Selecting
the Best Web Design Language for Your
Project
Choosing a Web Design
Language for Your Website
Don't get upset but the web
design language you use will dictate how your
website is updated and controlled from now on so
choose wisely. These lessons for learning web
design from home are offered by webmaster Shelley
Lowery so take some time to study more about
getting online.
When you think about the
language your are using to design your website,
what do you think of first? What is important about
web design language, what is imperative, and what
exactly do you need to know? You have the final
word. If you'd like to create and publish your own
web site on the Internet, your first step should be
to decide what type of website you would like to
create and what web design language you would like
to use.
Although there are several
web design languages to choose from, make sure you
take some time to research your options to ensure
you're making the best choice for your
project.
Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML)
The easiest and most popular
web design language is Hypertext Markup Language,
better known as HTML. This language is so simple
you can type the syntax into a text editor, such as
Notepad, save it with an .html extension and
instantly have a web page.
You can learn more about HTML
here:
http://www.w3schools.com/html/
Although HTML
basics will enable
you to create simple web sites, if you want
something more dynamic, you'll need to look into
using other languages:
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
(PHP)
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor,
better known as PHP, is a highly popular,
server-side scripting language that can be embedded
directly into HTML coding.
PHP can do anything that CGI
(Common Gateway Interface) can do, such as process
form data and auto generate dynamic content.
However, PHP can do much more. It can be used on
all major operating systems and supports most web
servers.
PHP's main focus is
development for the web, so it has a quick
development time and can solve scenarios much
quicker than some of the other web design
languages.
You can learn more about PHP:
Hypertext Preprocessor here:
http://www.php.net/
ColdFusion
ColdFusion, developed by
Macromedia, is used to build and serve web pages.
It consists of ColdFusion Studio, which is used to
create web pages, and ColdFusion Server, which is
used to display the web pages.
One of the best features of
ColdFusion is the ability to create web pages 'on
the fly' from content stored within a database.
For example, a variety of
content can be placed within a database as 'pieces
of content.' When a user types in the web address
to retrieve the web page, ColdFusion dynamically
develops the pages, from the 'pieces of content,'
as they are served.
Although it is very reliable,
ColdFusion may be better suited for larger
companies rather than individuals, as it is fairly
expensive.
You can learn more about
ColdFusion here:
http://macromedia.com/support/coldfusion/tutorial_index.html
Java Server Pages
(JSP)
Java Server Pages, also known
as JSP, is a web design language developed by Sun
Microsystems. It is used to control web page
content via servlets, which are little programs
that run on a web server. These servlets modify the
web page on the server prior to it being displayed
within a web browser.
The JSP technology enables
you to combine regular, static HTML with
dynamically generated HTML.
You can learn more about Java
Server Pages here:
http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/docs.html
Active Server Pages
(ASP)
Active Server Pages, also
known as ASP, is Microsoft's solution to dynamic,
interactive web pages.
Active Server Pages are web
pages that contain scripts in addition to the
standard HTML tags. These scripts are processed
prior to a web page being displayed within a web
browser.
Unlike standard HTML pages
that have an .html or .htm extension, Active Server
Pages have an .asp extension.
An advantage of ASP is that
it is language-independent and therefore is easy to
use across all platforms and applications. It is
very flexible and powerful, yet some people don't
like it merely because it is a Microsoft
product.
You can learn more about
Active Server Pages here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnasp/html/asptutorial.asp
Conclusion
With so many different web
design languages to choose from, which is the best
language for your project? That will depend on your
web site needs and how much time and/or money
you're willing to invest.
If you want a simple web site
with text and images, HTML is definitely the way to
go. Not only is it easy to learn, but there are
also many HTML editors available online that will
write the code for you.
Although HTML is usually the
right choice for most, if you'd like your web site
to be dynamic, you will need to research some of
the other languages until you find the best
solution for your project.
Take your time and do your
homework before you begin. If you don't feel
confident in your ability to create
your own web site,
hire a professional. It will save you a lot of time
and trouble in the long run.
FYI: It's possible that
the day will come when you can use something you
read about here about Internet languages to have a
beneficial impact in the way you approach learning
web design as a beginner. At that point you will
the happy you learned more from this report about
web design language.
Copyright ©
Shelley Lowery 2005
---
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author
of the acclaimed web design series, Web Design
Mastery -- an in-depth guide to professional web
design that is rapidly becoming known as the
"Bible" for professional
web design.
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