Web design programs

[heckle]

Yeah, use Dreamweaver to build the site. And when you're ready, use Flash to add bells and whistles.

You may want to keep in mind that there are still dialup users out there. Adding too many bells and whistles will make it unbearable for them to load the page up. Also keep in mind that there are more browsers than InternetExplorer out there also being used.

 

[Monazwx]

Thanks for mentioning that. The company just got T1 (fibre-optic) internet service, so I forgot the users in dail-up land. OMG! I'm an internet snob!

And right now, I've got my own share of Browser hell with this computer right now. I'll take all of this into consideration.

 

[Spirit Guide]

You may want to keep in mind that there are still dialup users out there. Adding too many bells and whistles will make it unbearable for them to load the page up. Also keep in mind that there are more browsers than InternetExplorer out there also being used.

Exactly. I know a few people that still have dial-up, and I used to have it as backup for my broadband. I really hate websites that use a huge, slow loading image map for navigation. Also, not everyone will be using the same version of browser nor the same screen resolutions. Dreamweaver does have the ability to check your webpage code against older versions to show the problems. You can also tell it to open the page in any of the browsers that you have installed.

BTW, I use FireFox most of the time, sometimes switching to Opera. The only time that I use Internet Explore is when the site that I need to view absolutely must have it.

 

[Bobmi357]

A couple simple rules of thumb to live by.

1) Assume the worst possible machine and connection will view your design and adjust it accordingly. Most opening pages should not contain more than 200K of content tops, 100K would be even better.

2) Images should be saved to 72dpi.

3) View your work in more than one browser. And if possible, never do anything which is specific to one browser.

4) If you need dynamic abilities (ie programmed abilities) server side programming is more compatible with most browsers than client side programming which tends to be browser specific. You can't always get away with this, but try if possible.

5) Give the visitor an option. Got a flash presentation? Make them click on it to load it. NEVER force anything down the visitor's throat. If you're putting up large files, let people know the filesize, this way they can make the choice of downloading it or not.

6) COLOR BLINDNESS!!! Nothing is more revealing than working with a client who is color blind. Maximize the contrast between your foreground and backgrounds. Dark blue text on a black ground is nearly impossible to read, so is yellow text on white.

As to editor choice, its up to you. We've used first page 2000 for a number of years now with decent results. But thats for html. I have specially designed editors for coding in php and perl as well.

 

[heckle]

As to editor choice, its up to you. We've used first page 2000 for a number of years now with decent results. But thats for html. I have specially designed editors for coding in php and perl as well.

Actually, when I do html files for my website, I tend to use notepad or vi. I am just getting started with php myself and would be interested in some php editors. Any suggestions?

 

[SweetErika]

Actually, when I do html files for my website, I tend to use notepad or vi. I am just getting started with php myself and would be interested in some php editors. Any suggestions?

We use Dreamweaver for PHP as well.

 

[Bobmi357]

We use Dreamweaver for PHP as well.

Yeah some people will swear by dreamweaver. I couldn't stand it.

As far as editors go, I prefer having specific ones, for example my perl editor is hooked directly into activePerl so I can run the program locally, and debug it. Then I upload to a test server (local) and double check it before uploading to my server (or a client's server). I do something similar with Php. The last php application I wrote included some 192 discrete modules ranging from 40 lines of code to over 4000 lines. Both of my editors integrate into my vcs software, something which dreamweaver does not do.

People tend to go with what they are comfortable with. For myself, an old old coding dog whose been in the business since 1975, I found dreamweaver to be a nice program for people that do not want to know what they are doing, but for me too restricting.

 

[heckle]

People tend to go with what they are comfortable with. For myself, an old old coding dog whose been in the business since 1975, I found dreamweaver to be a nice program for people that do not want to know what they are doing, but for me too restricting.

I know what you mean. I am from back in the old days also. Never been much into coding beyind really simple stuff. Advanced batch files for my bbs and all back in the 80's. Been working with html for years now and am just getting to php and trying to find a comfortable way for me. I don't like all the bells and whistles (plus, using different OS's makes simplier better).