwt' -->
<!-- #BeginEditable 'doctitle' -->

Looks like it uses Dreamweaver templates to me, Allen ... (well, it at least uses Dreamweaver-style template markup)

Anyways ... Diabetic, since you're no doubt a visual person, I suggest a GUI editor to start with (that is, if you're not already excited by your present set of html skills) ... perhaps download a Trial of Dreamweaver!? Once you can see how to lay out a site to your asperations, you can get an idea of what code to use. I rememeber starting in Netscape's own free editor like many people ...

But as the others suggest ... getting to the know the code allows for complete artisitc control, and is necessary for you to best realise your vision, whilst also ensuring your designs' mark-up (code) is compliant. I use something similar to notepad myself now, but there is no shame in using something more visual like Dreamweaver to get a grasp of html basics.

[Chris_D]

Diabetic,


The best advice I can give you is to follow the W3C framework, rather than use proprietary packages.


The key for accessible webdesign is the separation of content (XHTML/HTML) from layout and presentation (CSS).


Have a look at Dave Shea's http://www.csszengarden.com/site. As far as explaining how you can separate content from presentation, and have a great design with CSS- this is the best example around. ALL the examples are using identical HTML code - with different CSS files to provide vastly different layout and presentation.


There are some aspects of Zen Garden I disagree with - some of the CSS files actually contain 'content' - which should rightly be in the XHTML/HTML file - but nevertheless, it is a most compelling 'demonstration' of what can be achieved with CSS.


Have a look. Then start learning CSShttp://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/wink.gif





Cogentis search engine marketing (http://www.cogentis.com.au/)

[Diabetic]

Right, so basically CSS is a way of applying a design to all your webs pages?

And i have learned ALOT on HTML over the past week. I now have a functional (tho non attractive) site made just from using HTML and Notepad.

<img>http://img66.exs.cx/img66/4689/arcdiabeticsig0jc.jpg</img>