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Site Development Foundations © 2004 ProsoftTraining All rights reserved Lesson 1: Introduction to Web Site Development Objectives Distinguish between using a text editor and using a GUI markup language editor Identify Web page design issues Identify the standards organization that controls markup languages Identify front-end and back-end Web issues Define the concepts of creative design and branding standards, and demonstrate their importance to business Creating Web Pages The need for skills in Web-based technologies: • Contribute to team projects • Create Web pages • Create résumés You must know at least the following markup languages: • Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) • Extensible HTML (XHTML) Additional Web Page Elements Web pages use more than HTML or XHTML -- additional technologies include: • Flash • Java • ActiveX You must also understand how Web pages use: • Databases • Common Gateway Interface (CGI) Databases and Web Pages Databases can store information about company inventory Databases can store customer information Web Pages and CGI CGI is used for many purposes: • To help Web pages pass information to and from databases • To provide active content (e.g., hit counters) • To provide dynamic content Examples of CGI technology include: • Perl • PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) • Active Server Pages (ASP) and .NET • JavaServer Pages (JSP) • Server-Side JavaScript (SSJS) • ColdFusion Text Editors and Markup Languages You do not need to use a special editor application to create markup • You can use a simple text editor (e.g., Notepad or Vi) When creating HTML or XHTML files, you must: • Save the text as plaintext • Save the file using either the .html or .htm file name extension Graphical User Interface (GUI) HTML Editors GUI HTML editors: • Create HTML/XHTML code for you You type page text as you would with a standard word processor You point and click with a mouse Popular GUI HTML editors include: • Macromedia DreamWeaver • Microsoft FrontPage • Mozilla/Netscape Composer Why Learn Markup Languages? GUI HTML editors do not keep pace with the latest improvements in markup language You can add features to pages not supported by the editor You will not be limited by the GUI editor’s capabilities Front-End Issues A Web page is an interface that should: • Provide a distinct message • Be accessible by all users • Incorporate appealing images and graphical elements • Include constantly updated hyperlinks • Use tables wisely • Present carefully designed Web forms • Connect pages to databases securely • Use the most current technologies appropriate • Use images sparingly • Be easily navigable and without dead ends • Include alternative navigation Web Page Accessibility An accessible Web page has: • A user-friendly and accessible front end • Back-end server resources that process and store user input The WC3 estimates that up to 10 percent of people have disabilities that, if not accommodated by Web sites, can cause companies to lose significant amounts of revenue Why adhere to accessibility standards? • It makes your site available to all users • You can be penalized for failing to provide accessibility, either by losing customers or Disabilities Acts The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • Enforced by the U.S. Justice Department • Requires Web designers to create “reasonable accommodations” for disabled users: Ensuring that all images have text-based descriptions Providing text-based alternatives to all nontext content (e.g., Java applets and Flash presentations) Providing easy-to-read forms Additional disabilities acts and initiatives: • Canada’s Common Look and Feel for the Internet • The Australian Government’s Guide to Minimum Web Site Standards – Accessibility • India’s Maharashtra Right to Information Act Disabilities Acts (cont’d) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) • Provided by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) • A product of worldwide cooperation • 14 WAI guidelines Rehabilitation Act: Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards, Section 508 • Known simply as Section 508 • All federal agencies must ensure that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained or used by federal agencies be comparably accessible to users with disabilities • Based on the WCAG Child Online Protection Act (COPA) Designed to protect minors from harmful material • U.S. government law • Penalties specified • You can learn more about COPA at: The COPA Commission Home Page www.copacommission.org The COPA Act Text www.copacommission.org/commission /original.shtml Verifying Web Page Accessibility Many tools available, including: • Bobby (www.cast.org/bobby) • STEP508 (www.section508.gov) • RetroAccess (www.retroaccess.com) One way you can help improve accessibility is by adhering to the XHTML 1.0 standard when you write Web page code General Web Page Accessibility Considerations Visual challenges • Text readability • Text support for images • Screen reader support Audio challenges • Alternative audio support • Alternative speech input • Text support for audio elements Cognitive and technical challenges Site maps can improve accessibility Change documentation can improve accessibility Creative Design and Branding Standards A Web page is often part of a larger marketing and sales strategy • Creating and ensuring brand recognition (name recognition) • Presenting a strong message A Web page allows you to develop: • A market • Mind share • A brand Creative Design and Branding Standards Design and branding standards – topics for meetings include: • Target markets • Market messages • Media choices • Color combinations • Sales strategies • Technologies to use Audience development techniques include: • Flash, Java • Company logos • Strategies developed by sales and marketing • Push and pull technologies • Visitor tracking Portals A Web site that act as a centralized access point for additional Web sites • Portal types: Vertical Horizontal Portal benefits: • Direct users to the best sites • Attract users to products • Improve brand name Wiki Site A Web site that allows all visitors to collaborate in its construction • Wiki software is installed on a Web server • You can lock down certain pages and leave others open to editing Wiki examples • Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) • LinuxQuestions.org (http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Main_Pa ge) • MemoryAlpha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_Alpha ) Wiki software purveyors • Open Wiki (www.openwiki.com) • JSP Wiki (www.jspwiki.org) File Formats and Active Content Your pages will include various content formats, including PDF documents, images and media files Common file formats and MIME types • HTML: text/html • JPEG: image/jpeg • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): text/css • MPEG: audio/mpeg • MP3: audio/mp3 Evaluating proprietary formats • Difficulty/inconvenience • Cost • Audience limitation Back-End Issues Database connectivity • Types of databases • Web servers use relational databases to store data Relational databases • Creating relational databases • Relational database vendors • Databases, Web servers and SQL Relational Database Manipulation Terminology Join -- combining two database tables to create a new table Table -- a database topic that contains rows (records) and columns (attributes or fields) Record -- one row of a relational database table Field -- one column of a relational database table Entity (i.e., record) -- a person, place or thing represented in a database table row Attribute -- a category of information related to an entity Linking attribute -- common attribute between tables that allows a join to occur Relation -- a link generated between two entities Tuple -- two or more entities currently linked by a relation Query -- searching a database Types of Database Table Joins Inner join • Results in a new table in which the information in one column of the first table is combined with a column of the second table • The most common type of join Outer join • Used to combine tables when one column of a table contains an empty, or null, value • Less common SQL Commands SELECT — requests data from a particular table or table row FROM — delimits the beginning search point in a table or table row WHERE — delimits the ending search point in a table or table row JOIN — creates a new table from selected data SUM — adds numerical information within records Accessing and Updating Databases Ways to access databases include: • Locally • Over the LAN from a share you establish • Via the Web through a Web application Database connectivity methods • Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) • Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) Indexing and cataloging Bandwidth and Download Time Download time • Factor in all files • Consider typical connection speeds Calculate download time for a Web page • Check the size of the HTML file and all associated images, files or programs • Determine the speed of your network connection • Convert the connection speed and file size to common units of measure (e.g., bytes or bits) • Divide file size by connection speed Naming Web Page Files Web servers search for default page names Default page names include: • index.html • index.htm • default.htm • default.asp Default page names can change from server to server • Apache Server -- usually index.html • IIS -- usually default.htm, default.html or index.html HTTP 404 – File Not Found Error Indicates that a user has requested a file that does not exist on the specified Web server • Generated by the server • Can be customized Habitat For Humanity Web Site A not-for-profit, volunteer-driven organization that builds and sells homes for families worldwide Has built more than 150,000 homes worldwide A Web site example in this course Like any Web site, it targets an audience • The site is part of a concerted effort to bring in volunteers • People with technical expertise must run the site • More than technical expertise is required – The Web design team must also understand the business goals