Newbie CSS Question Take II

[Nobody Important]

Let me start this from the beginning:



I'm trying to build a website that will feature text, images, and links to
documents and Youtube videos. I'm a newbie but have built several FrontPage
websites in the page on Ipowerweb. Due to the content the site will be
hosted on a freedom of speech server that does not support FrontPage
extensions.



For an example of what I want - visit http://www.aboutkenpangborn.com I
would be delighted to have a blank template of this website. It has all the
elements I want. What I am doing is somewhat close to this particular
website.



I played with CoffeCup and have also downloaded Nvu. I used to write in C++
and some other languages so I should be able to come up to speed. I have to
admit searching and reading the CSS tutorials is confusing.



Anyway is there a 'FrontPage' way of doing this website with a HTML editor.
By that I mean I obtain (buy or download) a template such as the kind I used
to get on Pixelmill. Then, I make changes, insert text, etc, and upload a
decent looking website.



Or do I have to sit down and learn HTML as well as CSS?



Thanks for your assistance.

 

[dorayme]

For an example of what I want - visit http://www.aboutkenpangborn.com I
would be delighted to have a blank template of this website. It has all the
elements I want. What I am doing is somewhat close to this particular
website.

Well, just hang on there! See what happens to this page when one
changes the text size up a few notches. No, do not use this as
template under any circumstances. It uses frames, you are
unlikely to do good with these. And it uses a table for not the
best reasons in the left navigation frame. It is a list of links.
You would really want to use a list.

Why not go to

http://www.htmldog.com/

and read a bit and hang about here a while.

 

[Andy Dingley]

I'm trying to build a website that will feature text, images, and links to
documents and Youtube videos. I'm a newbie but have built several FrontPage
websites in the page on Ipowerweb. Due to the content the site will be
hosted on a freedom of speech server that does not support FrontPage
extensions.

FrontPage is bad for two reasons:

* It makes terrible HTML

* FrontPage extensions on the server are harder to find than simple
ftp and they're also unworkably fragile if any non-FP users move files
around. This reason _alone_ is sufficient to avoid FP if you're on any
sort of collaborative project.

I strongly suggest that you abandon the WYSIWYG trail, learn some HTML
and learn to code directly with a text editor. Provided that you learn
to to do this correctly, then it's easy. If you follow any of the
myriad "easy web tutorials" then you'll learn the wrong things, badly
and by spending far too much effort on it. This stuff is dead easy
(hey, you know C++) but it's ridiculously hard to find accurate,
reliable tutorials for it amongst all the dross.

I recommend:

* Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML (O'Reilly)
* Cascading Style Sheets, Lie & Bos

I don't recommend _any_ other books or websites. There might be some
more out there that aren't garbage, but I haven't found them yet.

For an example of what I want - visit http://www.aboutkenpangborn.com

That's not goood enough practice that I'd recommend following it. In
particular it uses frames for trivial banners and menus. Frames are a
nuisance and these minor uses of them don't justify their downside.
CSS can do the fixed banners and SSI (or simple cut-and-paste) can do
the shared menu.

If you're going to use anything as a template, then make sure it's a
good one. Resources like A List Apart, brainjar.com and glish.com are
competent here, most others aren't.